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Five-deal Friday: Kinect, comics, LEGO Star Wars, and more!

A boatload of sweet deals (including two freebies!) to kick off your weekend.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
3 min read

I don't think I've ever started a week with a multi-deal Monday and ended with a five-deal Friday, but sometimes the planets align and there's just too much good stuff.

In other words, get your wallet ready. (Or not, if you skip right to #4.)

1. Get off the couch, lazy gamer!

The Kinect is pulling border guard duty.
CNET

The Xbox One may be the hot console right now, but the Xbox 360 still has plenty of fun to give -- especially if you upgrade it with a Kinect Sensor.

That used to mean spending at least $100, but while supplies last, DealFisher has the refurbished Microsoft Kinect for $54.99 shipped -- the lowest price I've seen. Refurbs typically run around $80 on Amazon, and although this version doesn't come bundled with Kinect Adventures, you can easily find the game on Ebay for $4 to $5.

2. May the Fourth be with you -- on the Second

It may not be May 4th just yet, but that hasn't stopped Warner Bros. from celebrating Star Wars with a great deal.

For a limited time, you can get LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (iOS) for $4.99 via in-app purchase. Regular price: $9.99. Incidentally you can still play the first episode for free, then decide if you want the complete game. Trust me: you do. It's hilarious, totally fun, and no more violent than a pillow fight.

3. A comic-book bundle for grown-ups

humble-image-bundle.png
Humble Bundle

I'm not sure what delineates "comic book" from "graphic novel," but I do know how you can get a bunch of both on the cheap.

The Humble Image Bundle lets you name your own price for four comic-book collections (each containing 4 to 6 issues). If you beat the average (currently $9.58), you get two additional collections. And if you pay at least $15, you get two bonuses: The Walking Dead Vol. 1 and The Walking Dead Vol. 20. Total value of all these: around $85.

I can't say I'm familiar with any of the series other than The Walking Dead, but if you like your comics dark and dystopian (aha! That must be the criteria for "graphic novel"), this is a pretty killer bundle. The books are DRM-free and available in multiple formats for Kindle, iPad, etc.

4. Freebie reruns

Looking for an easy, effective, and free way to manage and edit photos? In case you missed it last time around, SharewareOnSale has CyberLink PhotoDirector 4 (Win/Mac) for free. (Actually, last time the giveaway was PhotoDirector 3, so it's like getting a free upgrade!)

Also, time is rapidly running out to get EA's Dead Space (Win) absolutely free. All you need is an Origin account to get this seriously scary shooter on the house.

5. New kid on the Mac bundle block

happy-mac-bundle.png
Gearnaut

Drive Genius 3 is widely considered one of the best hard-drive diagnostic and repair utilities for Macs. Price tag: $99. Ouch.

For a limited time, however, you can get Drive Genius 3 for $39.99 -- along with nine other Mac apps with a combined value of $289. It's the Happy Mac Bundle from newcomer Gearnaut.

The bundle also includes popular image-enhancing tool Intensify Pro, Time Machine add-on BackupLoupe, and Clipboard optimizer ClipBuddy. Of course, even if Drive Genius 3 is the only item of interest, it's a steal at this price.