$20 Game of the Week Special: Green Everyday 2013

I don’t care how cheap it is, saving cheese on that blender can’t be worth THIS much!

By now, Black Friday has passed, and in a few short hours, we will be set upon by Cyber Monday. What better way to follow up a day meant for being thankful for what you got than by spending money on things you don’t need? Of course many of you would rather not camp out, stand in line, or get trampled over a juicer that’s %25 percent off, but you still wanna expand your video game collection for less. Well, we got your back! This is powet’s annual Green Everyday post. Everything you see on this list is $20 or less. Why are we doing this the Sunday after Black Friday? Because they are $20 or lower year round. That’s right, no standing in line, no getting up early, no camping out, no nothing. All of these games are downloadable, or at least can be ordered online, so you don’t even gotta leave your house! How awesome is that? A few of these you might have seen before, but they’re so awesome they’re worth another look.

Portal 2 (Xbox 360, PC, Mac, PS3)
Valve’s follow up to their surprise puzzle/fps hit breaks all new ground in the series while retaining its sense of humor. Stepping into the shoes of Chell, awoke from Cryogenic sleep, you explore the ruined Aperture Science complex while suffering through the sinister Glados’s ‘experiments’. You’ll have to find new ways of bending the laws of physics to your will in order to solve each puzzle as you discover the secret behind the derelict science facility. The game also includes a 2 player co-op mode with its own characters and side story.

Shadowrun Returns (PC)

After 2 decades, the classic pen and paper RPG returns to digital form once again (we’ll just pretend that Microsoft’s failed multiplayer FPS never existed) as a turn-based RPG. Backed by kickstarter, Shadow Returns puts players in the role of a Shadowrunner, a mercenary in a future world where magic goes hand in hand with tech. Orcs, elves, and dwarves walk the streets alongside man. Your task is to hunt down a mysterious killer and avenge your friend’s death. Using an assortment of skills and weapons, your quest will take you throughout Shadowrun’s world. Although the campaign is short, you can use the included mod tools to design your own scenarios. No matter if you are new to the world of Shadowrun, or a vet, Shadowrun returns is an excellent RPG with a good narrative that draws players into its world.

Papers Please (PC)
Papers Please represents one of the reasons I love indie games. You are not gonna get an experience like this in a triple A console title. While it looks simple, Papers Please will test a player’s resolve and morality while examining political issues such as immigration. Playing as the recent winner of the Labor Lottery, you monitor the entrance checkpoint to the country of Arstotzka. You have to examine documents and decide who gets in and who doesn’t. While it seems easy in the first few levels, later levels will have you examine more complex documents while dealing with more complex rules in order to determine whether or not an immigrant gets in. You have to provide enough money to take care of your family, so this will be weighed against each decision to stamp a passport as either ‘approved’ or ‘denied’. Yes, it gets repetitive, and it isn’t gonna be for everyone, but that’s it’s charm. If you want something with cutting edge graphics and blistering action, go pickup the new Call of Duty. If you want something that challenges you and makes you think, grab this.

Mount & Blade: Warband (PC)
Warband is a standalone expansion to Paradox’s Medieval RPG Mount & Blade, meaning you don’t have to own the original in order to experience the new material and improvements. Taking the role of a mysterious outsider that you create yourself (including background and gender), you are thrust into the war torn world of Calradia. There is no overarching plot or mission, it’s up to you to choose how to proceed. Do you ally with one of the land’s many factions? Form your own faction and raise an army under your banner? Travel around as a raider sacking villages? Or even start an economic enterprise? It’s all possible here. Like all Paradox strategy games, things may seem overly complex at first, but once you get the hang of things, you’ll be swept up in the feeling of conquest. Your army can engage other armies in real-time battle, and you’ll have to develop your skills and keep their morale up. The game is modable as well, and you can find enhancements and total conversions for it if you know where to search. Despite it’s PS2-style graphics, M&B is a complex and deep RPG that will keep players engaged for days.