I have not bought many games this year. In years past, it wasn't uncommon for me to buy 2 or 3 a month. But, planning a wedding has sapped my entertainment budget, so I've had to make some cuts.

Now, that's not to say I don't buy games anymore at all. Steam has become one of my best friends with their weekend deals. Defense Grid The Awakening was probably the best $5 I've ever spent in my life.

I check Amazon's video game deal of the day every morning when I fire up my computer. Usually, it's crap, like a 2 year old sports game, but every now and then, you'll find a gem. Like, MadWorld's $20 today, and that's probably about what it's worth. And to be honest, it's games like MadWorld that has made me slow down on my gaming purchases. When you're asking for $50-$60 of my money, you better offer more than 5 hours os single player gameplay. For instance, look at some of the games I *have* bought this year.

I bought Burnout: Paradise for PS3 for $20. Yeah, I know it's a year old. But I just discovered in a few months ago. I was looking the other day, and I've logged around 80 hours into it at this point. And I'm STILL working on my Burnout License! Granted, I've augmented the game with around $25 of downloadable content, but it's been one of the most insane bangs for the buck I've ever gotten. I can see myself playing it for years to come.

I got Lego Batman for $17 used at Gamestop and played it obsessively for a month solid. My fiancee commented several times about how much times I was spending playing it. I got to $100 completion a couple weeks ago, and I'll admit, I'm probably done with it, other than maybe firing it up to play with my nieces and nephews. But to get a month of gameplay out of a $17 game? I'll take that.

One of the few games I've paid full price for - Punch-Out. Now, a lot of people are complaining about the content, but I've still got plenty to unlock. And Punch-Out's one of those games that once you've gotten good at it, then you want to MASTER it. Sure, I can beat Sandman. But now I want to see how FAST I can beat him. I don't regret buying it at full price on launch day.

Sure, I'd like to get Protoype, or Infamouse. Hell, maybe even Ghostbusters. But I don't see it happening soon. I've still got a backlong of cheap games I bought around Christmas time to finish (Okami Wii, I'm looking in your direction).