So, I'm on the market for some good videogames, but I have some very ... odd ... specifications.

1. I don't buy games during the schoolyear, so I tend to miss out on some great games that were blockbusters...when they came out. Any great game that came out within the last 2-3 years is a definite suggestion, and even later if it is an AMAZING game.

2. I have a very limited budget. I want to get Star Wars, the Old Republic Online, and I want to get one non-internet game as well. Therefore, anything higher than 20 dollars is unacceptable.

3. My rig is pretty awesome, so I do want graphics. Don't ignore a suggestion within the last 3 years based on graphics, but....nothing Starcraft-original or Diablo 2 style. I've had enough of that on my old pc.

Essentially, the games I am looking for are ones with the same critical appeal / quality as Mass Effect 1 + 2, Assasin's Creed 1 + 2 + Brotherhood + Revelations...etc.
Games that were all the rage and everybody was talking about...except for me.

Exceptions (I already own them) :
Assasins Creed : All of them
Mass Effect: All of them
None of the fallout series
Skyrim (fails the 20 dollar rule anyways)
MMO's

Please remember the 20 dollar rule, and thanks in advance!

P.S. I have posted already about great games to buy, but those were the fancy new/expensive/future games. This is not a repost.

I am not really sure but a lot of steam hoping is probably what is going to work, because they put quality stuff for good prices generally, and of course, amazon and ebay.

Battlefield 3 can be bought for $19,99, it does require that you download and install multilanguage pack as it comes in Russian language for that price. However I have succesfully intalled downloaded and patched it to English and can play the game for just that said $19,99.

Pay Day: The Hiest... You can buy it off steam. It is a really fun game. You just rob banks but it is still fun. And the graphics are incredible.

Just went through the list on Steam and named a few that should satisfy some of your requirements.
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$20
Portal 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Killing Floor (Internet only), BioShock 1 & 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Crysis, Dead Space 1 & 2, and Oblivion.
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$15
Super Meat Boy and Just Cause 2
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Under $10
Check this spiffy sorting on Steam. It should give you a very nice idea of some great games but many on this list are old.
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I clearly missed a lot but those are ones I have played and/or heard good things about.

Try Amnesia: The Dark Decent. It is a unique experience.

if your in to classics steam offers old atari game bundles for $10

definewikipedia said:

Portal 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Killing Floor (Internet only), BioShock 1 & 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Crysis, Dead Space 1 & 2, and Oblivion.

How is Dead Space? In terms of levels of pants-crapping fear / gameplay? Thats a prime example of an excellent game I completely forgot about

bettadenu said: Battlefield 3 can be bought for $19,99, it does require that you download and install multilanguage pack as it comes in Russian language for that price. However I have succesfully intalled downloaded and patched it to English and can play the game for just that said $19,99.

Seriously? Thats amazing! How is the single-player campaign? Also, can you play on english servers even with the russian version? How do I purchase teh Russian version? Can Ibuy russian versions of other games for lower prices?
(Yes I am full of questions)

You could try The Witcher for under $20. It's available on gog.com for $9.99. The Witcher 2 is just $4.99 over your limit and it's an amazing game, so you might wanna consider it.

Now, about russian versions, i found many russian versions of Modern Warfare 3 for around $20, so i guess you can get more games this way. I'm not sure how that works etc, i went with polish version for $40

^ You Sir/Madam, have been repeatedly useful. I tip my hat to you.

I'm happy to help:) I forgot, Mafia 2 is $19.99 on steam. A nice game but very very short. You can actually finish it in 5-8h
Age of Empires Online is a nice buy, if you are in that kind of games. You can try it for free and the game can be fully enjoyed for under $10. 1 premium civilization pack and skirmish pack are all you need. Of course the down side with this game is that i'm sure more mission packs will be released and they all will be payable. On the other hand, each pack is under $5.
Grand Theft Auto 4 is a pretty old game now, but still looks nice and is $19.99 on steam.

krishnooof said: I'm happy to help:) I forgot, Mafia 2 is $19.99 on steam. A nice game but very very short. You can actually finish it in 5-8h
Age of Empires Online is a nice buy, if you are in that kind of games. You can try it for free and the game can be fully enjoyed for under $10. 1 premium civilization pack and skirmish pack are all you need. Of course the down side with this game is that i'm sure more mission packs will be released and they all will be payable. On the other hand, each pack is under $5.
Grand Theft Auto 4 is a pretty old game now, but still looks nice and is $19.99 on steam.

Many of the games listed, are great, although for really casual and generally funny online play GTA4 got you covered.

Ubsam said:Seriously? Thats amazing! How is the single-player campaign? Also, can you play on english servers even with the russian version? How do I purchase teh Russian version? Can Ibuy russian versions of other games for lower prices?
(Yes I am full of questions)

I got it through this website:

http://www.direct2play.com/6-battlefield-series

I can confirm it's legit, even though it asks for your phone number to send you verification code by text message!

Took me about 15 minutes to set it up from Russian to English, I've only played the multiplayer on my brothers laptop but both our PC's are unable or atleast run it really really laggy and choppy.

It's pretty much follow the guide that the website provides or look up some different ones, you gotta download patch of 29th of march and all languages then copy the language files from the download to the BF3 directory, update the registry and you're good to go.

And yeah I can play on every server! Except that some servers only allow people from their own country (but that is IP based not your purchased version!) e.g. German server with only German players.

Steam is the best when it comes to games under 20 dollars, you can pick and chose frmo there.