> I wouldn't mind some recommendations for a good game to rent and/or buy, based on the following criteria:

My strongest recommendation to you is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (not to be confused with any other PSX game beginning with "Castlevania"). It's a 2D, side-view, free-scrolling game, so none of this FPS stuff here. Just one caveat: it's a somewhat non-linear game, so it can take some time to figure out what to do. Oh, yeah, and the voice acting sucks. And so does the transcript of the dialogue. But the game itself rocks. :-}

Of course, if that isn't quite up your alley, there's always Smurf Racer. Picked that up last week for eight dollars, m'self. ;-}