Ah, the Last Generation. We here in Lungfishopolis remember so well when it used to be the current generation, back before we had high-definition displays and online co-op gaming. There are still a number of gems to be found here. Read on, and you may see a few that make great inexpensive gifts.

Playstation 2

The Playstation 2 had a long reign as the king of consoles, and during that time it amassed a great number of excellent game titles. Although it’s all last-gen, this list is truly the creme de la creme.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Although I’ve never been as big a fan of the Prince of Persia games as many others have, I’ve played the games enough to admit their appeal. Crazy platformers with a lot of fighting, the Prince of Persia games were the first to implement real parkour into a video game. You can get a copy on EBay for around $8.

Kingdom Hearts
I’ve never played Kingdom Hearts, but I understand the draw of an RPG that puts familiar Disney characters into more serious roles and hands them crazy big swords. Essentially Final Fantasy with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, I’ve known many adults who’ve played and enjoyed Kingdom Hearts and its sequel. As I look, Kingdom Hearts is going on EBay for around $6, and Kingdom Hearts II for closer to $10.

Dark Cloud 2
I’ve been meaning to get myself of copy of Dark Cloud 2 for a while, and have never gotten around to it, largely due to the wealth of other games I’d rather play. An action/adventure RPG that I’ve often heard compared to Zelda, Dark Cloud 2 has you time-travelling in an attempt to save your world from a villain from the future intent on erasing everything. If you’re lucky, you can snag a copy on EBay for just under $20.

Katamari Damacy
This quirky game from 2004 is still a lot of fun. In Katamari Damacy, you play a microscopic prince whose job it is to help his father, The King of All Cosmos, to rebuild the stars which he’s accidentally destroyed. This is done by rolling a magical ball called a katamari through various environments, and picking up objects which stick to the katamari if they’re small enough. At first, you collect paper clips, pennies, and other small items. As the katamari grows in size, you’re eventually able to collect pencils, toasters, chairs, cars, houses, and eventually mountains. The game is completely bizarre, yet it’s so much fun to stick the family cat to the katamari, and eventually roll down the street collecting pedestrians and cars. You can get Katamari Damacy for $15 on EBay.

Resident Evil 4
I’m a firm believer that shooters need to be played with a keyboard and mouse, and that’s why I was so surprised to find myself enjoying Resident Evil 4 so much, when I had to constantly aim with a thumbstick. Somehow, they made it work. And it works very well. Resident Evil 4 is a fantastic game, and if you’ve never had the pleasure, now’s the time to grab yourself a copy and try the game. You can get it for between $10 and $20 on EBay, depending on whether it’s new or used.

Indigo Prophecy
I’ll admit that the plot at the very end of Indigo Prophecy gets so convoluted and wacky that it’s laughable, but the vast majority of the game is just fantastic. The game’s creators have taken the standard adventure game and added timed sequences, action sequences, stealth sequences, and a lot of minigames. There’s even a timer on conversations – if you take too long to respond, the game picks an option that’s usually a stuttered response worse than any of the options it gave you. The game has a ton of conventions that completely defy the norms of the genre. For example, you alternately play both the role of the suspect and the detectives tracking him down. And there’s a sanity meter rather than a life gauge – if it drops too low, you’ll commit suicide. Better not spend too much time looking at that picture of your ex-girlfriend! You can get Indigo Prophecy for $15 on EBay.

God of War
It’s unlikely that I even need to explain what God of War is to you if you’ve got a Playstation 2. Suffice it to say that it’s mostly a brawler with plenty of platforming and puzzle elements, and that its graphics approach the graphical quality of some of the first Playstation 3 games. You can find God of War on EBay for around $10, and God of War 2 on EBay for around $12.

Psychonauts
As I said two weeks ago when I listed Psychonauts in the PC section, I can’t say enough good things about Psychonauts. If you haven’t yet played this game, you may not know that this site got its name from Psychonaut’s comedy sequence, which may very well be the greatest single level in any video game, ever. An action/adventure platformer that strives for photorealism about as much as Indiana Jones strives for a job as a snake charmer. Psychonauts is the only game to date that has made me laugh out loud, and it did so on numerous occasions. If you’ve never had the pleasure, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy. You can get it for well under $20 on EBay.

Beyond Good and Evil
Another game that’s appearing in more than one section is Beyond Good and Evil. It may be my favorite game of all time. It has stealth gameplay, fighting, vehicle driving, puzzles, collection, and mini-games. The characters are lovable, and the story is well-written. For the record, I’ve bought four copies of this game over the years. A year or so after I finished playing on the PC, I wanted to replay it but the disc was scratched, so I bought another copy. Then, I bought a PS2 copy to give as a gift. A couple months ago, Steam was having a sale and I picked up another copy for $5. Currently, I’m seeing “buy it now” sales on EBay for $4 for the PS2 version. It’s so sad that such a great game is fetching so little money. But it’s good for those of you who’ve missed it.

Shadow of the Colossus
A phenomenal game that far too few people have had a chance to play, Shadow of the Colossus is a gem from the same folks that designed the cult favorite Ico. The story is left very vague, but the game focuses more on cinematics. In an attempt to save the life of a young woman, the protagonist follows the direction of an unknown spirit, and travels the land, slaying huge monsters known as Colossi. The battles against the colossi are as much puzzles as they are fights, and they are truly epic. You can find Shadow of the Colossus on EBay for around $15.

Original XBox

Doesn’t seem like too many people own an old XBox anymore. But in the spirit of being complete, I’m going to give you ten good XBox games. Who knows? You might have a nephew who’s only ever played Halo on the thing and hasn’t yet gotten to experience any of the system’s truly good games.

Max Payne
If you’re a fan of third-person shooters, and you’re playing on the XBox, you won’t find many better candidates. The recent movie was a hideous adaptation of what was once one of the very best games available on the XBox. Its use of bullet-time slow-down effects was unprecedented at the time, and the story of a man out for vengeance after having lost his family played the righteous wrath card perfectly. You can now find a brand new copy on EBay for a paltry $6.

Lego Star Wars
Although a bit too unnervingly simplistic for my personal tastes, lots of people loved the Lego Star Wars games. They’re actually really good for kids, as the game’s only violence involves the rapid disassembly of Legos. Even today, copies are hard to come by, but you can likely find one on EBay for $20.

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
I ripped on this game pretty hard after having played it on my PC. After all, it’s H.P. Lovecraft – how could I expect anything less than greatness? But although the frustration factor on the PC version was pretty high at times, and I did actually encounter a game-breaking bug, the overall tension towards the beginning of the game and the amazing chase scenes were probably worth the $10 you’ll pay for the game on EBay.

Prince of Persia
As mentioned above, I’ve played the Prince of Persia games enough to admit their appeal, although they’re not my favorites. You can get a copy on EBay for no more than $9 – less if you’re lucky.

Half-Life 2
It’s true that Half-Life 2 is one of my favorite games of all time, although if I were going to recommend it, the old XBox would be the very last platform I’d recommend it on. PC is by far a superior choice. Still, it’s an absolutely fantastic game, and you should be able to find it on EBay for around $5.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
X-Wing, Rebel Assault, Jedi Knight, Rogue Squadron, Lego Star Wars, Empire at War – there has been no lack of good Star Wars video games. But probably the most well-regarded of all of them was Knights of the Old Republic. This Bioware RPG not only allowed you to choose between dark and light, and gave you the ability of assembling companions of varying moral shades, it had a fantastic storyline, and a great twist. You can get a used copy on EBay for around $12.

Indigo Prophecy
This is another title I mentioned previously. The ending of Indigo Prophecy was worse than season 3 of Heroes, but the majority of the game’s story was much closer to season 1 of Heroes. That is to say that most of it was very good. Indigo Prophecy is a totally new take on the adventure game genre, and should not be missed. You can grab a copy on EBay for around $5.

Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Whether or not you like Vin Diesel’s movies, this was a fantastic game. Primarily a shooter with a lot of RPG and stealth elements, the game’s storyline and voice acting are top notch. It must be one of the XBox’s best games. Somehow, I’m seeing it listed on EBay for just under $1.

Jade Empire
Before Brandon recommended it to me, I hadn’t even considered playing Jade Empire. I’m glad I did. While the fighting and movement are decidedly last-gen, the game’s story is simply awesome. And the River Raid type minigame is fun too. It’s going for about $3 on EBay.

Psychonauts
Ditto what I said above in the PS2 section. Great game, very funny. The XBox version seems to be a bit hard to find nowadays, but you could find it for as little as $15.

The Affordable Gaming Committee wishes you happy Holiday shopping.