So I competed a big project a work awhile back and today I found out that my employer was so pleased that I am getting a small bonus! Being a responsible adult I am going to sock most of it away. But I am going to spend some of it on a game or two. But I thought I would hold a contest on GOG to spread the wealth around. So I am going to list a some of games that I am thinking about getting but feel free to recommend anything you like. Whoever writes the post that convinces me to buy that game I will gift a $4.99 GOG game to (or if there is a sale I will get 4.99 worth of GOG game/games)

Here are some games I have been eyeing but feel free to recommend anything you like:

Civilizations IV: Colonization
Crusader Kings II
S.P.A.Z.
DEFCON
Dominion 3
Sengoku
Frozen Synapse
Elemental: Fallen Enchantress (preorder)
Xenonauts (preorder)
Armada 2526
Carriers at War
Close Combat - Last Stand Arnhem
Star Ruler
Syndicate
Star Flight 1&2
Nexus: The Jupiter incident
Haegemonia: Legions of Iron
Thief Gold
Warlock: Master of the Arcane (preorder)
Naval War: Arctic Circle (preorder)

Well I think you should get Frozen Synapse because, as it seems with the games you are interested in, you are a thinking man, and it's a thinking man's game that makes you think, you thinker, you. Did you ever play Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear? Imagine the planning phase from that game, fleshed out into a full product. It has an old-school play-by-email feel (like Laser Squad Nemesis). Add some graphics that look like they were stolen from Introversion's work desk, and you have Frozen Synapse. Also, the soundtrack is done by _ensnare_, who are incredible. I love Frozen Synapse.

As I see you are not into a specific genre.So I will offer you Bastion (if you don't own it already).

The things I like about it:
Gameplay - It's an action RPG with good pc contrrols(It was started first on XBLA)
Visual - Pretty good arts with lovely animations.
Sound - Just one word for the music & voices of this game: Awesome
Story - Very good one for an Indie game

Overall.... I just love this game(LIMBO too) The whole setting in it so missed in most of the new games. And the storyteller in the background just makes me smile.

Even if you don't choose it now - have in mind to check it ;)

Out of those listed I think the ones I can recommend would be Civilizations IV and Thief Gold. Both of these games are absolutely great. Civilization IV is such a freaking good game and that is coming from someone new to the series. I started as Gandhi with nothing more then a town and a warrior and ended up at Alpha Centauri. The pure feeling of accomplishment this game can bring is amazing and the expansions are even better. With Thief, and this goes for anyone of them, they are amazing sneaking games. If you like sneaking around in games like Dues Ex or Metal Gear Solid then you are in for a real treat with this game. The Thief games are nothing but pure sneaking fun.

While this might not convince you to get either of these, I will say again that both Civilization IV and Thief Gold are absolute treats and should be experienced.

Edit: Also since we can recommend other games if you don't mind steam I would recommend the game Dwarfs on there. It is a pretty fun game where you take care of dwarf villages and help them harvest, kinda feels like Lemmings.

Also I would also recommend the newer Indie Royale Bundle at http://www.indieroyale.com/. I find the games included pretty fun, but Soulcaster one and two are real hidden gems. You play as a wizard you comes across the souls of lost heroes. You use these souls to protect yourself and slay enemies to help save a dead society. Kinda feels like a cross between RPG and Tower Defence.

He actually listed Civ 4: Colonization, not Civ 4. But other than that, I agree.

Well I recommend both regardless, they both are great games

If you like some stealth killing action, try yesterday's release, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin.

Killing targets without anybody else finding out (if you go for the Silent Assassin rank), ice-cold seriousness (that may kill in itself), charming baldness (think of Yul Brynner or Jason Statham), complete with stylish and fashionable tuxedo (that James Bond may envy), ability to fit into any clothes taken from anybody (look ma, free clothes!), what's not to like of Agent 47? :-D

EDIT: cannot recommend any games from your own list since I have not tried any of them, not a single one yet.

out of all of those I'd really reccomend Thief Gold

when Thief came out it was the next "step" for stealth games and it really pushed the genre forward

Thief's mechanics and gameplay would "Inspire" many games and be used in other future stealth series like Splinter Cell

Wow, a list of games that I've actually never played.

Buy Crusader Kings II. It's a grand strategy game meets RPG.

Perhaps your character is a complete asshat who enjoys executions for relaxing entertainment? And you marry some Chaste god fearing good woman who you instantly dislike when she's displeased with all the executions? No fear! You can just bring in secret conspirators to have her murdered in her sleep so you can then marry that hot slutty woman in your court who you know will produce a child.

Only problem is you're not sure if that child is actually yours or not. She's awfully buddy buddy with a Duke under your employ. So, you arrange for both of their murders just to be safe and then send the child to live with your 70 year old deranged mother for it's education. The child soon dies for unknown reasons.

This all causes your vassals to get all uppity and they start a silly old civil war over all the executions and assassinations claiming you unfit for rule. At the end of the war you're left with one territory to call your own.

But that's okay, your half brother just died with no heir and you've inherited his entire country! Yay! Back to killing those silly vassals of the old king who now rebel!

Thanks for all the recommendations! keep 'em coming . I will make my decision sometime tomorrow. I has a few questions about some of the recommendations too. What do you like about Colonization?
How has the game improved over the original?

It's prettiererer.

Since I never played CKI, that's all I got. But it's pretty! And you can zoom reaaaaaally far in!

I will try the demo tonight

SPAZ is about 100 times cooler than it sounds, and it sounds cool. It is seriously fun, light on story, but not in a bad way. Ship building and shooting good-ness with space pirates and space zombies thrown in. Between Bastion, SPAZ, and Sequence I spent maybe 15 USD total last year and those three games beat the hell out of the 500 USD in other XBox 360 and PC games I bought fun-wise, hand over fist, in fact.

Seriously, play SPAZ, it's proof that two guys can make something awesome.

OH YEAH! They are still working hard as hell on expanding the game based on player feedback, your purchase will help them in this effort. Yep, you will be literally funding free gameplay enhancements by buying SPAZ.

The question isn't whether you should buy it or not, but why haven't you bought it yet?