$20 Game of the Week: Super Meat Boy (PC, Xbox Live Arcade)

Super Meat Boy is a clever throwback to 2D platformers of the past, bringing with it a insane sense of humor and an even more insane level of difficulty. As the title character, you set out to rescue your girlfriend Bandage Girl from Dr. Fetus, a fetus in a glass jar and tuxedo. No, I am not making this up. You pursue him throughout over 300 levels, along with hidden warp zones and alternate ‘Dark World’ versions of levels. The levels are chock full of hazards. You can expect to die and die often. At the end of the level, you are treated to a replay of your progress including all the death’s you’ve suffered trying to complete the level. You can unlock characters from other indie video games such as Braid’s Tim and Bit Trip’s Commander Video. Each of these characters has their own unique powers, and some are needed to access the game’s collectables. The game has a unique art style that smacks of retro 8 and 16 bit games, although it clearly won’t be for everyone due to it’s heavy difficulty. If you appreciate hardcore challenges and miss gaming’s classic era, then Super Meat Boy is for you.