Need recomendations for budget games for PC.
 

I generally prefer shooters although I'm open to strategy games like Command + Conquer: Zero Hour, Dawn of War, etc. Ideal price range is less than $30 although I'm open to the possiblity of $40-50 dollar games if they fit within my computer system requirements. My PC specifications: 1.8ghz, 512mb ram, 40 gig hd, integrated audio, and Intel Integrated graphics(which essentially prevents me from playing most of the new games that I'd really like to get like Half-Life 2, Doom3, etc.). I work at a large electronics retailer so I have a employee discount that's good to knock off typically ~$5 on most games.

My strategy with my christmas list is generate a lot of possible choices and give the large list out so that the handful of items on it that I do get are random(so that the element of surprise is maintained).

Shooters, eh? I was always a fan of the Rainbow6 games (though lag issues in the anything past the original made them almost unplayable online), and they ran moderately well on my PII 450 MHz, 256, 4 mb generic card. The new ones are expensive yet, but I expect you can get the older ones (Rainbow6 and Rogue Spear, along with expansions) for quite cheap. Max Payne, if you haven't played it was a reasonably fun single player game, and it should run pretty well for you.

As for strategy games, how about Warcraft III? I'm not sure if you'd like it on not, but I thought I'd throw it out there. You could also get a collector's pack of Command and Conquer games if you haven't played them. C&C Red Alert is my favorite out of any of them, and a must play if you haven't yet. Red Alert 2 is also good, but not as good. It's also fun to play the original through. Mmmm, sweet sweet GDI vs. NOD goodness. Man, I want to play that now.

Do you prefer more modern type strategy games, or are you open to suggestions? If you can live with the medeival setting, I highly recommend Majesty. I almost overlooked this game because it looked a little kiddy, but it is incredibly fun with a unique control system. That you can probably get for about $5 at this point, and there's at least one expansion, which shouldn't run too much more than that.

Generally speaking, I wouldn't go with a new game that is less than $30. That will (usually) be a wasted $30.

Open to suggestions. :)

Rainbox 6 (original and Rogue Spear) were great games. In fact, R6 was the first game I played online way back when with mplayer.com. Wow that was a while ago.

I would also check out Unreal Tournament (the one from 2000). Still a great game and probably can find it out there for $9.99 somewhere.

I also concur on Max Payne. I think your integrated intel graphics is probably about an ATI 8500 equivalent, right?

If you haven't played them yet grab the Fallout series. I'm typically a racing, fps, fighting game fan.. but something about Fallout just grabs me.

You could get the "World War II Collection", its BF1942, MoH:AA, and Secret Weapons Over Normandy, and its like $25.

Mafia was a great game, a shooter, with arcade type driving elements thrown in. Great story.

Serious Sam - Second Encounter rocks! I think you can buy it for $10

As was said before, the Fallout series completely rocks. And if you look through bargin bins at best buy and comp usa occasionally a great bargin pack shows up. I saw one that had both Fallout 2 and Planetscape:Torment once, both of which are on top of my best PC rpgs ever list. For a change of pace if you at all like sandbox style games or have a taste for castle building / medievel sieges etc. I highly recommend Stronghold and Stronghold:Crusader. They're castle building sims that look awesome. I still have them on my computer from a year or two back, usually when I want a change of pace I fire them up and build away.