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Get an eight-game indie bundle for $5

Skip your daily latte and stock up on eight diverse Windows titles, all of which you can download immediately via Steam. Plus: a $149.99 Kindle Fire HD!

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
2 min read
Eight games for five bucks? Even if they're not all winners, that's a solid deal.
Eight games for five bucks? Even if they're not all winners, that's a solid deal. Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

Cancel your date. Put down the remote. And for heaven's sake, enough with the books already! It's time to get gaming.

Bundle newcomer Focus Multimedia has the Bundle Stars Magic Number indie game bundle for $5.07. It includes eight Windows titles with a combined value of $109.88. You're literally paying 63 cents per game.

When you click through to the bundle page, don't be surprised to see six games and two "mystery titles." According to a Focus Multimedia rep, those titles are due to be unlocked...later today! And I've got the names.

For the moment, you'll be getting the following, all of which will be made available for download via Steam:

  • Hand-drawn point-and-click adventure The Whispered World.
  • Wild-West action-strategy game Helldorado.
  • Turn-based strategy wargame Storm: Frontline Nation.
  • Point-and-click adventure Mata Hari.
  • Physics-based action/adventure Cargo! The Quest for Gravity.
  • Rube Goldberg-influenced puzzle game Crazy Machines: Elements.
  • Mystery Title #1: More puzzles in Crazy Machines 2.
  • Mystery Title #2: Noir murder-mystery Alter Ego.

Even if you purchase the bundle before the mystery titles are officially revealed, you'll still get them.

As with some other bundles, this one diverts a portion of its proceeds to a charity: Special Effect, a UK-based organization that helps people with disabilities enjoy computer games. Alas, Focus Multimedia doesn't specify what percentage they're getting.

I'll admit that some of these games aren't shining stars. For example, GameSpot gave The Whispered World a score of 5.5 (out of 10), praising its gorgeous artwork but knocking its "dense, logic-defying puzzles." (Users gave it a 7.3, though.) And they were even less kind to Helldorado, which scored a 4.5.

But Storm: Frontline Nation earned a respectable 7.0, and you can't go wrong with a Crazy Machines game -- they're always a blast.

Indeed, if all you want are the two Crazy Machines titles, they're already a steal at five bucks. (Normally they'd cost you $20.) Consider the rest gravy -- interesting-sounding titles that you might not get to try otherwise.

Bonus deal: Speaking of games, for a limited time, and while codes last, IGN is giving away Need for Speed: Most Wanted (iOS). Just click "Get my code," then take that code to the App Store and redeem it. This top-rated racer normally sells for $4.99.

Bonus deal No. 2: Tablet Wednesday? It may not be alliterative, but it's happening: If you have an American Express card, you can purchase a Kindle Fire HD for $149.99 (plus tax) when you "sync" your card with your Twitter account. It's normally $199. Basically, you have to tweet a particular hashtag, which gets you a link to the deal page. Another option: Johnny's Discount Electronics (via Ebay) has the current-gen Kindle Fire for $149 shipped -- a savings of $10.

Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers.

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