With the Next Generation of Video Game Consoles Out, Now is the Time to EMBRACE the Old Generation!

Video gaming can be a very expensive hobby. The PS3 costs $500-$600. The Xbox 360 costs $300-$400. Games for these systems retail at $60 a piece. The Nintendo Wii is a bit cheaper, retailing at $250, with games selling at $50 each. A high-end gaming PC can easily cost $2000 or more, assuming you don't have the time or tech-savy to hand-make one, but even then, the cost is around $1000. None of this includes costs for additional gaming gadgets, such as extra controllers, memory cards, or optical mice.

The good news, however, is that absolutely NONE of this stuff is necessary! For a fraction of the cost of these cutting-edge video game systems, you can get last year's systems or an entry-level PC. There are enough bargain-priced games to tie down all of your free time every day for YEARS! Even a hardcore gamer who plays games every day of his life can easily find dozens of games for $20 or less that he's never played before on a system he's never owned.

Don't believe me? Here's a calendar for 2007 of every game you should play this year from the previous generation. I will aim for more obscure titles to lower the chance of you having played them. If you have, skip ahead to the next month. I have titles here for all three of last year's gaming systems, as well as the PC. If you don't have one of the older systems, you can easily get one used for $100 or less (in some cases, you can get them for that cost brand NEW!) or you can skip ahead to a game for a system you do have.

And, of course, every game on this list is available, brand-new, for $20 dollars or less.

JANUARY: "Jade Empire" for the Xbox: A brilliantly-done action-RPG, Jade Empire is set in a world inspired by Chinese history. So if Shaolin monks, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, or ninjas (Japanese, but cool, anyway!) sound great to you, you will love Jade Empire! Also, Jade Empire is set to be released some time this year for the PC, so those of you who don't have an Xbox can pick it up for that system, as well.