You made sure you were a good boy/girl all year and you’ve hung your stocking with care. In hopes that Saint Nick wouldn’t be effected by the economy and would soon be here. All of your good deeds paid off and now you have an xbox360 and/or PS3 and most likely a handful of Christmas holiday loot. But what games should you buy that would stretch your gaming dollar the furthest?

If this is your first current gen console then the doors are wide open for some titles of incredible value. A lot of games this generation depend on trophies/achievements grinding for long game play time. Others offer game play time into the triple digits without running through the game multiple times. The following ten games (in no particular order) are of the later variety. They offer long game times without having to replay the title, and more often than not these titles can be had, used, at drastically reduced prices….stretching those holiday bucks as far as they can go. If you see a title you want to pick up you can click on the image to the right. Right now most of these titles have free shipping.

1. Fallout 3

Early this past fall Bethesda ended the decade long wait for the next fallout title. Fallout 3 is an open world action RPG along the vein of Oblivion. Which is no surprise as Bethesda released that title as well. With over 100 place to visit, tons of NPC characters and quests galore this game will easily keep you traipsing around the D.C. wasteland for a month. 360 owners get the added bonus of three additional exclusive expansions. Being a newer title you won’t find it on the used rack for $20, but even at $40 it is still a deal.

2.Elder Scrolls Oblivion: Game of the Year Edition

Oblivion is probably the most celebrated RPG of this current generation. If it has been dethroned it has only been because Bethesda brought the much loved Fallout franchise back from the dead. If you thought Fallout 3 was a long play, Oblivion is even longer. You can spend hour upon hour exploring every nook and cranny of Cyrodil. This game is so involved and so long that to do everything the game offers would take hundreds of hours. The best part about Oblivion is that very little play time is taken up by “find all the secret token” quests. Once again the Xbox 360 has the additional feature of exclusive content. With a used price of $27 Oblivion is easily worth the money.

3. Grand Theft Auto IV

GTAIV is the first entry of the franchise on the latest consoles. To say this game is critically acclaimed is an understatement, it won GOY in the videogame awards. This time around you are Niko Belic causing mayhem in Liberty City. But this isn’t the liberty city of the old GTA the entire city has been redone with a level of detail unobtainable on previous generation consoles. Unlike the previous two titles in this list this is not an RPG. GTA IV is an open world game that offers hours upon hours of GTA goodness. Once again the Xbox 360 wins out with exclusive DLC due out in 2009. At $30 used this title is a must have for any gamer.

4. Half Life Orange Box

Half Life Orange Box is arguably the best value of any title out there. It is essentially 5 titles on one disc. Half Life 2, HL2 Episode 1, and HL2 Episode 2 are the main contents of the game. However the pot has been sweetened with the inclusion of critically acclaimed Portal and Team Fortress 2. Unlike the above mentioned titles the 360 version doesn’t come out on top with any must have DLC. At $20 used, this title is a no brainer to pick up for any system.

5. LittleBiGPlanet

Media Molecule took your average side scroll, infused it with the cuteness of a puppy in a t-cup, bolted on some very intuitive level editing tools, and released it to a ravenous community of creators and imagineers. The value in this title is that there are over 50,000 user created levels already out and more released everyday. This is the first game on our list that the whole family can enjoy. This is one title 360 owners lose out on as it is a PS3 exclusive. Like Fallout LBP is a new title so it may be tough to find it for under $40, but that is $40 well spent.

6. Wipeout HD

Wipeout makes it’s first appearance on the PS3 as a DLC only title. This game isn’t a classic or simple title with limited graphics like most download only titles. Wipeout HD is a fully featured title that takes advantage of the PS3s power. It features tracks from past Wipeout titles Wipeout Pure and Wipeout Pulse. It also features the most amazing game sound track of the year with the likes of Kraftwerk, Booka Shade and DJ Fresh. What made this title make the list is it’s rock bottom price of $20.

7. Unreal Tournament III

Unreal Tournament provides tons of classic FPS game play. Fast paced death mathc, CTF, and other game modes provide you with ample oppritunity to enjoy the way FPS should be played. Unreal Tournament makes this list for much the same reason as LBP. Epic was kind enough to release a level editor for the game. Unlike LBP the editor only works on the PC, once more the PS3 is the only console version that gets to enjoy this creativity. But there is still a burgeoning community of modders that have made levels in numbers that will satisfy any hardcore FPS gamer. The best part is this title can be had for less than $20

8. Far Cry 2

Far Cry 2 combines the best features of nearly every title on this list. Open world, lots of strategic choices for combat, level editor, and an online community that ensures you have no reason to be bored with the title. Like Fallout 3 and LBP, Far Cry 2 has been released recently and will still set you back $50 or so. Still with the size of the game and the user generated levels, you will be playing this game for quite a whille before becoming bored.

9. Mario Kart

Mario Kart Wii is hailed for it’s online play and it’s large number of tracks. Online games are easy to enter and lag free. Mario Kart Wii has 16 new tracks and sixteen old tracks. The title also offers deeper driving strategy. Drifting, slipstreaming, item dangling all serve to make Mario Kart Wii a deeper gaming experience. You can use 24 characters in either motorcycles or go karts. Your choice of controls are the Wii Wheel, Classic Controller or the Wii Nanchuku.

10. Warhawk

Last but not least is Warhawk. Warhawk is a solid “Third Person Shooter” that offers a plethora of levels and play styles. Warhawk’s levels are so big that the included vehicles are often required, not simply an after thought. You can get Warhawk for under $20. Add on the expansion pack special of $25 from PSN and you can get quite a lot of game play for as little as any other used title on this list.