Congratulations, soldier: you survived another week. It's Friday afternoon, and instead of going out partying with your friends, you're anxious to get home, sit down at your computer, and play some new games. Sounds fun! Too bad you're broke. Lucky for you, PC gaming has an impressive library of classic games that are available online for cheap. Hang out with us every Friday so we can take you on a guided tour of some of the greatest bargains available throughout the many tubes of the Internet.

Welcome Big Download's Virtual Bargain Bin, the cure for your weekend gaming woes. This week's classics: BioShock and the Grand Theft Auto Collection.BioShock
Price: $19.99
Availability: Steam
Contents: Just the game. What more do you need?


Bargain bins are typically filled with an unbalanced blend of classics and crap. Sometimes, though, newer games can be found near the bottom, suffocated by decades worth of forgotten gems and junk. This week's first pick, 2K Games Boston and Australia's BioShock, is one such contemporary diamond in the rough. Released approximately 14 months ago, BioShock is a masterful action game that tells the story of a survivor roaming the ruined halls of Rapture, an underwater dystopia.

With an emphasis on player choice and a pervading theme of objectivism, BioShock's plasmids and upgradeable weaponry feature run-and-gun action for gamers in search of an adrenaline-packed experience. Alternatively, those looking for a craftier, stealthier experience will also be satisfied.

BioShock 2 is still at least a year away, but if you haven't already experienced the first round of Rapture, now is the time.
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Grand Theft Auto Collection
Price: $29.99
Availability: Steam
Contents: Grand Theft Auto, GTA 2, GTA III, GTA: Vice City, GTA: San Andreas


Anxiously awaiting Nikko Belic's arrival on the PC? Sate your craving for car theft, mafia mayhem, and five-star police chases with all of Grand Theft Auto IV's worthy forbearers. For gamers who were first introduced to the series by way of Grand Theft Auto III, GTA and GTA 2 will provide a look at the series' top-down roots; both titles are still enjoyable today.

Even if you've already traversed every inch of the 3D iterations of Liberty City, Vice City, and the sprawling state of San Andreas, the three most popular GTA titles are still worth another romp. Collectively, the GTA III trilogy offers hundreds of hours with the open-ended gameplay that established Grand Theft Auto as the leading example of how a non-linear gameplay experience should be constructed.