For a limited time, you can pick up one of 2008's best role-playing games for dirt cheap. Valkyria Chronicles has been marked down to $19.99 by GameStop for the holiday shopping season.

In Valkyria Chronicles, players control a small militia squad attempting to repel an invading force from their country. It's a turn-based strategy game with controls similar to that of a third-person shooter. The fluid combat system, strong storyline, and storybook visuals are among the reasons why it was one of our favorites last holiday season.

I'd say picking up VC on the cheap and playing it this month is good preparation for the upcoming sequel but you might not have the necessary hardware for Valkyria Chronicles 2. While the first installment's a PS3 exclusive, VC2 will only appear on the PSP.