Hello, you tight-fisted cunts!

What? Oh, that'll be us then.

Not everybody can be an early adopter for many reasons - whether it's down to a lack of money or just a sheer bloodymindedness regarding spending upwards of £40 on a brand new Videogaming Entertainment Title, and some of us can get by in life with the all-important New Instruction Manual Smell on a regular basis. The first hit is always the best, from then on it only gets harder.

Thankfully that doesn't leave us in a quandry regarding a quantity of available stuff to buy, be it new budget releases or old second-hand stuff... the main problem is knowing where to invest the pennies. So, in what may well be a regular feature, Tightwad will be rounding up the current crop of budget releases, store markdowns, crap-looking second-hand shelf stock or just plain bargains, so that you can get the most out of your money. And if I happen to find something that's so stinky, you should avoid it at any price, I'll point that out, too. Cheap and shit is still shit.

Secret Weapons Over Normandy (PC)

Finding flight simulations that are actually entertaining has always been a bit of a bind, so Secret Weapons Over Normandy comes as a real breath of fresh air. There's no need to concern yourself with trivial matters such as getting your bird in the air, it's "chocks away" from the start, as you begin each mission where-ever you need to be. There's some genuinely thrilling action here, as you get to grips with the feel of the plane, and the twisting-turning dogfights are truly exciting, with a real feeling of exhilaration when you come out on top against one of the more difficult foes. This is still quite expensive on the consoles, but Play.com have the PC version, in a three-pack with Battlefield 1942 and Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, in their 3 for £10 offer (or separately for £4.99). Frankly, that's ridiculous, so get your debit card out now and keep your flying jacket handy, what?

That'll teach you to give me the wrong change, bastard.

Buy it from Play.com

The Bard's Tale (PS2/XBox/PC)

As a discerning gamer of many years' experience, Tightwad was intrigued to find the new Bard's Tale game is currently available at a wallet-friendly price. So, having lashed out a fiver on the PC version (it's twice as much on the consoles!), I'm pleased to say it's money well spent. It's not really The Bard's Tale, not as you'd remember it, but it's a decent Dungeon Siege-style hack-and-slasher with a lot of genuinely funny moments. Encountering a self-believing "Chosen One", then standing by as he gets hacked to death, leaving all his belongings for the taking, is much funnier in practice than it reads here. And there are great lines and light-hearted jabs right throughout the game. Although it plays a lot like the games it takes the piss out of, it more than justifies your note, whichever colour you must part with. Although finding it these days appears to be an epic quest in itself, it's worth the effort.

No, I haven't got any spare biscuits. Piss off.

Drakengard (PS2)

If you're in Currys anytime soon, you might find they've got a bargain bin. And in that bargain bin, you'll find umpteen copies of Drakengard. It's by Square Enix, don't you know? And it's only £1.99. It's hard to resist buying any game for £1.99. Resist this one.

Tightwad pulls a few coins out of his pocket, enabling him to make a lucky escape.

Deadeye (PC)

It might be a bit naughty to feature this game, seeing as it's available to buy right here, but Tightwad only cares about getting quality games for little outlay. Deadeye is a quality game. Imagine the likes of Galaxian, Phoenix or Moon Cresta. Throw in the bullet hell/absorption qualities of Ikaruga. Finally, uncover as many hidden bonuses as, say, Solomon's Key, and you're some way to describing Deadeye. There's plenty of fast-paced shoot-em-up action, but if you want the really big points, you're going to have to think about what you're doing, too, and that's what sets this apart. Presented as smartly as a schoolboy on the first day of term, this is well worth the fiver that's lying idle in your Paypal account. That money I got for selling my granny on eBay came in handy, after all.

Well. I try to save people money, and that's the abuse I get?

Buy Deadeye here.http://www.wayoftherodent.com/deadeye/index.htm

Far Cry (PC)

The thrifty gamer knows that, when it comes to buying cheap games, the net has to be cast into less than obvious places. And so it was that, when I was queuing in Morrison's to pay for the green beans and pork loin that I was to have for Sunday dinner, I came to browse through their budget games rack. It's a good thing I did, too, because I came across Far Cry. Now, this game has already been reviewed on this very website, and reactions were most favourable. But I didn't buy it then, because it was thirty quid, and I don't spend that kind of money on games. However, for the Morrison's value price of £5.99, it's an absolute steal. I mean, you can't even buy a pizza for that, and whilst the pizza may look as gorgeous, it won't satisfy for anywhere near as long. If you haven't already got it, now's the time.

Well, that fishing trip's gone badly wrong.

So there you go, I've presented you with four of the highest quality games for just over twenty quid, and enabled you to steer clear of one pile of shite. Think of me when you're spending that two quid, won't you? Or better yet, put it in your piggy bank, because you just might need it next time...

July 2006

Comments