I have $1500 (Canadian) in gift certificates at a major electronics chain. Thank you Lee Jones.

I want to use some of this money to get a console. I am not a huge gamer. I will want to play Tiger Woods 07, Madden 08 when it comes, probably a soccer game and maybe the odd strategy game or RPG. FPS are not my thing but I might be tempted to try a good one like Gears of War/Call of Duty 3 or the like. Online play is not much of a factor.

I am not so concerned with how much money it costs as I am with the "value" I get for the money.

I am considering:
PS2 - $120. Accessories are cheap. Has a ton of games and will be able to get them cheaper as older gen games are just cheaper. This would be a stop-gap purchase which could lead me to get a next gen console in a year or two. This is the only console of these that I have actually used before.

Wii - the Wiimote intrigues me. It sounds fun and the fiance might like it more than the other systems. Console is relatively cheap at $280, but accessories like extra Wiimotes are pricey. Downside is the graphics are mediocre and you can't find one anywhere yet. Also I have concerns about the controls for games like Tiger Woods...if I wanted to swing, I would just go play actual golf. Also not many games out that interest me.

XBox 360 - Great graphics, more games out now than PS3 and Wii. $500 for console with the hard drive, wireless controller, etc. It seems a waste to buy a $400 base system without the hard drive.

PS3 - Wow this thing is expensive at $800. Not really an option for me since I can't use the bluray player (no HDTV).

I just can't decide.

Besides your recommendations, I have a question. Would the graphics on the 360 look much better than a Wii or PS2 on a standard TV?

I'm sure there's a few gamers out there that have compared and used all the systems that can help me out.

I've also been pondering my next gaming console purchase. I decided on buying a PS3 a few months down the line. At first I was thinking about buying a PS2, but PS3 is backward compatible and will have the newest installments of great PS2 games. It will still be another 6 months or so until PS3 has more big-hit games out there.

When I buy the PS3, I'm getting Resistance, Virtua Fighter 5, Ninja Gaiden Sigma (coming soon), Ridge Racer (always loved the Ridge Racer series), and the newest Tekken (coming soon).

I think HDTVs are the most overrated new form of technology out there BTW. My mom has one and I'm totally unimpressed. It really isn't worth the extra thousand dollars or whatever.