5 of the best budget games

Crysis 2 (PS3)

£16, play.com
Graphically one of the most impressive games around, even now. Romp through New York's urban jungle as you upgrade your Nanosuit 2 and weapons to take on the superb AI of your enemies. Crysis 3 is coming next year.

Borderlands (Xbox 360)

£10, simplygames.com
When Gearbox created Brothers in Arms it was clear they were onto something. When it released Borderlands that something was realised. The FPS, on a futuristic alien world called Pandora, pits a wild west like frontier against the planet’s survivors and the 600,000 weapons at their disposal. The end result is an intelligent shooter that pulls in the best of RPG – and the sequel has just been released.

Unchartered 3 (PS3)

£17, amazon.co.uk
Well-scripted, witty, challenging, action-packed... and it's all underpinned by a solid Indiana Jones-esque plot. Did we mention it's also in 3D?

Limbo Special Edition (PC/Mac)

£11, amazon.co.uk
A unique platformer set in a dark, eerie and unsettling monochrome world,  Limbo is based on a ghostly boy who must escape using platform-jumping expertise and puzzle solving skills. We recommend this special edition but if £11 is beyond your budget, there's a free simplified version online.

Max Payne 3 (Xbox 360)

£20, amazon.co.uk
When Rockstar games (of GTA fame) got hold of the Max Payne franchise, it paved the way for a 21st century bullet-dodging reboot. Despite a lack of hair in this cartel fighting version, Max Payne is still going great guns (literally) though the story's a bit more complex.

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