Doki Doki Majo Shinpan 2 Duo, DS
Yes yes, the witch-touching game. Settle down. $20 for an imported Japanese DS game is pretty sweet, especially when it's a game as notorious as Doki Doki Majo Shinpan 2 Duo. Turns out, the game is pretty boring. I'm not sure knowing how to read Japanese would help.

DISCOUNT VALUE: $20, normal import price was $48
GAMEPLAY: Lots of clicking across maps and through conversations. Eventually you get to touch a witch, which involves some simple animations of slightly risque artwork.
PRESENTATION: The anime art is solid. Came with a heat-sensitive trading card.

Warioland: Shake It!, Wii
Everybody glorying in the 2D old school style of New Super Mario Bros Wii should go back and pick up this forgotten gem. It doesn't have multiplayer and it doesn't have the pre-fabricated nostalgia cannon, but it has about ten times the charm.

DISCOUNT VALUE: $35, which was an Amazon Gold Box deal (normally $50)
GAMEPLAY: This is like New Super Mario Bros Wii with non-sucky motion controls. Also: has personality.
PRESENTATION: The hand-drawn animation oozes style, attention and care. It's a shame that nobody really likes Wario games.

Burnout Paradise, PS3
I don't like car games. But I'll make an exception for the Burnout series. Paradise is noteworthy for handing out a ton of free DLC upgrades, as well as for a steady stream of pay DLC. The multiplayer was the first time I can recall a game deciding to make online play easy.

DISCOUNT VALUE: $30, a Target red-tag marked down from $60
GAMEPLAY: So many options and modes, all cleverly tucked across a gigantic map. This was my first Platinum Trophy, and at the time I didn't think I could do it.
PRESENTATION: Great design and menu work. Initially, the game's menus carried a strong We Ripped This From Apple motif. Later on they opted for an in-game web browser, which kind of sucked.

Wii Music, Wii
Nintendo's big Holiday Flop of 2008. I read a few respected webloggers who swore by it, so when Amazon knocked it down to $20, I jumped just for the experience. Unfortunately, it's a boring muddle of a non-game... but prettied up with some seriously clever Nintendo charm.

DISCOUNT VALUE: $20, another Amazon Gold Box deal. Amazon usually sells Wii Music for $30, but the game is still $50 retail! Jesus!
GAMEPLAY: It's not a game. It's work. The musical jam options are difficult to understand (the tutorials are murder!), but when you do finally make your own song - sort of - it is pretty cool.
PRESENTATION: I think this is the Miis' shining moment. It is great to make music videos and album covers with your Miis.

Savage Moon, PSN
A tower defense game that, when viewed from above, looks like swarms of bugs marching through poo. There's a science fiction pretentiousness pervading the game that makes the entire thing unappealing.

DISCOUNT VALUE: $5, during a half-off sale
GAMEPLAY: Pretty complicated for a tower defense game, which is cool. I like having full control over a 3D camera, but the tradeoff is that you'll often get screwed by the cam being in the wrong place or angle.
PRESENTATION: Purposefully ugly.

Wario and Burnout climb to the top! Only one more set to go, and then we take the top three to the final showdown!