It is over. The midnight releases, the Black Friday hoards and hopefully the trivial debates. People have chosen their side and opened up their wallets. Tribute was paid, and holy idols created by either Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony was bestowed to those with enough coin. What about you, the college student or individual with financial shortcomings? Never fear, for game you shall, my friend, game you shall.

When I was a lad, I did chores for weeks to save up enough money to buy the PlayStation 2. I remember turning it on and being in awe of the graphics and colors. Compared to next gen, these graphics may look vastly inferior, but this console holds a special place in many gamers’ hearts. With one of the biggest game libraries to date, the PlayStation 2 has a lot of options for every kind of gamer.

The reason I chose to tell you about this system in particular is because it is one of the cheapest to purchase. I have seen the system itself go for a mere $30 on eBay. Brand new consoles from Amazon can be purchased for $136 and the games are cheap as well depending on what you want. The more rare the game, the more you will pay. Most games you find will go for less than $10. Do not be surprised though if your childhood favorite runs for $20, but that is still a third of the cost you will pay for a new game these days.

So, finally, here are a few of my recommendations for those who want to revisit this forgotten friend:

‘Shadow of the Colossus’

Developed by Team Ico and released in 2005, many will argue that this is the best game the PS2 has to offer. You play as an unnamed hero, who wishes to bring his lover or sister (they never really tell you) back to life. The gods tell him he must defeat 16 Colossi in order to revive her. These Colossi are big. So big in fact, you must scale most of them like mountains in order to defeat them. It is a simple concept but its execution is nearly flawless. With an immense wasteland to explore and giant monsters to conquer, this is a must play for those who like action/adventure games.

‘Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal’

“Ratchet and Clank, and Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando” are great. Developed by Insomniac and released in 2004, this sequel made my list, simply because of the improvements made to the weapons and game play. This game combines elements of the plat former, shooter and even the racing genre. This third game in the series pits the hero, Ratchet against the Evil Dr. Nefarious, who is trying to destroy Ratchet’s home planet of Veldin. Ratchet and his robotic partner Clank must use their vast arsenal of weapons to help save the galaxy for the third time. And these weapons are goofy. Who does not want to turn baddies into ducks with the Qwack-O-Ray? Or engulf them in fiery doom with the Lava gun? With witty dialog, superb voice acting and a timeless story this game is sure to please.

‘Jak 3’

Yet another sequel that outshines the original. Developed by Naughty Dog and released in 2004, “Jak 3” continues to follow the franchises famous heroes, Jak and Daxter on yet another world-saving adventure.  Set in a vast desert wasteland, this game combines racing, plat former and shooter genre elements in its gameplay. “Jak II” was praised for its dark story and for morphing Jak’s image from Boy Scout to badass, shattering your schema for who Jak was as a character. Oh, and he finally talks. Clever dialog and a classic story help drive this game, but the real selling points are the environments. The massive desert mentioned earlier provides an excellent post-apocalyptic aesthetic to this title, while the city provides you with a homecoming vibe. 

‘Katamari Damacy’

All right here is a plot for you: you and your father are playing catch. You fail to catch the ball and it hits all the stars in the sky. In order to replace the stars, you must roll a giant sticky ball around Earth’s surface and amass a quantity of objects so large that it can be made into a star. This is the plot of “Katamari Damacy.” No, seriously, that is the game. This title gave a breath of fresh air to the repetitive style of video games at the time. Developed by Namco and released in 2004, this is one of my all-time favorites. It is fun, quirky, colorful and absolutely crazy all at once. There are no intricate button combinations to learn, no controller layouts to memorize, just use those joysticks and roll, baby roll. This title will leave you wanting more and if you are able to find its rare sequel please let me know I need to borrow it.

Those are only four titles in the massive game library of the PlayStation 2. Explore your options and discover some new games. Finding and playing all of those games will more than satisfy your gaming needs until the Xbox One or PS4 drop in price. Grab some snacks, plop yourself down in front of the TV and get ready for some good times.