Cheap Game Round-Up
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Best Free Software
Machinima
Nate The Necromancer
Digital Art AppreciationCheap Games Round-Up
This is a roundup of all 17 of the cheap games we’ve featured in the blog. Every game so far has been released in the last five years and is under $15 — many are even free! Here they are in order of price (low to high):
| TITLE | GENRE | PRICE | SOURCES |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Blob | Platformer | FREE | Publisher|DoSu |
 (Released: 2006) Play as an amorphous pile of goo by absorbing the color of living things and transferring them to inanimate objects. That’s fortunate for this world, because the whole damn thing is gray! However, the big bad government wants to keep it that way. |
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| Execution | Experimental | FREE | Publisher|DoSu |
 (Released: 2008) This short exposition is an experimental game that will leave you thinking. |
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| Phyta | Experimental | FREE | Publisher|DoSu |
 (Released: 2008) An experimental arthouse type puzzle game about growth. |
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| Synaesthete | Action/Rhythm | FREE | Publisher|DoSu |
 (Released: 2007) Synaesthete is something of an “action-rhythm” game set to electronic music. Navigate “Zaikman” through a series of rooms, eliminating enemies along the way by hitting “notes” successfully. IGF’s 2007 winner of the Best Student Game award. |
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| Trackmania Nations Forever | Racing | FREE | Steam|Publisher |
 (Released: 2008) Over-the-top arcade time-trial racing including online multiplayer, track-building, and car painting. It can be challenging, but it’s a blast. |
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| Tripline | Puzzle | FREE | Publisher|DoSu |
 (Released: 2008) A puzzle game where you draw an uncrossable line and at the same time try to cover every geometrical icon within the black frame. You have to pick three of the same icon before being able to go to a different one. |
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| Dungeon Runners | Action RPG | FREE* | Publisher|GoGamer |
 (Released: 2007) A fun and satirical fantasy online action RPG filled with plenty of dungeons and hawt loot.
*Free to play with reasonable ads; optional low monthly fee for benefits. |
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| Love | Platformer | $1.00 | Publisher|DEMO |
 (Released: 2008) A challenging minimalist platformer with a simple save system and a hundred lives. The demo contains the first five levels. |
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| Geometry Wars | Shmup | $3.99 | Steam |
 (Released: 2007) The premise is simple: shoot the shapes. Collide with a shape and you die. As time goes on, the game becomes increasingly hectic. It’s good, cheap, and worth a look. |
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| AudioSurf | Rhythm/Puzzle | $9.99 | Steam|DEMO |
 (Released: 2008) Re-experience your music with this puzzle driving game. It dynamically generates a track based on whatever song you play. |
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| Beyond Good & Evil | Action Adventure | $9.99 | Steam|GameTap |
 (Released: 2003) An adventure full of diverse gameplay, a wonderful story, and charming characters. A reporter discovers a dangerous secret about a war with a menacing alien race. Jade must work to protect her adopted family. Download demo. |
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| Dark Messiah of Might & Magic | FPS/RPG | $9.99 | Steam|DEMO |
 (Released: 2006) A fantasy action game featuring first person melee, ranged, and magic combat. There is also a skill tree that gives you access to new spells, combat feats and passive improvements. This game includes team-based multiplayer along with it’s linear narrative campaign. |
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| Day of Defeat: Source | FPS | $9.99 | Steam |
 (Released: 2005) A WWII multiplayer-only first person shooter featuring tight foot soldier combat with several classes that outfit your character with different weapon loadouts. |
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| Eets: Hunger | Puzzle | $9.99 | Steam|Publisher |
 (Released: 2006) Been described as “Lemmings meets The Incredible Machine”. Get Eets safely to his destination by changing his mood (with marshmellows) and his environment. |
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| Everyday Shooter | Shmup | $9.99 | Steam |
 (Released: 2008) The object of this twin stick shooter is to create chains of explosions over top of some pretty interesting music. Winner of three IGF 2007 awards including Design Innovation, Excellence in Audio and the GameTap Indie Award. |
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| Gish | Platformer | $9.99 | Steam|DEMO |
 (Released: 2004) Rolling, jumping, sticking, swinging, squeezing and stomping around as an amorphous pile of goo. I think that it can fittingly be described as a physics-based puzzle game. (Win|Linux|OSX) |
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| Painkiller | FPS | $9.99 | Steam|DEMO |
 (Released: 2004) Classic Doom and Quake style singleplayer FPS action. Hoards of enemies and really big guns - hell yeah. Online multiplayer. Download singleplayer demo #1 or #2. Download multiplayer demo. |
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| Trials 2: Second Edition | Stunt/Puzzle | $9.99 | Steam|DEMO |
 (Released: 2008) You control a masochistic individual on a motorcycle with the goal of traversing from one end of a track to another all while trying to maintain balance on your bike and pull off flips or wheelies from, ideally, a side view. |
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| Prey | FPS | $12.99 | Amazon|GoGamer |
 (Released: 2006) An under-appreciated solid sci-fi FPS including online multiplayer. The game offers plenty of twists and mind-bending navigation. Retail copies can be added to Steam. Download demo: (Win|OSX) |
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| Defcon: Everybody Dies | RTS | $14.99 | Steam|DEMO |
 (Released: 2006) An unconventional RTS set during a what-if nuclear warfare scenario using nostalgic vector graphics. Win by dying the least. (Win|Linux|OSX) |
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Have a suggestion? Post below.
