Category Archives: $10 or below

These are any of the games that cost $10 or less

$10 or below, Competitive Games

Paperbound

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Do you like arena games where you need to defeat your friends? Well, add anti-gravity to that and you have this game.

Welcome to the Weekly Co-Op!

This week’s competitive game will be Paperbound!

Players: 1-4

Platform: PC, PS4

Price: $9.99

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image from http://www.paperboundgame.com

Paperbound is all about hacking and slashing. The point of the game is to get to your portal, but the path to get there often changes, and that is what makes this game so fun.

There are plenty of characters to choose from even though they are purely cosmetic; however, the map choice is wide and varying. Each map is an arena, but its construction is different. Some maps have spikes on the sides, some have no sides, some are really small maps that are completely enclosed. Apart from this, there is also different game modes to play. From simply killing each other to capturing an object and holding it (a la King of the Hill game types), there is enough variation to keep the game fun and new for a while.

Even though there is not a lot of actual content in the game (set number of maps, set number of characters, set number of game types), the reason I chose this game is because of its’ unique take on the genre.

In terms of gameplay, this game is relatively hard to jump into. There is figuring out how to attack, how to throw effectively, and using the environment in the map appropriately. Once you figure that out, there is the entire anti-gravity addition that changes the game entirely. Anti-gravity is such a weird concept to mess with that it alone is what puts this game on my radar. It completely changes how you approach winning. Instead of trying to get to your enemy across the map and hitting them, you can now just switch gravity and “fall” towards them and slash them as you pass them. There is so much opportunity to experiment with how to traverse each map that it makes each time you play feel just different enough to keep you around.

While this game may be a little hard to just introduce to casual gamers, it is definitely a lot of fun and has given me and a few different groups of friends a lot of memories. For $10, this game is well worth the price for how much use I have gotten out of it.

 

$10 or below, Competitive Games

Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure

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Playing dodgeball in school has always been a fan favorite of many kids. Once you leave school, however, dodgeball becomes less and less prevalent. This game can help revive that nostalgia in a very… unique… way.

Welcome to the Weekly Co-Op!

This week’s competitive game will be Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure!

Players: 1-4

Price: $9.99

Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

image from https://store.playstation.com

Stikbold is all about accuracy and strategy. The point of the game is to take out your friends in whatever way you can. Most of the time this means a ball, but that can change.

There is a story to this game, but the fun really comes from the multiplayer. There are a couple game types such as regular dodgeball or a soccer-inspired dodgeball game mode. There are only 5 levels to play these on, but the developers do a great job of making each one feel like its own environment. Each level has its own environmental challenges such as crabs that can kill you on the beach level or a hot dog stand that drops throw-able hot dogs in the gym level.  The levels feel fleshed out and fun to interact in.

The reason I chose to put this game on the list is because it is a fun to play yet hard to master game. Knowing when to dodge out of the way, knowing how to throw at an angle to catch someone, or even just knowing when to bump into someone or not can win or lose you the game. If you do get hit and tossed out of the arena, fear not! You are not done! Stikbold allows players who are out to move around the arena and send in environmental hazards of their own to try and get some of the other players out as well.

This is a unique game that offers gameplay that isn’t seen very often and does it in a wonderfully goofy way. The game is pretty cheap as well, so make sure to pick it up today!

$10 or below, Competitive Games

Dad Beats Dad

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Since there were no posts last week, I will be doubling up this week and putting out TWO competitive AND cooperative game this week! Yay!

Welcome to the Weekly Co-Op!

This week’s second competitive game is Dad Beat Dads!

Players: 1-4

Price: $5.99

Platform: PC, Xbox One

image from http://www.dadbeatdadsgame.com/

Ever want to feel like the world’s best father? Test your might against some of the world’s most renown fathers such as Fish or Space Dad and duke it out to see who is the best Dad!

Alright, first off, this is a goofy game. It really doesn’t make much sense, but it is so much fun. Pick a dad and a color, and then make your way into the arena. There are three different game modes, and each feel different yet still feel familiar thanks to the game’s gameplay.

The game functions like other popular arena combat games. There are platforms around the map, and you must fight the other dads. The game modes decide what you need to do besides beat the other dads, but fighting your friends is so rewarding in itself. Every player carries around their baby, and the point of the game is to stun the other players so you can complete the objective.

In the first game type, Smash and Grab, beat up the other dads, steal their baby, and take it to your goal. A little dark, but the art and style of the game really helps to lessen your guilt. Most babies scored wins.

Diaper Sniper is the second game type and focuses almost completely on being able to throw items well. find “full”diapers around the map and throw them at the other dads to eliminate them. Most eliminations wins. Like I said, this is a goofy game.

The final game type, Corporate Ladder, is all about coin collecting and platforming. Climb up a moving screen to collect coins. Try to eliminate your friends by getting them to fall of the screen somehow. Most coins/last alive wins.

This goofy game provides plenty of fun with your friends. If you get this game, I would highly recommend not telling your friends what they are playing before playing this game. The surprise on their face when they play this is almost worth the price alone. Apart from that, this game is actually really fun and pretty easy for your friends to get a hold of in a round or two.

It’s a great cheap game. What more could anyone ask for?

 

$10 or below, Competitive Games

Thief Town

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competitive games have been taking interesting takes on how to approach the gameplay, and this one is no different. Welcome to the confusing, western world of Thief Town!

Welcome to the Weekly Co-Op!

This week’s competitive game will be Thief Town!

Players: 2-4

Price: $7.99

Platform: PC, PS4

image from http://store.steampowered.com/app/331220/Thief_Town/

Thief Town is a 2D pixel arena “combat” competitive game all about subtlety. The point of the game is to get the most kills. The way you go about this is why this game shines. When you start, there will be 20 or 30 tan cowboys on screen, and you and your friends are 2-4 of them. You have to try to figure out who you are without your friends also seeing, and then you have find your friends and stab them.

This is as easy as it sounds, but the hard part is not getting stabbed first. You could potentially just run around in a circle to find yourself and then start killing everyone on screen, but then the people you are playing with are going to immediately notice you and try to kill you. It is possible to kill each other at the same time, and both of you will have to a stand-off with just you two and have to be the last one alive.

That is the main gist of the game, but there are a few game modes to try out. There is the classic version which is just the base game, but there are a couple more game modes: a sheriff mode where one person has a gun that shoots in a horizontal line and he must kill the drunken players with limited ammo or they will survive and get points, and an items playlist that give you various items to use like a bomb or a smokescreen.

While this games seems simple, it is always a go to with me and my friends because it is easy to grasp and really fun to get good at.

$10 or below, Cooperative Games

Surgeon Simulator

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*Mild gore warning*

Ever want to feel like a professional surgeon? Well, this game doesn’t really do that, but it’s sort of close.

Welcome to the Weekly Co-Op!

This weeks’ cooperative game will be Surgeon Simulator!

Players: 1-2

Platform: PC, PS4

Price: $9.99

image from http://www.surgeonsim.com

Surgeon Simluator puts you in the hot seat of being a surgeon. I chose this game because it is kind of hard to play, but that is what makes the game so fun!

While this may seem gruesome, from the image above you can see that the art style makes the game a little more digestible.

I would recommend playing by yourself a little to get used to the game before bringing it to someone else. This way you can explain how thing work. For example, there are two syringes in each level. One syringe stops the bleeding and one hastens it. Knowing which syringe to use is vital to actually completing levels, and it would suck to not know that coming in.

As for the game itself, the controls are really wonky but in the best of ways. You control one hand and have to try to complete the surgery that way. the thumb and fingers are controlled separately, and the fingers can also be controlled separately. You have to find a way to get through the bone to take out whatever organ you have been assigned to take out.

As for a cooperative experience, this is where I have had the most fun. through a mix of anger, laughter, and strategy the game offers lots of different ways to attack a surgery with your partner. On top of that, playing with someone else either really helps you or really hurts you, and I love that dynamic.

I highly recommend for anyone that doesn’t get queasy from video game blood or organs.

$10 or below, Competitive Games

Brawlhalla

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There are plenty of fighting games out there, and a lot of them are usually one vs one. How about a game that not only recreates the gameplay of a popular Nintendo fighter, but also costs nothing?!

Welcome to the Weekly Co-Op!

This week’s competitive game will be Brawlhalla!

Players: 1-4

Platform: PC, PS4

Price: FREE

image from http://www.store.steampowered.com/

I don’t know what it is about fighting games, but I really love them, so I have to throw in a cheap favorite of mine! Yes, Brawlhalla is free! this great fighter is an arena fighter that plays much like the popular nintendo series of fighting games. There are a few differences, however.

Much like the popular fighting series, there is light attacks and “power” attacks. The “powers” come from weapons that characters pick up on the ground. These weapons change between characters, and there are new characters coming about regularly! On top of the weapons, the game includes some interesting additions to the tried and true fighting style. The game has added a lot of capability to fight in the air if any players are good enough to do so. Furthermore, there is a lot of opportunity to combo your attacks or even just get really good at catching people with a powerful move.

Bringing me to my next point, there is an actual gap between those who play and those who do not. Players with experience in the game will have no issue jumping around the arena and surviving if they are kicked off the side. New players might have trouble with both of these, let alone trying to fight someone throughout that process. Overall, the game is fun to jump into, but there is a learning curve for anyone who is looking to play this game more often.

Besides a heavy learning curve , there is a lot of different characters and game types to try out with other players. Multiple different variations and differences keep the game feeling fresh for long periods of time, and the best part is….

IT’S ALL FREE!!!

I highly recommend the game! Get it today!