Cheap and Dirty Gamer: Boxes Full of Adventure? Thanks Bundle in a Box: Adventure Bundle

That bundle looks kind of like a Dr. Mario virus...conspiracy?

The ”pay what you want” bundle has become as common lately as the independent games it features. I can only describe the ability to pay whatever price I want for a diverse selection of games as unreasonable but in a sort of positive way.  While my familiarity with this style of commerce has been driven by the friendly folks at Humble Bundle, they do not have the monopoly on the world of bundles as evidenced by yet another derivative arriving to the market in the form of Bundle in a Box and their latest venture The Adventure Bundle.

Like its bundle brethren, The Adventure Bundle allows you to pay what you want (thought there is currently a minimum in place at $2.89) for a group of adventure style indie games including Gemini Rue, Been There Dan That; Time Gentleman, Please!; 1893: A World’s Fair Mystery and The Sea Will Claim Everything. Should you graciously pay more than the average (currently $5.77), you’ll also get The Shivah and Metal Dead. There are also a couple of bundle extras in the form of soundtracks for Gemini Rue and The Shivah as well as what’s being referred to as a “booklet” for Metal Dead. A bundle with a booklet? Sounds super cute, maybe too super cute.

I'm sorry Mrs. Fluffers, but your husband's diet consisting of licking his own ass has caused blockages in his heart. We have to operate.

At the end of the day, there really isn’t much to complain about when you look at what’s being offered but I’m still having issues purchasing things that happen to be bundled. I appreciate Bundle in a Box placing the bundle inside of a box as I enjoy boxes way more than bundles. That being said, once the box is gone the bundle is still there, staring at me as if to say “Cuddle me, Ethan, I’m so soft and warm. I bet your wife would love me!” Sorry bundles, but playing games to please my wife seems like a blatant contradiction unless those games feature the cast of Grey’s Anatomy working at a cats-only veterinary clinic.

I’m stepping forward again to say that we should create some sort of legislature that would require these bundles to be refered to as “action packs” regardless of whether or not the games feature would fit the criteria for the action genre. To me, saying yes to an action pack is a given, whereas a bundle could be avoided if proper research into its contents is not done.

Anyway, go out and support the Bundle in a Box: Adventure Bundle because their heart seems like it’s in the right place. Don’t, however, feel like you have to support the word “bundle” or its use in describing random groupings of games or other products.

Cheap and Dirty Gamer – Being cheap used to be an insult, but with the economy in the dumps it’s now a survival skill. Being dirty also used to be an insult, but that changed after Christina Aguilera’s song came out. Not all gamers have the funds to play full priced games, but that doesn’t mean that gaming quality has to suffer. There are good free and cheap games everywhere, games specifically made for the sexy survivors among us.

Sources

Bundle in a Box
Kyttaro Games