Crave

Before you shell out hundreds of dollars on holiday hits like Modern Warfare 2, Assassin's Creed II, and Uncharted 2, you could easily be enjoying some of this generation's classics for a fraction of the price.

Console games are expensive and this holiday season everyone is watching their budget. So when Black Friday arrives, resist the urge to go straight to the new releases rack and instead pick up a few of these gems for yourself or the gamer in your life. Besides, if you haven't played these epics before, they're new to you!

Click on over to our slideshow to see our top-rated picks for holiday gaming on the cheap. Most titles featured can be had for well under $30.

Holiday gaming on the cheap (photos)

Matt's turntable, amp, and speakers.

(Credit: Matt Calderone)

What's the definition of a great hi-fi? It's the one you're listening to. Not just for background "listening," but actual, focused listening.

Investing a lot of money on a hi-fi isn't the only way to get there. In fact, spending as little as possible on decent gear is the best way to get acquainted with good sound. Who knows, you might become an audiophile.

My friend Matt Calderone might be on his way. He was given a used Denon DP-7F turntable, and recently bought a Kenwood KA-701 integrated stereo amplifier on eBay and a pair of Klipsch speakers through Craigslist. All told, he spent less than $200.

Calderone is 26 years old so I was curious about how and why he wound up with a hi-fi. He says he's always been interested in LPs, and he likes listening to them over a decent stereo, not computer speakers. Calderone thinks good speakers make a big difference.

It's not just that the sound is better, music engages on a different level when heard over a hi-fi. Calderone frequently winds up just sitting on the couch and get this, he listens to entire records! The music is the main focus; vinyl has that effect on some people. Calderone is going to add a CD player soon, but for now his system is analog only.

The hardest part of buying a used hi-fi is picking the right gear. If you're new to hi-fi ask an older relative who knows audio about which brands are worthy, but for starters I'd recommend steering clear of Sony and Bose products. I like Creek, Denon, NAD, Onkyo, Pioneer, and Yamaha amplifiers and receivers; look for used Advent, AR, Boston Acoustics, DCM, Epos, Infinity, Klipsch, Magnepan, Mirage, Monitor Audio, NHT, Polk, Snell, or Vandersteen speakers. For a few hundred bucks you can put together a very listenable used system.

Sure, you can probably score a better price buying audio gear online, and it's certainly easier, but is it a smart way to go? I don't think so.

First, buying hi-fi without listening to it is a bad idea. Smart buyers compare one product to another, it's simply the best way to learn what your choices are. Granted, it's not the same as hearing speakers in your own room, but at least you're hearing them in comparison to each other under the same conditions.

An Innovative Audio listening room in New York City.

(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)

Online reviews, including the ones I write for CNET and print magazines offer my opinions about sound. But reviews by me or anyone else can't predict about how, say a speaker, works with a receiver that's similar to yours. I have no idea about your specific needs, your room size, acoustics, taste in music, etc.

Use my reviews as a starting point and then try and listen for yourself.

User reviews? Hey, I make my living writing audio reviews and my opinions are drawn from my experiences with literally thousands of audio products. I can point you in the right direction, but at the end of the day, its your ears and your money. Buy what you like; just make sure you've heard it.

A good salesperson can offer sound advice based on your specific needs. That's a huge advantage online sales outlets can't duplicate. Yes, finding the right store or salesperson can take time, but that's true for doctors, lawyers, plumbers, and contractors, but once you've found a good one, their advice and council can be a huge asset. If you're spending $500 or more for speakers or a receiver try to make the effort to hear the thing. A successful salesperson has lots of happy customers, there's no other way to be successful. I sold audio for 16 years, I know from where I speak.

I don't like to misuse the word "cheap," so I won't. Instead, I'll just say that the Asus VH236H is one of the best monitor deals out there.

(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)

I request a lot of monitors from various manufacturers without always taking into account their retail costs. Sometimes, I'm just much more excited about posting a review of the latest, greatest, coolest monitor, than I am about the cheapest.

Thing is, most users simply don't care about the latest, greatest, coolest monitor. Most simply want something that's low-priced and does what it does (shows pictures of whatever they're attempting to display) well enough that they don't notice any problems.

I've gotten plenty of feedback lately requesting such information. "What is the best monitor for normal office work and occasional movie watching? My budget is $175-$225. ByeiiiEE!"

OK, I added the "ByeiiiEE!" but, here today, to quench your penny-pinching thirst, are my picks for the five best monitors that won't run you more than $200 (before shipping/taxes of course).

Be sure to always check out more monitor reviews here as well.

(Credit: Griffin)

If you're going to get one accessory to go with your new MP3 player, make it a decent pair of headphones. This may seem counterintuitive when you consider that all such devices come with a pair of earbuds in the package, but trust us when we tell you this stock set isn't doing you any favors in the sound or comfort department.

The majority of MP3 players include a pair of hard, plastic earphones with subpar sonic capabilities. Of course, they get the job done, so we can understand not wanting to drop a grip of cash on a new set. That's why we've rounded up a handful of headphones that won't cost you a penny more than 25 bucks.

Every option included in this feature offers an upgrade in either fit or audio quality...or both. And if you loathe sticking 'buds in your ears, at least one choice will let you avoid that unpleasantness. Also take heed: many of the earphones come in more than one color option, so if you're not picky about hue, you may be able to save even more moolah.

Headphones for less than $25.

Critics of Blu-ray often talk about how expensive the discs are, but in recent weeks, a growing number of Blu-ray movies have become more affordable, with several dipping below the $15 price point and some even slipping in at $9.99 on Amazon.

Cheap is popular these days and, not surprisingly, a lot of these bargain-price titles end up on the bestsellers list on Amazon. But when it comes to owning discs, most people have become pretty discerning, and don't just buy anything because it's cheap. With that in mind, we've culled down the list of bargain titles and selected 15 we think are worth owning.

As always, it's important to mention that taste is subjective, and if you don't like our picks, call us out and make your own suggestions in the comments section. If you're persuasive enough, we'll edit the list and swap in new titles. And as new budget Blu-rays come out, we'll also update the list. (Note: The discs on the list all were priced at less than $15 on Amazon at the time of this writing. Naturally, those prices are subject to change.)

For reference, here are the discs we considered but ultimately didn't include this round: "Bullitt," "Unforgiven," "Beetlejuice," "V for Vendetta," "Swordfish," "A Clockwork Orange," "I am Legend," "Fugitive," "The Road Warrior," "The Dirty Dozen," "Enter the Dragon," "Risky Business," "Dirty Dancing," "The New World," "Top Gun," and "Being There."

Click on any image to view the movies we did pick.

Watch this: 15 Blu-ray movies for less than $15

Related coverage:

• Top 30 must-have Blu-ray Discs
• Top 40 movies not out on Blu-ray
• The decade's 25 biggest tech flops

The first thing you're likely to do upon obtaining a new MP3 player is load it up with all your favorite music. Once that's done, the next best step is to replace the shoddy earbuds that came packaged with it. Of course, not everyone wants to drop a wad of cash on a new pair of headphones, which is where sets like the JVC Marshmallow come in.

These comfy and colorful earphones have a suggested retail price of just $20 and often list for much less than that, and in addition to providing a more secure fit than stock 'buds, the Marshmallows offer a significant improvement in sound quality.

Read the JVC Marshmallow review.

JVC Marshmallow headphone--photos

Plug 'em into an iPod or your computer

(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)

A couple of days ago I blogged about possibly (hopefully) the world's most expensive speaker, Transmission Audio's Ultimate ($1,000,000 each), so I guess it makes sense to write up a dirt cheap speaker, Kikkerland's Woodchuck iPod/computer speakers.

Thing is, Kikkerland's Web site doesn't list the Woodchuck, but I see it's on Amazon going for $13.99 a pair. So I guess I can't complain too much, but the sound is so weak, bassless, trebleless, and dynamically compressed the Woodchuck is without doubt the lamest sounding speaker I've ever heard. Kinda sounds like the speaker in my Panasonic answering machine.

There's no doubt that the earbuds that come packaged with the majority of MP3 players are subpar in both fit and sound quality, but it's tough to drop more cash on a new pair to go with a just-purchased device. The good news is that there are options that won't cost you a cent over $20. One such example are the new Auvio Pearl Buds, a colorful set of earbuds that will set you back only $15. Auvio is Radio Shack's latest foray into the earphone market, and the Pearl Buds represent the bottom of the line. It shows. Sound quality is merely passable and the superthin cable is practically begging to break, but these buds are still a step up from stock, especially in the bass department. They could be worth it for those on an incredibly tight budget.

Read the Auvio Pearl Buds review.

Auvio Pearl Buds photos