I have absolutely no business adding to my backlog, yet here we are. This week’s multi-platform drop is one of those quietly dangerous ones where the quality ceiling is high and the prices are suspiciously low. I have played most of these, paid full freight for a few, and can confidently say some of these discounts sting in retrospect.
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This Day in Gaming 🎂
In retro celebrations, I’ve lit 21 stylus-themed candles for the original Nintendo DS. To say I was excited when I slapped down my A$199 at launch would be quite the understatement. This was, after all, Nintendo’s first bona fide step into something truly different and 3D-capable after 16 years of resizing Game Boy footprints while steadily beefing up their innards.
A bright frontier (that was actually well backlit) opened up to me when I lifted the two (!!) screen clamshell of this strange silver beast. The happy days that followed were punctuated by wireless PictoChat messages of questionable taste, circle strafing duels in the bundled Metroid: Prime Hunters: First Hunt demo, and mild RSI from doing so. In the fullness of time, the DS birthed the DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL to the tune of 154M units sold. It also gave us iconic experiences like Mario Kart DS, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, and New Super Mario Bros. to name but a few bangers in its insane 3,000+ games library. Make no mistake; I simply adore my DS.
Aussie birthdays for notable games.
- Nintendo DS launch, 2005. eBay
- Super Mario 64 DS (DS) 2005. eBay
- Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt (DS) 2005. eBay
- WarioWare: Touched! (DS) 2005. eBay
- Black (PS2,XB) 2006. eBay
- Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii) 2011. eBay
- Bulletstorm (PC,PS3,X360) 2011. Redux
Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch
- REANIMAL (-11%) - A$49 A grim co-op horror that feels built for siblings who enjoy mild trauma bonding. Short, sharp, and stylish, though the discount is modest. Worth it if the aesthetic already has you.
- BioShock: The Col. (-61%) - A$35 Three all-timers in one tidy package. Rapture still drips atmosphere, and Columbia still swings big. Shooting feels dated in spots, but the world-building carries it easily at this price.
- Tales of Vesperia: Def. Ed. (-31%) - A$54.90 A confident, character-driven JRPG with combat that opens up beautifully after a slow start. Yuri remains one of the series' better leads. Thirty percent off makes the time investment easier to justify.
- Kingdom Come Deliverance: Royal Ed. (-90%) - A$7.90 Stubbornly realistic and occasionally cruel, but unmatched if you want medieval life without fantasy padding. Expect friction. At under eight dollars, that friction feels earned rather than punishing.
- Pokemon Sword (-26%) - A$59 Streamlined and divisive, yet still a comfortable loop of catching and battling. The Wild Area was a clear turning point. Not the cheapest ever, but solid for newcomers.
Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.
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Exciting Bargains for Xbox
- Baldur's Gate 3 (-25%) - A$78.70 Dense, reactive, and almost suspiciously generous with player choice. Turn-based combat sings once systems click. Still premium priced, but you are buying months of decisions.
- Cyberpunk 2077 (-65%) - A$31.40 Finally the sleek, systems-driven RPG it promised to be. Gunplay feels tight and Night City breathes properly. Early scars linger in memory, not in performance.
- Prince of Persia The Lost Crown (-62%) - A$19 A slick Metroidvania pivot that respects the series' roots while moving briskly. Combat is snappy and traversal smart. At under twenty dollars, it is hard to argue.
- DOOM Eternal (-80%) - A$10.90 Relentless, demanding, and still one of the best arena shooters ever made. Forces you to play properly. Ten bucks for this much adrenaline feels almost rude.
- It Takes Two (-80%) - A$11.90 Inventive co-op that refuses to repeat itself. Every level throws a new mechanic at you. Requires a reliable partner, which may be the real challenge.
Xbox One
- XCOM 2 (-57%) - A$29.90 Still brutally fair in that special Firaxis way. Missed shots hurt, victories feel earned. Performance is not perfect, but the tactics remain elite.
- Diablo III: Eternal Col. (-56%) - A$44.30 Polished loot treadmill with years of refinement behind it. Seasonal play keeps it fresh. Not groundbreaking anymore, but comfort food ARPG done right.
- Overcooked! All You Can Eat (-50%) - A$28.60 Chaotic couch co-op that tests friendships with surgical precision. Simple systems, escalating panic. Half price is fair compensation for the yelling.
Or just invest in an Xbox Card.
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Pure Scores for PlayStation
- Final Fantasy XVI (-40%) - A$50.60 A bold action-forward swing with spectacular boss fights. Story leans heavy and serious. Forty percent off softens the departure from classic party systems.
- Tales of Arise (-44%) - A$30.80 Flashy combat and a surprisingly grounded character arc. Pacing wobbles late, but the early hours are strong. Under thirty one dollars feels right.
- Astro Bot (-19%) - A$89 Pure platforming joy with hardware flex built in. A celebration of PlayStation history. Discount is light, yet the craft is obvious.
- God of War Ragnarok (-29%) - A$89 Bigger, denser, and more confident than its predecessor. Combat options expand meaningfully. Still a premium tag, but the production value is absurd.
- Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon (-55%) - A$44.90 Tight, mission-based mech combat with deep build tinkering. Bosses demand adaptation. Half price is the sweet spot for experimenting with loadouts.
PS4
- Borderlands 3 (-66%) - A$34 Slick gunplay and mountains of loot, even if the humour misses occasionally. Co-op remains its best form. Two thirds off makes the chaos easy to recommend.
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (-75%) - A$6.20 The Nemesis system still feels ahead of its time. Combat borrows confidently from Batman. For six dollars, it is a fascinating design study.
- NieR Replicant ver.1.22 (-70%) - A$26.90 Melancholic, strange, and structurally bold. Combat is improved over the original, though repetition lingers. Seventy percent off suits its cult status.
Or purchase a PS Store Card.
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Purchase Cheap for PC
- Disco Elysium - The Final Cut (-75%) - A$14.20 Razor sharp writing wrapped in a broken detective spiral. No traditional combat, just consequences. At this price, it is essential if you value narrative craft.
- What Remains of Edith Finch (-75%) - A$7.40 Short, inventive, and emotionally precise. Each vignette experiments with perspective. Not long, but unforgettable, and priced accordingly.
- Metro 2033 Redux (-90%) - A$2.90 Claustrophobic survival shooter with real bite. Ammo scarcity keeps you honest. Three dollars is barely a commitment for this much tension.
- Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (-70%) - A$29.90 Wild premise, earnest heart. The series' shift toward turn-based systems still works, though side content will distract you for hours.
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (-75%) - A$18.70 Larger, moodier sequel with refined lightsaber combat. Performance issues once dominated the conversation. At seventy five percent off, the force feels balanced.
Or just get a Steam Wallet Card
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Adam Mathew is a passionate connoisseur, a lifelong game critic, and an Aussie deals wrangler who genuinely wants to hook you up with stuff that's worth playing (but also cheap). He plays practically everything, sometimes on YouTube.
