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Stage three of our budget games series is go -- you'll need to scrape together a few cents for these, but a thorough couch cushion dig expedition should do the trick. Read on for more cheap game picks from the Bitmob community and staff!
The Budget Game Bonanza!
Day 1: Freebies part 1
Day 2: Freebies part 2
Day 3: The Cheapies ($0.01 through $8 games)
Day 4: $9 to $10 gems
Price: $0.99
Where to get it: iPhone (iTunes Store)
This game was my gateway to the world of German-style board games that Shoe affectionately calls "nerd games." KarmaStar is by no means as nerdy or complicated as those, but it does allow for some interesting gameplay choices as you battle three other space babies from birth until death. Do you play nice with other players and hope that it'll benefit you in the end? Or do you wage war every turn and gamble for the big points? -Brett Bates
Price: $0.99
Where to get it: iPhone (iTunes Store)
Tower-defense games are a dime a 20 dozen on the iPhone, but GeoDefense Swarm sticks out with its simple vector graphics (perfect for the small screen), Tron-like vibe, and uberhardcore difficulty. The original GeoDefense was decent enough, but Swarm lets you build strategic mazes to redirect enemies right into your lasers and pulsating Thump Towers -- very satisfying when it works, very infuriating when it doesn't, but fun enough to make everyone a sadist and come back for more. -Dan Hsu
Corpse Craft: The Incident at Wearrd Academy
Price: $1 to complete story mode (first half is free), $2 more for survival mode expansion
Where to get it: Flash (Whirled)
Think Puzzle Quest with zombies -- Corpse Craft is a match-three puzzle game with surprising depth for a Flash game. Match three colors to collect flesh and blood, then build a variety of reanimated corpses to destroy your opponent's workshop before he does the same to you. The sketchy pen-and-ink art style sets the mood for the darkly comic storyline. The first half of the game is free -- just enough to get its meat hooks in you -- but multiplayer and survival modes will cost you (a little). -Chris Williams
Price: $3
Where to get it: PC (Steam, Windosill.com)
Windosill is a surreal puzzle adventure through a dream like world. The game begins in a child's bedroom, but as you pass through each door, the world becomes more absurd. The object of each puzzle is to find a block that will unlock the door, allowing you to continue the dream. The puzzles are interesting, but it is the interactions with the world that will keep you entertained. -David Welsh
Price: $4.99
Where to get it: PSN
Stretch! Eat! Excrete! The more Noby Noby Boy stretches, the farther Girl stretches out to distant planets in the solar system. There's no story, no bosses, no upgrades, and each stage is randomly generated. Emphasis on randomly, because you'll see a lot of weird things, especially if you select one of the outer space levels. I've spent more time with Boy than I have on some $60 PS3 titles. And hey, easy trophies! -Daniel Feit
Time Gentlemen, Please!/Ben There, Dan That!
Price: $4.99
Where to get it: PC (Steam)
Available from Steam as a double pack or direct from the Zombie Cow website (where you can pick up Ben There, Dan That! for free), these two exceptional point and click titles are filled with dry, sarcastic humor in the tradition of older classics such as the Monkey Island series. Distinctly British in their comedic adventures, these will connect with anyone who enjoys a good laugh. With both games good for a week or two of play time and a low price point, you'd be a fool not to get in on the action, especially if you're a Brit. -Greg Heapy
Price: $5.00
Where to get it: PC (Steam)
As terribly clichéd as it sounds, Blueberry Garden is an experience unto itself. A puzzle-based pseudo-platformer, Blueberry Garden's unique atmosphere and calming audiovisuals hook the player into uncovering new areas of the puzzle-within-a-playground that is this game's strange world. Its inherent quirkiness won't resonate with everyone, and it is kind of on the short side, but this litmus test of taste is well worth $5. -Ryan A. Rubis
The Bit.Trips -- Bit.Trip Beat and Bit.Trip Core
Price: $6.00 (each)
Where to get it: WiiWare
Psychedelic images and sound guide you, keeping you in time with a chiptuned soundtrack. Though inspired by classic retro titles such as Pong and Missile Command, Beat and Core act as music rhythm games, encouraging players to focus on the tempo or else become overwhelmed by the action on-screen. When played in order, the Bit.Trip games communicate the evolution of game input and control: from paddle controller, to d-pad, and (eventually) analog stick. -Alex Moskowitz
(See also: Louie Castro's write up on Bit.Trip Beat)
Price: $7.99
Where to get it: PSN, iPhone (iTunes Store)
Obnoxiously cute (and detailed) art masks Critter Crunch's complex, novel take on the puzzler genre. Crunch's food-chain mechanic -- feed smaller critters to larger ones to make them pop, and chain combos -- is a new twist, but you're still rewarded for your history with similar games. Other riffs on the traditional format, such as wild cards that let you chain sets of matching critters, foods that eliminate troublesome toxic beasts, and bombs that eat anything and wipe whole sections from the map, keep the game unique and addictive, even as the difficulty begins to ramp up unexpectedly. -Suriel Vazquez
Price: $7.99
Where to get it: PSN
As a boy, I once broke several windows on my granny's garage door -- perhaps Shatter's appeal isn't surprising.
Shatter is one of those games that can consume you once you start playing. Think of it as the spiritual successor to Arkanoid -- and like that game, it's not for everyone as it does take coordination and timing. Once you figure out the controls and play through a few levels, though, you'll want to beat the next person's score on the leaderboard.... -Toby Davis
Well that about wraps it up for our mid-range budget games. Tune in tomorrow, high rollers, for the fancy pants $9-10 games. Ohh la-la!
