I’m a cheap ass gamer. I make no apologies for it and I’ve praised the likes of cheap games before, but as I was browsing through the selection of Indie games on Xbox Live last night seeing all the $1 downloads, I asked myself if it’s possible that any game is worth a dollar.

Everyone complains that there is nothing original happening in movies. It’s just remaking old films with bigger budgets and better special effects. The same can be said for video games, but remakes aren’t a bad idea…if they’re done right.

I used to be a Playstation gamer. The PS1 and PS2 days were a good times for gaming. Sony ruled the roost and never looked back. We all know that changed when the Xbox 360 and then PS3 was released. The PS3 had everything going for it - except a decent price. All but hardest core gamer just wouldn’t pony up the bucks, making access the Sony-exclusive library a pipe dream for gamers like me.

You know the term “it’s like herding cats”? Well, herding cats has never been more fun than it is in Darwinia+ on XBL Arcade. It’s a great balance of RTS, puzzle game, and God sim. But I was surprised it ended up being a full title in my library.

Trials HD from the Xbox Live Arcade is another title saved by having a big TV. When I played the demo on my old TV, I just couldn’t get into the experience. The graphics were too dark and too small. But now, they’re awesome. This is game is what you’d get if Excitebike was really exciting.

I saw Alien Breed Evolution on the XBLA release list and it looked like my kind of game. I never played the original version, so I got the demo and quickly found it is my type of game - shooting, aliens, spaceships…and not to mention a nice $10 price tag.

The lack of the arcade culture is something I’ve written about many times before. It’s something I long to see come back since I’m too young to have been there during its prime. The world on-line gaming scene makes it hard to be a local champ, so that leaves the only fun competition between you and your friends. But what if your friends play different games?

I’m a value gamer. Despite the fact that hype works on me in most cases, I’m very mindful (too mindful) about which video games I spend my money on. I’m always in a value debate with myself. What’s more important, the replay or one-time experience?