Donkey Kong Bananza’s Discounted Even More — and That’s Just the Tip of Today's Bargainberg
I’ve been trawling the digital shelves again, and this week’s loot is proper tempting. Whether you're craving deep-cut indies, triple-A chaos, or a splash of nostalgia, there’s a little something for everybody. My entire professional and personal life has been video games, so you’re not just getting a list; you’re getting personal picks with "been-there, clocked-that" clout behind them.
This Day in Gaming 🎂
In retro news, I’m lobbing an incendiary artillery shell across hexagonal terrain to light an 18-candle cake for Field Commander, Sony’s turn-based tactics attempt on PSP. This was a rare indulgence for 2006 me, a handheld strategy title that didn't just copy Advance Wars but tried to outflank it with a more serious military tone, fog of war mechanics, and a beefy suite of online modes that actually worked.
I remember being floored by how well it handled for a portable, with chunky unit designs, environmental destructibility, and a gritty war room vibe that made my Game Boy Advance feel like a toy in comparison. It never lit the world on fire, but for a brief moment Field Commander made Sony look like it could be a serious handheld tactics contender. Sadly, that beachhead was all but squandered.
On Switch, Metroid Prime Remastered is a slick love letter to one of the greatest GameCube shooters of all time. Retro Studios nailed the modernisation, and I still get goosebumps from the title screen alone. Super Mario RPG is another golden-age gem, lovingly updated with snappy turn-based tweaks. It’s like watching a beloved puppet show rebuilt in CG with all its charm intact.
Over on Series X, Psychonauts 2 is peak Double Fine brilliance. Smart, strange, and soulful, it's a playable Pixar film that dares to unpack mental health with wit and warmth. Also worth a snag is Control: Ultimate Edition, which lets you turn a brutalist office block into your own telekinetic playground. Jessie Faden remains one of my favourite leads of the last decade.
For PS5, Mortal Kombat 11 is going for less than a meat pie and it’s still got one of the most cinematic and grisly campaigns out there. Cult of the Lamb, meanwhile, is a uniquely Aussie-made mix of roguelite and cult management sim that lets you preach and punish in adorable ways.
Click-and-conquer PC types are spoiled this week, with tacticals, soulslikes and AAA oddities dropping hard. These are some of the lowest PC prices we've seen since EOFY ended.