What great RPG's are out there that I need to get?

I loved all the Ultima games -- even 9, which nobody liked -- but don't care much for Diablo. I'm more into the classics, I guess. I was much intrigued by Wizards and Warriors, and when it gets cheaper I may buy it. But I've been longing for a new single-player RPG, and good ones are hard to find. So, I turn to you, my Quarter to Three family, for help. Oh, and by the way -- I have a real problem spending fifty dollars on a game unless I've been waiting for LONG time for it (I'll probably shell out asking price for Warcraft III the first week it's out...), so the twenty-dollar rack is a desiriable shopping point, if possible...

Well, the obvious games that come to mind are the Bioware-Black Isle games -- Baldur's 1 and 2, Planescape, and Icewind Dale.

I'm not sure what the prices on these are, though.

Have you played the Fallout games? I know you can get those cheap. In fact, CompUSA might have a Fallout 2 that includes Fallout 1 in the box, and for under $20 too.

Fallout...Just the demo of one, I think...They're kinda future/fantasy type games, right...Or am I thinking of something else? I've had my eye on Icewind Dale, but it needs to be a little cheaper before I can justify (to my wife) buying it. I was never sure if it was single-player or MMRPG, though, so thanks for clearing that up. And I've thought about Baldur's Gate, as well, but it looked kinda similar to Diablo from the back of the box (that's really about all the homework I've done on the issue; look at the back of the box at the store), and that just doesn't appeal to me. But perhaps I should look a little closer at it. Thanks for the input, Mark.

Here, a 48 hour madness sale at Compuexpert.

http://www.compuexpert.com/html/productinfo/baldursgate.shtml

Baldur's Gate for $9.90 + shipping. You can't beat it. It's not Diablo. It's an Advanced D&D roleplaying game.

Man, you're on the ball! That's only been available for a few hours...And I just might go for it. (It's really pretty hard to find a game that's NOT worth ten bucks, and since it comes so highly recommended from you...Well, I know you'd never steer me wrong.)

I had been looking at it for awhile, though. In fact, I was thinking just recently "Ya know, now that BG2 is out, the first one should be getting pretty cheap soon..." That's how I usually buy games -- one or two behind in the series. That way I can pick 'em up cheap. (After all, being married, it's really for me to go "Yeah, honey, I spent fifty bucks on this game...Some guy on a website said it was cool..." You understand.)

You can get System Shock 2 for around $15 these days, and the price on Deus Ex is coming down as well. They're first-person, so that may or may not be your cup of tea, but they're two of the best RPGs out there.

I'm not against first-person, depending on the rest of the features. I have a demo of Deus Ex, and I'm not all that impressed, but the demo may not do it justice.

I'm not real familiar with System Shock 2. What the premise behind that one?

Really, I'm a sucker for the whole "Swords and Sorcery" stuff, but that's not the only thing I like. Fallout seems pretty cool (I have played the demo, Mark), but the control takes a little getting used to, and the whole turn-based combat caught me by surprise given the general feel of the game. Definitely worth a closer look, though.

I'm not against first-person, depending on the rest of the features. I have a demo of Deus Ex, and I'm not all that impressed, but the demo may not do it justice.

I'm not real familiar with System Shock 2. What the premise behind that one?

Really, I'm a sucker for the whole "Swords and Sorcery" stuff, but that's not the only thing I like. Fallout seems pretty cool (I have played the demo, Mark), but the control takes a little getting used to, and the whole turn-based combat caught me by surprise given the general feel of the game. Definitely worth a closer look, though.

Sorry about that...Browser problems...

The System Shock universe is in the same vein as Syndicate or Descent, two or three centuries in the future where corporations are as powerful as governments. Shock 1 took place on a space station, while Shock 2 takes place on a derelict spaceship.

My main criteria for evaluating RPGs is the ability to tailor gameplay to suit your play style, which Deus Ex and Shock 2 both do. The Black Isle games also fit that bill nicely, although Baldur's Gate is a little less open-ended than the others (a limitation of having low level AD&D characters).

As always, try the demos first. :)

I always do! I may not get to play games for a living (like some guys around here...), but you'd never know that from looking at my hard drive at work! Let's just say I'm never bored on my lunch hour!

By the way, Mark, I ordered Baldur's gate via that link you posted. Thanks!

Now I just hope you like it.

I'm not worried - I've been watching it for awhile, just waiting for it to get cheap and me to have the time to spend with it. It's obviously about as cheap as I will ever find it, and I think I'll have the time...I hope...