Get a huge Telltale Games bundle for $15
With a combined value of $275 and great reviews for most of the titles, this is one game collection not to be missed. Plus: my favorite multifunction printer is on sale again!
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Even if you pay just a buck (cheapskate!), you'll score some damn good games.
Game time!
Telltale Games reminds me of LucasArts and Sierra On-Line, the pioneering software companies that were synonymous with computer gaming in the 1980s. Whereas most modern PC games are about running, jumping, fighting and/or killing, Telltale's titles skew toward exploration and puzzle-solving.
If you like that kind of thing, you're going to love this: The Humble Telltale Games Bundle lets you name your own price for a whopping 15 games (and some DLC). Combined value: $275!
Like other Humble bundles, this one is divided into tiers -- and the first one is seriously impressive. If you pay just $1 or more, you get these titles (for which I've included links to GameSpot reviews, where applicable):
- Bone: Episode 1 & 2
- Hector: Badge of Carnage
- Poker Night at the Inventory
- Puzzle Agent
- Puzzle Agent 2
- Sam & Max: Season 1
- Sam & Max: Season 2
- Telltale Texas Hold 'Em
- The Walking Dead: Season 1
Beat the average purchase price (currently $8.35, but likely to rise a bit) and you'll add:
That tier also nets you a 50-percent-off coupon for The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, which sells for the same price as many of these games: $25.
Finally, if you cough up a mere $15 (the only logical choice, in my humble opinion), Humble ices the cake with:
- Batman: The Telltale Series
- Minecraft: Story Mode
- Minecraft: Story Mode - Adventure Pass (DLC)
That's a lot of gaming goodness for $15. Most of the titles earned high ratings from players and critics alike; a few (like Puzzle Agent) are regarded as merely "meh."
The only thing missing from this seriously sweet bundle? Back to the Future: The Game. Ah, but there's hope: a week from now, the Humble folks will unlock an additional title. Don't worry: If you purchase now, you'll still get the bonus -- whatever it turns out to be. Update (7/26/17): Whoa! Humble just added FIVE more titles to the bundle, including The Walking Dead: 400 Days, The Wolf Among Us and Jurassic Park: The Game.
The real icing on this delicious cake is Humble's ongoing charity support. You can opt for this month's choice -- WaterAid -- or select just about any other worthy cause. It's up to you to decide what portion of your payment should go that way.
Your thoughts?
Bonus deal: Every month or two, Staples offers a small quantity of my favorite color laser printer at a sizable discount. I say "small quantity" because it always seems to sell out before the morning is over.
But, you know what they say: If at first you don't succeed... wait for the next sale. And here it is: While supplies last, Staples has the Dell E525W color laser all-in-one printer for $139.99 shipped (plus tax where applicable). It's a big, boxy and not particularly pretty, but it has all the important features (except duplexing, alas) and replacement toner is cheap (relatively speaking). I've not found another color laser that comes anywhere close to delivering the same bang for the buck.