So my brother and I have been playing a ton of Civ 4 and are starting to get tired of it. We are wanting to move to something that is cheap or free as we are both short on cash. We are two states apart and would like to play some good games in a coop type mode.
Do you have any suggestions?

Wizard of Wor

Try Space Empires IV Deluxe. 9.99$ on Steam.
It's probably the best 4X game in space. One game can take a long time to finish and mastering it is a challenge. :)

Serious Sam