Galcon Fusion, created by developer Phil Hassey, is the latest in the Galcon series, a series of games that started as a 1987 PC shareware title and has been remade as a browser game, Iphone app, and a desktop game. Short for Galactic Conquest, Galcon Fusion can best be described as an arcade-style real time strategy game. The object of the game is to use your fleet of ships to colonize other planets in the galaxy while watching out for other players. By capturing planets, you enable them to create more ships, which you then direct at other planets in an attempt to conquer teh galaxy as fast as possible. It’s simple to get into, yet like most casual games, it gets addictive. There are several different modes, including online multiplayer, and you can post your high score to the game’s leaderboards. It’s available on steam, and it’s cheap, so check it out.

Designed by former policeman Jim Walls, the Police Quest series injected a dose of realism into Sierra’s classic adventure game formula. Although the games featured fictional plotlines, the situations players encounter in the games are based on scenarios that Walls had to endure during his years as a police officer. The games require you to use proper police 56procedure when making arrests and handling other police scenarios. The first three games tells the story of Sonny Bonds, a veteran of the police force as he goes to war against drug cartels, biker gangs, and even satanic cults. Police Quest 4 was designed by controversial police officer Daryl Gates, and it was more of a point-and-click adventure as players stepped in the shoes of John Carey, an LA police detective out to stop a serial killer. After 4, the Police Quest series spun off into the SWAT series. The first two SWAT games were billed as Police Quest titles, but when the series became an FPS tactical shooter, it moved away from the Police Quest branding. The first four Police Quest games, as well as the first two SWAT games are available on Gog.com, so if you ever wanted to know what the life of a police officer was like, check them out.

After Starcraft, Total Annihilation is perhaps one of the greatest old-school RTS games ever. Although there isn’t much of a plot (something about two armies fighting over weather or not to transfer human consciousness to machines), the strategy options that the game gave players were unprecedented compared to other RTS games around that time. The game is considered a spiritual predecessor to Gas Powered Game’s Supreme Commander (lead designer Chris Taylor developed both games). There is no resource gathering, as the two resources you need (metal and energy) stream into your reserves at a fixed rate, and battles can consist of over 1000 units on the field, which was unheard of at it’s time. The game also featured a rudimentary physics system for explosions, projectiles, and wreckage. Various patches and utilities have been constructed by both developer Cavedog and the fan community, adding new units, races, maps, and other features.

If you’re a fan of the genre, you owe it to yourself to check out this lost classic. The game, along with its two expansions Core Contingency and Battle Tactics are both available on GOG.com.

Ever wanted to become a computer hacker? Don’t know how to program? That’s okay. Uplink, created by indie development group Introversion shows gamers what it’s like to be a hacker (well, at least the way it’s depicted in movies like Hackers and Sneakers) , without having to learn how to program. As a newly hired employee for the Uplink Corporation, you take on several types of missions, such as altering a student’s academic record or hacking into a corporation to steal data. You are given a computer, and you must earn money to upgrade your hardware and software in order to take on more complex missions. Make sure you cover up all evidence of your deeds, least the police trace anything back to you. As you’d expect, the game is light on graphics, but the soundtrack is catchy. The game is available on Steam for cheap, so if you’re willing to look beyond the lack of flashy graphics, you can indulge your 133t fantasies to your heart’s content.

Before Unreal, Gears of War, and Bulletsotrm (and after Jazz Jackrabbit, ZZT, and Jill of the Jungle) Epic Megagames released this vertical scrolling shooter. While it contains classic shooter action in the vein of Raiden and Xevious, it contains a few tricks of its own that make it unique. The game was originally conceived as a tech demo by two friends Alexander Brandon and Jason Emery. It didn’t even have sound, although it was shopped out to both Epic and Apogee Software. Epic eventually considered the game a perfect fit for thier company, and hooked the team up with sound composers and graphic designers, and thus Tyrian was born. You play as Trent, a terraformation expert. After being sent to the planet Tyrian to do some terraforming work, your friend is assassinated by Microsol (not Microsoft), the corporation controlling the terraforming effort due to his knowledge of a rare mineral being mined on the planet. Realizing that you’re next on Microsol’s hit-list, you set out to make your escape.
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A week from tonight, Santa makes his rounds to all the little boys and girls of the world. To that end, I got a triple shot of cheap gaming goodness for those of you struggling with last minute shopping ideas, so click ahead for some great stocking stuffers!
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Okay, I admit. My knowledge of the D&D franchise extends little beyond this game and Baldur’s Gate. However, weather you’re a newb to the role playing franchise or an expert DM, this game is easy to get into, and there is much to enjoy about this game. Weather it’s the deep intricate fantasy plot, the ability to craft and customize your character as you see fit, or the MMORPG-lite multiplayer, Neverwinter Nights represents the best of PC RPG games. It’s main draw however, is the Aurora toolkit, which allows players to craft thier own adventures. To date, players have crafted over thousands of mods, and the community is still active to this day. NWN Diamond Edition features the base game, along with the three expansions: Shadows of the Undertide, Hordes of the Underdark, and Kingmaker. These three expansions add even more to the campaign, and will keep you playing for dozens of hours. NWN Diamond Edition is available pretty much anywhere you buy PC games, and Gog.com has recently released a DRM-free version of the game available for $10. If you love PC RPGs, then you owe it to yourself and check it out. Also, head over to http://nwvault.ign.com/ for the latest community-created resources.