Five-bundle Friday: Games, Mac software, e-books, and more!
Talk about bundles of joy: Here's your chance to score lots of great stuff for a fraction of the regular price.
Clear your weekend -- you're going to be busy.
Busy installing software on your Mac, busy playing games on your PC or Android device, busy reading cool books about videogames. Yep, it's bundle time, and in the last few days I've seen an unprecedented five new ones hit the Interwebs. Let's get right to 'em:
1. The Fantastic Bundle (Mac)
MacPhun's collection includes seven eclectic Mac apps for $19.99. Combined value if purchased separately: $164.99. I'm not a Mac user, but I see a couple standouts in desktop-publishing app Swift Publisher and music-library fixer-upper iTunes Cleaner.
2. Mac SuperBundle
The $49 Spring 2013 SuperBundle is reminiscent of its predecessors, if only because it offers one clear bargain: Parallels Desktop 8, which by itself lists for $79.95 and sells at Amazon for $62. So right there you're scoring a solid deal.
You also get eight more Mac goodies, including Web-page designer RapidWeaver 5 and Smile Software's TextExpander (always a useful tool -- on any platform). Combined value of the whole enchilada: $413. Perhaps most impressive of all, there's a 30-day money-back guarantee.
3. Indie Gala Mobile 3 (Android)
You gotta love any bundle that includes a game called Chimpact. And that's just one of the titles in this name-your-own-price collection, which includes a total of 11 Android games if you pay at least $3.77. (Eight of them are available now; the other three -- all "mystery" titles -- unlock in the second week. I'm not sure what the total value is, but right now I'd say it's in the neighborhood of at least $12.
4. BundleStars Indie Jam 2
If you like your games indie-style, you're likely to love this bundle. You get nine games for $5.09, with a portion of the proceeds going to charity. They're all Windows titles, though four of them are also available for Mac. Eight of them unlock via your Steam account, though one -- the hilarious-sounding Holy Avatar vs. Maidens of the Dead -- does require Desura.
The games here, a solid mix of action, RPG, and strategy, would cost you $160 if purchased separately. At just five bucks and change out the door, it's a ridiculously good deal.
5. StoryBundle Video Game Bundle
The only thing more fun than playing video games? Reading about video games, of course.
StoryBundle's latest collection offers 10 e-books/magazines focused on game culture, history, and personalities. Thus, you can read Jordan Mechner's journals on the making of Karateka and Prince of Persia, Ralph Baer's study of the origins of the video game industry, a couple issues of Kill Screen Magazine, and so on.
Like previous bundles, this one lets you name your own price -- though you have to pay at least $10 if you want all 10 titles, otherwise you get seven. These are all DRM-free books, available for reading on pretty much any device you want.
There you go, bundle fans! Hit the comments and let me know which (if any) of these you plan to grab.
Bonus deal: Looking for portable power? Today only, and while supplies last, DealFisher has the uNu Enerpak Vault 11,000mAh dual-port external battery pack for $43.95 shipped. It has a list price of $99.95 and sells at Amazon for $75. This portable power supply can charge two devices at once, even if one of them is a tablet. (One of its two USB ports delivers 2.1 amps.)
Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers.
Curious about what exactly The Cheapskate does and how it works? Read our FAQ.