Some weeks feel curated. This one feels dangerous for anyone pretending they are done buying games for a while. I have played most of these, paid full freight for a few, and seeing them at these prices stings in the best way.
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This Day in Gaming 🎂
In retro news, I'm using a brazier-lit stick to light a 24-candle cake baked for Shadow of the Colossus. One of the most critically acclaimed and adored games of all time, SotC was an early games-as-art milestone, thanks to its minimalist landscape designs and the emotional weight of Wander's journey. Core memories for me: marvelling at the PS2-era "fur shell" tech and clocking the game 4 times to get into that Secret Garden.
Aussie birthdays for notable games.
- Final Fantasy IX (PS) 2001. Get
- Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) 2002. Get
- Metal Gear Solid HD Col. (PS3,X360) 2012. eBay
Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch
- FC 26 (NS2) (-46%) - A$59.50 The football is still slick and surprisingly tactical on Switch, with Career Mode depth intact. Visual compromises are real, but at this price it is a portable time sink.
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (-28%) - A$65 A confident return to first person isolation and scanning everything that moves. It is deliberate, sometimes slow, but that tension is the point.
- Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (-40%) - A$47.80 Musou chaos layered over Three Houses politics works better than it should. Repetition creeps in, yet the character writing carries it.
- DOOM Eternal (-80%) - A$10.90 Still the most aggressive rhythm shooter around, even on scaled back hardware. Demands focus, punishes panic, rewards flow.
- Mortal Kombat 11 Ult. (-88%) - A$10.70 A ridiculous amount of content for loose change. It is messy, loud, and mechanically sharp once you push past the tutorials.
Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.
Exciting Bargains for Xbox
- Sonic Racing: Crossworlds (-37%) - A$68 Bright, fast and unapologetically arcade. Track design is playful, rubber banding can sting, but couch sessions shine.
- Ride 6 (-10%) - A$89 Sim leaning bike racing with serious handling depth. Not friendly to newcomers, very rewarding if you commit.
- Diablo IV (-73%) - A$30 Loot grind done with polish and constant seasonal tweaks. Endgame balance still shifts, but value here is undeniable.
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (-67%) - A$36 Weighty lightsaber combat and proper planet hopping spectacle. Performance patches helped, though it still pushes the hardware.
- Battlefield 6 (-55%) - A$49 A back to basics reset with tighter maps and cleaner class roles. Launch scars linger, yet the gunplay feels right again.
Xbox One
- Mafia Def. Ed. (-46%) - A$38 A lovingly rebuilt crime drama with deliberate pacing. Driving feels old school, story still lands.
- Elden Ring (-38%) - A$34 Vast, cryptic and quietly generous if you pay attention. Still punishing, still unmatched in atmosphere.
- SoulCalibur VI (-85%) - A$14.90 Weapon based fighting with sharp footsies and flashy supers. Story mode drags, versus remains strong.
Or just invest in an Xbox Card.
Pure Scores for PlayStation
- Battlefield 6 (-55%) - A$49 Cleaner combat loops and less chaos than its predecessor. Needs a squad to truly sing.
- Lost Sphear (-68%) - A$22.70 A nostalgic JRPG with classic turn based systems. Safe, sometimes overly familiar, but comforting.
- Stray (-29%) - A$28.20 Short, focused and powered by feline curiosity. Puzzle design is light, atmosphere does the heavy lifting.
- Diablo IV (-40%) - A$66.30 Same addictive loot chase, smoother on current gen. Price is higher here, but couch co op helps.
- Stellar Blade (-12%) - A$109.90 Stylish, combat first action with demanding parry windows. Story wobbles, boss fights absolutely deliver.
PS4
- Assetto Corsa Competizione (-48%) - A$40.30 Hardcore racing sim with obsessive physics modelling. Not casual friendly, deeply satisfying for purists.
- Mortal Kombat 11 Ult. (-90%) - A$8.90 Almost everything NetherRealm built in one package. Story is bonkers, mechanics remain tight.
- Lost Judgment (-65%) - A$35.10 A detective drama stuffed with side cases and minigames. Combat is crunchy, pacing occasionally indulgent.
Or purchase a PS Store Card.
Purchase Cheap for PC
- Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii (-73%) - A$27.40 Ridiculous premise, earnest heart and turn based brawling. It is long, proudly weird, and worth it.
- Dark Souls Rem. (-50%) - A$28.40 The blueprint for modern action RPG tension. Clunky edges remain, design brilliance overshadows them.
- Dark Souls II SotFS (-54%) - A$29.40 The odd one out, yet full of bold ideas. Enemy placement can frustrate, build variety shines.
- Persona 4 Golden (-65%) - A$13.40 A slow burn school year that sneaks up emotionally. Dungeons are repetitive, characters carry it.
- Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak (-84%) - A$14.50 Fast, vertical hunting with endless build tinkering. Grind is real, loop is addictive.
Or just get a Steam Wallet Card
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.
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