MSN Games UK | Bargain bucket - great games under £20

HOME

MSN Games UK sponsored by Coca-Cola zero

Bargain bucket - great games under £20

Take the strain off your wallet with these cut-price gaming gems.

Bulletstorm

Shooters don't have to be serious - that much is clear from Epic's gloriously over-the-top Bulletstorm. This was one of the most enjoyable shooters of 2011, thanks mainly to excellent gameplay centred around the increasingly creative and ridiculous ways in which you can despatch the enemy. If you missed it first time, dig out a tenner and put that right.

X360: £7.99; PS3: £12.98; PC: £10.09 (Amazon)
(All prices are correct at the time of publication)

Bulletstorm

http://beetst.msn.com/beet/VirtualFile/V1/upload/1/COKEZERO/en-gb/Galleries/1c3a36b96f67425bbc33afb12ea87524.jpg

Rage

Many people ended up skipping Rage, perhaps because id Software's return didn't turn out to be a masterpiece on the same level as Doom and Quake. True, the free-roaming basis of the game doesn't work quite as well as it could, but approach this with your focus on it as a shooter and Rage rocks as only an id game can.

PC: £9.99; X360: £14.70; PS3: £12.98 (Amazon)
(All prices are correct at the time of publication)

http://beetst.msn.com/beet/VirtualFile/V1/upload/1/COKEZERO/en-gb/Galleries/1865edbbca3b4f3aa6b00b30bcbe45ea.jpg

Bethesda

Super Scribblenauts

The original Scribblenauts had a great premise that was chiefly undone by a shonky control system. Its sequel keeps all the good stuff - where you can solve puzzles by creating any object you can imagine - and does a grand job of fixing the original's issues. It's a great example of the truly original games that occasionally appear on Nintendo's handheld.

Nintendo DS: £5.97 (Amazon)
(All prices are correct at the time of publication)

http://beetst.msn.com/beet/VirtualFile/V1/upload/1/COKEZERO/en-gb/Galleries/abde477c7baf44c581c27102f413f226.jpg

Warner Bros. Interactive

House of the Dead: Overkill - Extended Cut

Teach Quentin Tarantino how to code a House of the Dead game and we're pretty sure this is what you'd get. Overkill is ridiculously over-the-top from the outset - all trash talk and 70s-style cinematics - and this PS3 reworking of the original Wii game adds new levels, high-definition graphics and support for the Move peripheral.

PS3: £14.95 (Play)
(All prices are correct at the time of publication)

http://beetst.msn.com/beet/VirtualFile/V1/upload/1/COKEZERO/en-gb/Galleries/7f0e120149984d91bc8175dbf6554cf3.jpg

SEGA

Operation Flashpoint: Red River

Pitched as an accessible strategic shooter, Red River is less about run-and-gun and much more about thinking your way past the enemy. It scored decent reviews upon its release in the middle of last year, but sluggish sales mean you can now pick this up for a song.

PC: £4.95; X360: £6.92, PS3: £6.92 (Amazon)
(All prices are correct at the time of publication)

http://beetst.msn.com/beet/VirtualFile/V1/upload/1/COKEZERO/en-gb/Galleries/6f485439d0e947d0856e88127f3093a5.jpg

Codemasters

LA Noire

Hands-down one of the best games of 2011, LA Noire is an evocative recreation of 1950s Los Angeles with the most lifelike game characters you've ever seen. The game is at its best when you're inching your way through a complex case - though you can easily lose hours just marvelling at your surrroundings.

PS3: £16.35; X360: £16.81 (Amazon)
(All prices are correct at the time of publication)

http://beetst.msn.com/beet/VirtualFile/V1/upload/1/COKEZERO/en-gb/Galleries/08472fe04d50409d920d6b9f22508ba5.jpg

Rockstar Games

Hunted: The Demon's Forge

Dubbed 'Gears of Warcraft' during its developement, this dungeon crawler blends cover-based shooting, puzzle-solving and a fantasy-world setting. It's designed as a two-player coop experience, though you can rely on the computer to take care of the companion role if you'd rather go solo.

PS3: £4.98; X360: £9.98; PC: £9.99 (GAME)
(All prices are correct at the time of publication)

http://beetst.msn.com/beet/VirtualFile/V1/upload/1/COKEZERO/en-gb/Galleries/e839379ff1064a05abb04c52e54f9bfb.jpg

Bethesda

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

One of last summer's biggest blockbusters, DXHR is both immense and intense. Setting aside the annoyingly misjudged boss fights, it's a game you can approach in any way you want. Run and gun through the whole thing or spend the entire game sneaking through the shadows - it's up to you.

PS3: £11.99; X360: £12.97; PC: £14.90 (Amazon)
(All prices are correct at the time of publication)

http://beetst.msn.com/beet/VirtualFile/V1/upload/1/COKEZERO/en-gb/Galleries/af0881124a1c40669fbac5647d756a95.jpg

Square Enix

Rayman Origins

It's only been out a couple of months, but Rayman Origins already finds itself in the discount aisle. Don't take that as a sign that this 2D platformer isn't worth your time - it emphatically is. Though it's not a revolutionary take on the genre, it's brilliant fun and beautifully animated, too.

Wii: £9.99; X360: £17.99; PS3: £17.99 (Play)
(All prices are correct at the time of publication)

http://beetst.msn.com/beet/VirtualFile/V1/upload/1/COKEZERO/en-gb/Galleries/100804ce901947878c4ebd5e18b0d301.jpg

Ubisoft

Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition

This game's sequel should be out later this year, but for now the original is a great-value buy for anyone yet to experience its mix of role-playing and shooter action. This 'game of the year' version comes with all four big chunks of downloadable content included, so it will keep you busy for ages.

PC: £11.99; X360: £12.99; PS3: £18.67
(All prices are correct at the time of publication)

http://beetst.msn.com/beet/VirtualFile/V1/upload/1/COKEZERO/en-gb/Galleries/05795051936341caa11563eee026e459.jpg

2K Games