There was a time when cheap games were cheap in quality. This was known as the PSone era; a time when you couldn't get a good game for under $35. Thirty-five seems pretty low in comparison to the $60 they're asking for Xbox 360 (and likely PlayStation 3) titles. Current-gen titles are still hitting the $50 mark, with some sequels retailing for ten dollars less.

Looking at these figures, and knowing that some of the most expensive games released have turned out to be some of the worst, what could possibly be appealing about Rebel Raiders, a flight/combat shooter that retails for $19.99?

The gameplay. It has its flaws, every game does. If you're looking for Ace Combat 3, go play Ace Combat 3. Rebel Raiders follows a different path than the typical fight/combat game. It's more of an arcade-style shooter where every mission has a similar objective: shoot the enemy's vehicles until they're blasted into thousands of tiny little pieces.

Rebel Raiders pulls off this dated gameplay with something that's rarely found in games in this genre: good controls. I almost felt like I was playing Star Fox with the addition of environmental freedom. None of the levels are big enough to overwhelm, or even big enough to impress in this day and age, but unlike the classic adventures of Fox McCloud, you have the freedom to explore them as you desire. Miss something along the way? Rebel Raiders isn't on rails – go back and check it out.

Besides exploration, this free-roaming gameplay also lets you take out enemies in a variety of ways. There are the traditional missiles, which can be locked-on to nearby targets and unleashed for an attack of up to eight hits. Once eight missiles have been shot, your aircraft will go through a one or two-second recovery period, pushing the missiles into the firing bay. This takes as long as the time it takes for the missiles fired to reach their destination, so when you see them hit, you'll be able to fire again.

Missiles may also be shot without a specific target in mind. These attacks are much riskier, but are necessary when fighting stationary enemies. Sometimes the enemy will have large cannons hidden in the mountains, waiting to obliterate the next hero who comes along. Of course, they don't look at us as heroes – they think we're the bad guys. Crazy villains, always giving us a bad name.

Machine guns come standard and last for 100 shots. After that you've got to reload. Only 24 missiles can be loaded at one time. Both of these deplete pretty quickly. Ammo is unlimited, but when six planes are flying circles around you, every second counts. The time it takes to reload could cost you in the way of your shield. The shield starts at 100%. In some arcade games that means you have an entire life meter to go through before having to worry about protecting your aircraft. In Rebel Raiders, that's the only health meter you get. When it reaches 0%, you're toast.

Rebel Raiders's best feature is unquestionably its controls, which make cruising the skies a fun and exciting task. Players may spin quickly by tapping L1, or flip upside down by pushing or pulling on the left analog stick. Keeping the pace when flying in an unfamiliar position is surprisingly easy. I'm no flight/combat expert, and I didn't have any trouble maneuvering in and out of the game's tightest spots. From narrow mountainous passageways to large ships that must be circle and attacked repeatedly until defeated, getting the hang of Rebel Raiders's controls was almost as easy as learning to play Afterburner for the first time. With all the experience most gamers have had since that time (there have been a lot more flight/combat games released), it could seem easier.

Rebel Raiders's downfall – and this may not be that big of a deal for some considering the price - is that it doesn't feel like a PlayStation 2 game. It runs at a higher resolution and has fewer pixelation and fog issues than a PSone game, but the rest of the experience screams 1995. That isn't the worst possible thing that could happen to a game. We wouldn't have much of anything right now if it weren't for the PSone. Nonetheless, there's bound to be at least one player out there who would rather not buy a PS2 game that feels like it came from another generation.

It's faster than most PSone games and has a better frame rate – I'll give it that. I guess you could say that some of the enemy ships are bigger than what would have been possible on the PSone. And the lighting is definitely better, but really, this should be standardized stuff by now. It should've been standardized five years ago. The graphics are basic 3D material, including flat water (try crashing into it and watch it not do anything!), dated explosions, and plain environments. They're not ugly, but there's nothing to them.

And then there's the biggie: repetition. You get this in everything from the cheapest game to the most expensive console launch titles. At $40 I'd be telling you to get in your car and never look back, but at $19.99, you could do a whole lot worse. Blockbuster now charges eight bucks per rental, making Rebel Raiders cheaper than two of those. Granted, could spend $16 and end up with two games that are vastly superior. The catch is that you have to return them in seven days. You could also spend $16 and end up with two flight/combat games that are an absolute mess. As shallow and repetitive as Rebel Raiders may be, you will get some thrills – albeit, cheap thrills – out of it.

For those who really love the genre, it's actually worth the price.

Gameplay: 6.9
Simple and straightforward without being on rails. Rebel Raiders is quick, cheap, repetitive action that'll get you through in a boring weekend (and other days when the repetition wears off and you have the desire to play it again).

Graphics: 4.0
Though not the crudest effects on the planet, Rebel Raiders looks like a game that retails for $19.99. Fog and pop-up appear every now and then, but even without them, these plain visuals are pretty boring.

Sound: 5.0
Rebel Raiders sounds like a value-priced game, too. Typical voice-overs and mission feedback information.

Difficulty: Easy
Even those new to the genre will be wondering where the excessive challenges are.

Concept: 4.5
Same old idea, new low price. Less quality than some but is surprisingly higher in quality than others.

Overall: 6.3
It's all about the gameplay. You either love the genre or not, and that'll determine how much you'll get into this aerial adventure. The low price is appetizing, but don't let that be the sole reason you decide to add Rebel Raiders to your collection.