Back when E For All still existed, we told you about a game coming out called Machinarium that we demoed at the show. It was my pick of the show, a point-and-click adventure game that was truly one of the most beautiful games I ever played. The good news is that it came out this year to rave reviews. The great news is that it’s on sale!

The creators of the game have a nice package deal on their site: get Machinarium and their previous title Samorost 2 (also excellent), for $10! You’ll get the Windows, Mac, and Linux versions of both games, the soundtrack to both games and some nice JPGs too. This is an amazing deal for a couple of amazing games. I highly recommend it!

If you ONLY want Machinarium, and you hate soundtracks or sound in general, AND you hate Macs, you can opt for JUST Machinarium for $7 at Impulse (PC only). This is actually the route I’m going because I’ve already purchased Samorost 2. (WARNING: It seems you’ll need to install the Impulse software in order to access the download.)

If you think I’m a liar or are really stingy with your gaming dollars, you can always try the free demo of Machinarium and Samorost 2 before you buy. Enjoy!

In honor of our comic this week, I thought I’d point you to a site where you can play the original version of Oregon Trail online for free! I’m going to assume it’s all legal since it hasn’t been taken down, so go crazy, make those buffalo extinct, try to ford the Mississippi, and watch your family die of cholera and dysentery! It’s seems to have a few bugs with the color, but it was still playable for me.

I officially give up trying to run the BioShock PC demo. When you spend as much time trying to get a demo to run as you would playing it, it’s time to throw in the towel. This experience did remind me why I’m not much of a PC gamer though. When you go to the store to buy an Xbox360 title, you don’t have to worry about whether or not it will work on your particular Xbox360 (well, barring any crimson illuminations). With PC titles, it’s hit or miss. And don’t get me started on the installing, the patching, the subscription fees, etc. Console gaming is just a much less complicated process. I’ve heard the argument, “Why should I buy a $350 system to play a game I can already play on my PC?” Well, I’m willing to bet that if your PC can run that new game (BioShock for instance), you bought the PC specifically to play games, meaning you probably spent $350 more than you would have if you bought a PC to surf the internet. And at least with consoles you don’t have to upgrade for 5 years. I don’t know of many PCs made in 2002 that will run BioShock, right? Do you think your Ultimate Gaming Rig PC purchased today will play games made in 2012?