Infinite Replay: Best Games for Your Buck

Yes, yes, we know StarCraft 2 is coming out... sometime... but the original StarCraft isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Since its launch in 1998, it's become a national pastime in Korea, where StarCraft champs are held on the same level as Lebron and Manny. People compare this game to chess, but real-time chess, where you must think about every move, but instead of a minute or 5 minutes or an hour to plan each move, you have, oh, a tenth of a second. To succeed in StarCraft, you have to sacrifice your body, guaranteeing years of carpal tunnel for yourself, if only to get a few more units in the build queue. The question: will StarCraft 2 topple the beast? It's pretty hard to imagine anything having a chance, but certainly having StarCraft in your name gives you a bit of an edge.

Around the world, Worms is huge. In the US there's a niche following for this turn-based strategy game, but once you hop online you begin to notice that everyone you're playing speaks either French, German or some other Muzzy-taught language. No telling why that is, but we certainly understand where they're coming from. Despite the cutesy graphics, there's a tremendous amount of depth to the Worms games, making each round a chess-like give and take. You'll quickly find yourself planning two, three and four moves ahead of the other player, landing cluster grenade tosses from across the map and sliding multiple worms into the abyss with a single shotgun blast. Considering the series hasn't changed dramatically in 10 years and it still has a huge online following, this is definitely one that'll be around for a while.