 | Half Life 2
Buy new: $54.90 / Used from: $16.50 The best FPS ever made, Half Life II in many ways still sets the standard for any FPS to follow. Perfect game play, perfect graphics (at the time groundbreaking) coupled with a fantastic storyline, characters you really care about, and detailed environments, HL II is a monster of gaming majesty.
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 | StarCraft Battle Chest
Buy new: $17.31 / Used from: $9.93 How good is Starcraft? Good enough that over ten years later, there are still so many fans that you can find live games online at any moment. The game that put real time strategy games on the map, there is so much to love about this classic game. Great interface, voice acting, story line, and three distinct races to choose from, each with it's own 'culture' and feel.
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 | Mechwarrior 2: Titanium Trilogy
Buy used from: $43.94 Mechwarrior II set the stage for virtually every simulator game to follow, including the now more popular franchise Metal Gear. Driving a 100 ton mech around and blowing the hell out of things is a joyful experience. If only the franchise had kept the feel of the 2nd installment and not lost its way...
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 | Crysis
Buy new: $82.45 / Used from: $18.00 THE 3rd generation FPS, Crysis is mind (and system) blowing. Even though it falters a bit at the end of the game, the graphic quality, game play, and system taxing quality of the game will put it on top ten lists for many years to come.
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 | Command and Conquer the First Decade
Buy new: $19.30 / Used from: $10.90 Ah, Command and Conquer, I still remember the day I loaded up the demo of the original game and was introduced to the fantastic world of real time strategy games. I chose the first decade because Red Alert was also a dang fine game.
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 | System Shock 2
Buy used from: $62.95 This is easily the creepiest video game I've ever played. Suspenseful and 'shocking' to the core, this game is memorable for spot-on sound effects, brilliant voice acting, and intelligent game design. The levels are amazingly well put together and remarkably detailed for the 90s. Blending roll playing elements with a FPS, this is one of the earliest examples of a hybrid, genre bending game.
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 | Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion
Buy new: $83.51 / Used from: $12.15 The best 'Sandbox' game ever made at the time of its release, Oblivion gave the player a new level of freedom both through a massive world, and the ability to load endless mods created by other gamers. Oblivion is a sinkhole of gaming hours. I've probably spend 500+ hours playing it. Enough said.
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 | No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way
Buy new: $56.50 / Used from: $3.96 A classic FPS from Sierra, there is so much to love about this game, but the number one thing that sets it apart is the sense of humor present throughout. This is how games should be: fun, entertaining, great game play, and huge re-play value. Bonus points for poking fun at EA who is referenced as the "Evil Alliance."
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 | Descent 2 (Jewel Case)
Buy used from: $5.94 One of the earliest and best 'space' flight simulators (albeit flying inside the confines of mines), Descent I and II were fantastic, and ushered in the era of the joystick... Everyone had to have a Logitech Wingman, and it was to play this game.
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 | Star Wars: X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter
Buy used from: $8.70 Before MMOGs existed, there was X-wing vs. Tie Fighter. The first game to really connect the world online, and capturing the greatness of the X-wing franchise and improving on it, this is probably still one of the best, if not the best, space flight simulator ever made. With more heart than most newer installments from Lucas Arts, this game lives on in my heart and on my hard drive.
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