In the spirit of writing about games available for Gamecube for $29.99 CDN and under I thought it would be rather biased of me not to dedicate some time looking at the other systems. While if you?re a real bargain hunter you probably know how to shark through used video game stores but if you prefer that new video game scent and simply can?t buy used then you?ve got lots to choose from for your PS2.

Fight Night 2004
Hands down a great boxing game. When I first played this I wasn?t too crazy about the controller configuration because it didn?t operate like most of the boxing games I?m used to. Rather than use face buttons like triangle and square for punches such as jabs and uppercuts, Fight Night uses the joysticks. In fact, it even uses the joysticks to defend as well. Luckily, the person I was playing against was also a newbie so he didn?t clean my clock. And after a while, I found that this control style made more sense. When you think about it, winding back your thumb and then thrusting it forward with the joystick adds so much more realism to a boxing game rather than tapping a button. A nice added feature to this game was the ability to create a boxer so that ideally, you could see yourself pummel opponents with fists of fury, just as you always dreamed. The career mode, which is the main one-player mode, is lengthy enough and the multiplayer mode guarantee this title won?t collect dust on your shelf.

NHL 2005
If you don?t have a hockey game in your collection I?d say this is the place to start. While I ranted about 2006 a while back and gave it a positive review, I?d say you?d still get most of the fundamental features in 2005, after all, EA has had a sound formula for the NHL series for some time now. One of the main features I?d say is the fact that 2005 is Online compatible so that you can fill up games with as many as eight human players. This is a pretty straight-forward good hockey game. ‘Nuff said.

Devil may cry 3: Dante?s Awakening
You might have no idea how lucky you are if you?ve never played this one and I never thought it would drop in price as much as it has either. Anyways, this third-person action title is brought to you by the same developer that brought you Resident Evil 4 ? Capcom. Clearly, these people have a knack for making these thrilling games. Many critics have felt that this game?s difficulty was a strong selling point, as because of its seemingly-impossible-to beat sheer difficulty, the title will last you longer. In most cases I?d agree and in this case I?m tempted too as well, however I thought that this one was a tad extreme. The sense of accomplishment is there after defeating some of the bosses in the later levels, but man, this game takes some serious skill and hours of dedication. Mind you, the difficulty levels are there, but I?d say the Normal mode is still hard. Regardless, I was completely surprised by the graphics on this one, as typically, PS2 doesn?t always deliver in this area. In short, if you?re looking for something with lots of guns, demons and absolute Terror, pick up a copy.

Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3
Now, just because I love Dragon Ball Z, doesn?t mean I put this title here for the hell of it. For most nerds, it?s great whenever a beloved cartoon, or comic makes the transition to video game but oft times those games are crap. I simply can?t remember the last time I played a decent Transformers, Ninja Turtles or Simpsons game and when your taking something that so many people hold dear, it?s nice when developers do a good job. The Dragon Ball Budokai series has been consistently great and with the third you won?t need to buy a Dragon Ball title for a long time. This fighter takes advantage of cell shading graphics so that the game pretty much looks like the cartoon under your control. All the characters that you would absolutely dream to use from the Dragon Ball mythos such as Super Sayjin 4 Goku, or Vegeta are in there. The one player mode is a little basic but I?d say the multiplayer makes up for this as it encapsulates everything a DragonBall Z fan would want: the ability to pit the most powerful fighters in the universe against each other.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Many and most argue that this was the greatest title for PS2 ever released. Set in the early nineties, GTA: San Andreas pumped awesome licensed tracks from the times and even sampled the voiced talents of Samuel L. Jackson. To this day, I haven?t made it through all the side-quests but that may very well be just because like all the GTA?s, you are constantly tempted to freely roam the city and perhaps commit random acts of criminality. If you’ve never played a GTA or you were under a rock when it came out, now’s the time to check this title out.






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