Ok, so, here’s the unhappy truth. The economy is in the toilet, lots of folks are tightening their proverbial belts, and gamers can be a pretty expensive bunch to buy gifts for. But here’s the good news – with a little resourcefulness, you can make your gamer (or yourself) a very happy camper without blowing the holiday budget. In our handy guide to gifting gamers on the cheap, we’ve compiled some of the best under-$30 goodies for players.
Space Invaders Extreme (DS or PSP, $20 or less) – this little retro fantastic gem was budget priced at $20 the day it came out, so finding this one for even cheaper shouldn’t be a problem. The game offers twitch shooter action that most gamers (at least those who were around in the ’70s and ’80s) love, with an audiovisual overhaul and deep, upgraded gameplay.
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters DVD ($19.99 or less) – The King of Kong is an incredibly entertaining documentary that delves deep within the world of retro-game world championship. The core conflict centers on nice-guy Steve Wiebe and hilarious egomaniac Billy Mitchell as they contend against each other for the world record score in Donkey Kong. Every gamer should have this one.
Burnout Paradise (PS3 or Xbox 360, $30 or less) This gorgeous open-world racer came out early in the year, and developer Criterion has since released a ton of free downloadable content for it. Yes, there’s paid DLC in the future as well, but this game still delivers so much bang for it’s buck that not recommending it to value-starved gamers would be a crime. It’s fast, it’s furious, and it’s more than worth it’s sticker price.
Mega Man 9 (WiiWare, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, $10) – Megaman 9 is the consummate gift for hardcore gamers raised in the glory days of the Nintendo Entertainment System. Tough as nails, and totally satisfying, Megaman 9 will provide hours on hours of gameplay (and frustration!) for it’s $10.
Gamer Tees at Jinx.com ($19.99-20.99) – Jinx has the very coolest in geek and gamer-related t-shirts, which any true gamer would be thrilled to rock. They’ve got girls and guys covered – so this is the perfect gift for any gamer.
Read [Gamertell]
You're quite welcome, Kevbash. Cheap IS always good!
Woah, thanks for the list! Cheap is always good. x]