Corrupted micro SD card - any fixes?

That’s exactly why you back things up, especially important photos, instead of just leaving them on some sketchy SD card.

If those shots are actually that big of a deal, I guess you could stop messing around with the card and just take it to some data recovery pros:

http://www.drivebay.com

Anyone got a solid recommendation for software? It’s not my first time trying to pull data off a formatted card—this kind of thing happens—but I’ve been reading all sorts of theories online, people blaming viruses, whatever else
Help a guy out, please.

You got your answer, which is basically the best way to handle this. Every single time you mess around with that card, you’re just killing any chance of getting your data back...

Maybe there's a cheaper way to go about this?

You could give these or those a shot, but just keep in mind that every extra attempt at poking around that card lowers the odds of actually getting your files back if you decide to go the "premium" route. If John Doe didn't work for you, you probably won't have any luck with these either, so it's really up to you how much risk you want to take 🕺