For $3 or less, you can get any of these awesome new independent games to usher in 2011.

December brought a happy surprise for fans of the independent games movement. Several of the best developers on the Xbox Live Indie service banded together to create their own Summer of Arcade-style event called the Winter Uprising, which has been rolling out throughout December. In many cases, these games are the second generation of titles for the service from developers, and the experience shows. We checked out all the games that released as part of the Winter Uprising promotion, and they're all impressive, but we’ve selected five that help to show off the breadth of unique genres and game experiences available, and included links to trailers for all five videos so you can check them out.

If one or more of these games looks like fun (trust us, they are), then we’ve also included links to purchase the games directly on Xbox Live Marketplace. Many of the games cost only a dollar, but if you’re feeling really cheap, they all come with free trials to get your feet wet.

Cthulhu Saves the World

The developer behind Breath of Death VII has returned with another old-school RPG with a twist. This time, that villainous spawn from out of time and space, Cthulhu, has emerged once again into the world. Unfortunately for him, he’s been robbed of his powers, and can only get them back by becoming a true hero. Cthulhu Saves the World has an ideal mix of classic JRPG charm and modern humor, with lots of fun references to Lovecraftian mythology thrown into the mix. The Dragon Quest-style battles are fast. The characters are amusing. The gameplay is clever. And the campaign is lenghty; the game takes between 5 and 10 hours to complete, so you’ll definitely get your money’s worth. Also, we couldn’t help but chuckle at this music video trailer. Then again, we're kind of dorks for the whole Cthulhu thing. Buy it

Crossfire 2

The first Crossfire game was a really good time, and its sequel ups the ante and wins big. For those not familiar with the concept, imagine something like Space Invaders, but your ship can teleport back and forth between the top and the bottom of the screen, engaging aliens from either direction. The fast pace, excellent music and visuals, and tightly wound gameplay experience combine to nail a strong arcade dynamic. As you play, you unlock points to upgrade your ship, introducing a customizable leveling system that you can work to maximize score. Your also constantly flipping back and forth across the screen to pick up ammo for your supershot, which can get you into a rhythm that destroys entire enemy waves in mere seconds. Everything about the game works like a charm, and you can’t argue with that zen-like vibe when a game like this gets it so right. Buy it

Up Next: A space shooter, pterodactyls, and the sequel to one of our favorite indie games