indie

Game bundles are kind of a dime a dozen these days, but that doesn't mean they're not worth checking out.

Indeed, as evidenced by the three new bundles I've rounded up today, there's a lot of good gaming to be had for cheap. Really, really cheap.

1. Bundle Stars 'Fire and Ice'

Bundle Stars' latest gives you two games for $1.26, or eight games if you pay at least $4.97. The latter option includes two additional mystery titles that will unlock in the future.

They're all Windows titles, with the exception of Tiny … Read more

Can't make it to this year's South by Southwest (aka SXSW) conference in Austin? At least you don't have to miss out on the music.

As part of its SXSW: Live from Austin series, NPR is offering The Austin 100 -- a collection of 100 songs by 100 artists, all in MP3 format, all absolutely free.

And I mean really and truly free: There's nothing to register for, no form to complete, and not a single Facebook or Twitter sharing requirement.

Just scroll down a bit until you see the Download the Music box on the … Read more

Minecraft is to my 25-year-old self as Legos were to my 5-year-old self: a time-sucking, mind-bending, and sleep-depriving experience in the simplest of activities. It hits the right tune on the subject of creation: it really does provide building blocks for your imagination.

Minecraft has no real direction, anchoring plot, or specific guidelines. Players are dropped into a world with only the ability to carve out resources from the surrounding land; you're a miner (duh!).

The game's graphics won't impress, but leaves you with one direction and focus: to build. Soon you'll find out that as … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- A what, where, and why primer on the Game Developer's Conference from guests Meggan Scavio and Simon Carless.

- The 15th annual Independent Games Festival opens its Audience Award voting window, now through March 1.

- Nominations open for 2013 Game Developers Choice Awards.

- Unity Engine coming to BlackBerry 10 smartphones, BlackBerry PlayBook.… Read more

Back to bed (Webware)

Guide sleep-walking Bob across rooftops and back into bed. Play as subBob, a subconscious alter-ego of Bob that takes a form of a blue dream dog with a human face. Avoid traps, pitfalls, and nightmarish creatures to guide Bob back into bed. Walk on walls, make blockades, and do whatever it takes to survive.

A crazy little game from a Danish developer, Back to Bed takes you into what seems like a nightmarish world straight out of the mind of Salvador Dali, while being narrated by a man with a creepy eastern European accent speaking through … Read more

Calling all gamers! Can you scrape together at least six bucks? For about the price of a venti cafe mocha, which takes maybe 10 minutes to drink, you can get enough games to last you maybe 10 months.

Yep, it's another Indie Gala game bundle, this time with nine PC titles that can be yours if you pay at least $5.91.

The games include the fantasy-action side-scroller Trine, city-management sim Cities in Motion, humor-tinged Diablo clone Magicka (along with mission pack Magicka: Vietnam), and blood-and-guts FPS Painkiller: Black Edition.

Most of these date back a few years and … Read more

Got plans for the weekend -- or, for that matter, the month? Cancel 'em, because you're about to score a boatload of PC games on the cheap.

For a limited time, GameStop has Command & Conquer: The Ultimate Collection for $16.99. Let's just round that up to $17, which means you're paying a buck apiece for 17 C&C games. Nice!

The collection includes everything from the original Command & Conquer to C&C Generals (my personal favorite) to the most recent entry, Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, with all the various expansion … Read more

Some people will go to great lengths to foil red light cameras. They may use darkened license plate covers, questionable spray-on photo blockers, or strategically placed layers of mud. All those methods are low tech, but there's a higher-tech option on the way.

The noPhoto is a microprocessor-controlled smart license plate. A sensor detects the flash from a red light camera or a consumer camera. It triggers a pair of flashes on the sides of the plate. Those flashes make the plate too bright for the camera to capture.

Besides combating red light cameras, the noPhoto may also find a niche in Hollywood by protecting the license plate numbers of celebrities with paparazzi on their tails. It would also save people who post pictures of their rides online from endless sessions of Photoshop license plate scrubbing.… Read more

You're biking along, minding your own business. You reach an amazing downhill stretch. You pick up speed. You're really cranking along. Oh no! A hippopotamus wanders onto the trail! You swerve and end up faceplanting in the bushes.

Don't fear, your helmet will dial your emergency contacts and give your location. The ICEdot Crash Sensor is a stick-on sensor that mounts onto your helmet. It connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth. When it senses an impact, it sounds an alarm and starts a countdown clock on the crash sensor app. You have a set amount of time to turn it off.… Read more