THQ Promo Codes

So-called "casual" games are all the rage, and with good reason: They're fun, easy to learn, usually non-violent, and perfect for those times when you have 5-10 minutes to burn. That's in contrast to your average first-person shooter, role-playing game (RPG), massively-multiplayer online game (MMO), or the like, which can consume entire weekends--and a good chunk of your paycheck.

We have discussed it many times here on the blog, but video game pricing structures are failing the consumer on a monthly basis. New games--particularly annual release titles--debut now with more bugs than a dilapidated tenement. $60, whether for a perfect title or one that essentially comes with broken gameplay, is a good bit of coin. To answer the question at the top: Yes, tiered pricing needs to be the future of video gaming.

I don't mind if my kids play video games, but I have two rules: no more than 30 minutes per day, and nothing with blood, guts, guns, and other violent images.

That leaves out a lot of the most popular releases, like Battlefield 3, Call of Duty: Medal of Honor 3, and even Batman: Arkham City. If you're a parent like me, that can create something of a quandary this holiday season: The kids have outgrown the educational stuff, but you'd rather not expose them to all that realistically-rendered brutality.

Fortunately, alternatives exist. If you want to give the kids something new for the Xbox, PlayStation or Wii, you can choose from dozens of fun-filled titles that haven't a trace of violence, gore or adult themes.

What makes a good video game deal? Today we answer that question by taking a look at three of this week's high profile price reductions.