Smokedog Blog: God Bless Cheap Video Games

I’m a sucker for low-priced video games. PS2 Greatest Hits or Xbox Platinum Hits? Sounds good! I don’t know about you, but I can’t always afford to buy new games at $50. I don’t need to be the first one on the block to have game; the hype for a game always dies down after a while. If a game is truly good and popular among the masses, inevitably the game will be re-released as a “greatest hit” with a $19.99 price tag.

I read all the rave reviews for Burnout 3: Takedown and patiently waited for it to become a Platinum Hit. I finally bought it about a month ago, and played the game for more hours than I’m willing to admit. See? Fifty dollars worth of fun for only twenty.

Value-priced games? I’m there! Hey, sometimes quickly and cheaply produced games can be fun too. I haven’t tried it yet, but Obscure for PS2 was released with a $19.99 price and got relatively good reviews. I’m sure its no Resident Evil, but for the price, it sounds like a good deal to me.

Poorly-received games forced to lower their prices? Sign me up! Sometimes good games get lost in the shuffle, like Beyond Good & Evil. This game was praised for its style and substance when it first came out, but sold poorly because it was overshadowed by the flashier games that came out at the same time. The price plummeted pretty quickly, and I was right there to snatch it up.

Of course, not all games are good. In fact, a lot of them suck. But sucky games need love to, and for me, it’s easier to try a game at 20 dollars than 50. Who knows, you might have a winner. I haven’t seen many good reviews for Nano Breaker, but look at this game…how can you go wrong with getting this kind of carnage for twenty bucks?