In case you hadn't noticed, the economy is having a hard time.

In case you hadn't noticed, the economy is having a hard time. If you're a gamer, a new $60 title may be out of your reach right now. Until you can once again afford to go to GameStop to pre-buy your copy of Uncharted 2 here's a list of great titles you may have missed, which now you can get for a single crisp Andrew Jackson.

Prey (PC, XBOX 360) Price - $6 PC; $9 XBOX 360

Prey is a first-person shooter about Tommy, a Native American, who finds his home suddenly engulfed by a giant alien ship. The result, of course, is slimy alien carnage. It has a few elements that set it aside from the slew of other shooters. Most of the weaponry in the game is alien that the hero finds in the environment; some are typical and some are rather unusual. The game uses portal technology allowing enemies to spawn anywhere. You also use portals to navigate through the ship, and the game engine uses varying gravity. Tommy is endowed with spirit powers including the ability to leave his body and pass through certain barriers, a spirit-guide hawk to help guide you through the levels and an interesting near-death experience when you lose your health.

If you're a shooter fan and want a good game for a few bucks definitely pick up this one. The game also has a Limited Edition version which included die cast figurines, concept art, downloadable soundtrack and comes in a fancy tin. You can pick up the Limited Edition for $10.

Counter-Strike: Source (PC) Price - $20

Valve's Counter-Strike: Source is an online multi-player shooter, originally based on a Half-Life modification. You are either a terrorist or counter-terrorist with a variety of weaponry playing against others in a multitude of objective games. From hostage rescue missions to free-for-alls, to player-created modifications involving zombie infestations the gameplay ranges across the spectrum. CS is fun for a casual player, if you don't mind getting shot a lot at first, and also for serious players. The game can incorporate "clans," or groups of players who play together often having tournaments and ranking systems. The realistic shooting physics can be daunting at first. The recoil of your gun will cause your bullets to hit higher than indicated on your sights, just like a real weapon. Moving causes your aim to decrease significantly. It doesn't take long to get into the swing of things. If you enjoy shooters and haven't had the experience of playing against dozens of other human players, take some time and get this game.

The server menus are stripped down and very simple to navigate. Valve's Steam program manages the servers much better than other online gaming servers like Microsoft's Games for Windows.


The Elderscrolls: Oblivion: Game of the Year Edition (PC, XBOX 360, PS3) Price - $20 PC,


The Elderscrolls IV: Oblivion, Game of the Year Edition is a beautiful open-world fantasy experience created by Bethesda. The incredible graphics, the vastness of the worlds, the storylines, side missions, characters and gameplay in general made this 2006's Game of the Year in multiple outlets. In the Game of the Year Edition you get the Shivering Islesand Knights of the Nineexpansions, making for a near endless game experience. When I played Oblivion the first time I never even got involved in the main storyline; I became so enamored with side missions, factions, gaining skills, gaining wealth and just having fun. The criticisms of the game included occasional drop in frame rate for the Xbox 360 version, a nonsensical leveling system which caused the bad guys to level up with you and some dialogue that was repetitive and limiting. The game's faults are like trying to find something wrong with Lamborghini. The games musical score and brilliantly rendered environment can cause the player to simply get lost in this impressive game. *note: The Game of the Year Editions for PS3 and XBOX 360 are a few buck more, but you should be able to find the regular edition for under $20.


The Orange Box(PC, XBOX 360, PlayStation 3) Price - $20 XBOX 360, $20 PS3, $25 PC

I broke my $20 dollar rule on this one, but not really. In The Orange Box you get not just one game, but five games. Half-Life 2, its first and second expansions Episode 1and Episode 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. Individually each of the games has won a Game of the Year award in various outlets, including the expansions, and together they form a quintet of awesomeness.

Let's start with Half-Life 2. In 2004 there was one game, Half-Life 2. It was a game years ahead of the field in graphics and brilliant in gameplay. You are Gordan Freeman, a scientist/butt-kicker, who has been awakened from stasis after the events of Half-Life the original, to...well...to fight monsters. To make a long story short, HL2 is, by itself, an incredible game.

The expansions, Episode 1 and 2, continue the storyline adding things like an incredibly intelligent and divers AI companion and improved graphics. Both expansions are just as fun as the original game.


Team Fortress 2 is a game played online with Valve's servers. It is different from most other online multi-player shooters. You can choose from nine distinct classes, each with their designated weapons and special abilities. The differences in the playable characters make team-play and strategy essential. The game is fun and Valve instituted a sort of achievement tracker to add incentive. The game-play is simpler and more casual than some other online shooters and can be more fun than a frustrating match with the more hardcore gamers.


Portal is the real gem of The Orange Box. In Portal, you find yourself in some sort of a testing facility where a computer voice runs you through a gauntlet of puzzles involving a portal gun that creates teleporting rifts in flat surfaces. The game is a challenging, mind-expanding exercise that progressively gets more difficult, and more fun. The computer voice that is guiding you through the levels, GLaDOS, is reminiscent of a darker Hal who goads you on with promise of increasingly more elusive "cake". The games dark humor and developed twists are especially amusing and interesting when you are trying to figure out an elaborate puzzle. I'm fairly certain Portal is one of the only games to have a character that is an inanimate object who has won multiple awards in the gaming field. The Companion Cube is a block that in some levels you must find ways to transport it with you as you navigate the puzzles. After you have completed the game, you have options to go back through the levels with more difficult standards that border on impossible. Portal is worth the price of The Orange Box in and of itself.


Star Wars: The Force Unleashed(Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and 3, Wii and handheld platforms) Price - $15 XBOX 360, $15 PS3, $20 Wii

I am only going to review this game for the Wii. Being a tremendously hopeless Star Wars nerd like I am, I must say, if you don't have a Wii, by all means sample this little number, but I'm fairly sure they wouldn't be nearly as fun on another platform.


The Force Unleashed takes place in between The Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: A New Hope. You find yourself as Darth Vader's apprentice hunting Jedi. The game, by itself, is good, but not great. We all know the Wii lacks the powerful graphics of the other mega-platforms, but the graphics do deliver. The story is fun, allowing Star Wars fans a glimpse of some unknown stories in the Star Wars timeline. The bad guys are diverse and manage to stay fresh throughout the game. The levels are big and can be challenging at times. It is fairly easy and intended for a wide audience, including newer gamers. (My wife doesn't play a lot of video games and loves this one.) The real fun comes from Wii's unique motion-detecting controllers. When the Wii was introduced, I know that there were countless other Jedi-loving fanboys like myself who were thinking one word. Lightsabers! I was waiting for a game to incorporate lightsabers into the Wii remote technology and LucasArts did not let me down. The different swings and combat moves depend on how you direct your Wii remote. The nunchuck attachment is how you manage your force powers. So with one hand you're choking the life out of someone while you're slashing and throwing your lightsaber with the other. It is fun! Even if you aren't a Star Wars fan, this one would be a definite addition to a Wii lovers library. Pick it up, and may the Force be with you, gamers!

The hyperlink under the prices for the games are the cheapest ones I could find new at this time. Your best bet to get one of these games is probably walking into Wal-Mart or Target. They seem to have usually have the lowest prices on games, plus you don't have to worry about shipping or waiting for it.