I really like Everquest II. It’s much better than EQ I, and though I only played a very tiny bit of WoW, I like it better. (WoW graphics just annoyed me too much: the characters all look like old '80s “Transformers” toys). A lot of people in-game have come from WoW and like the game better, but there are plenty of die-hard WoW players who will tell that is the better game. In all honesty they are probably very similar. Anyway, it’s got a ton of playability, real-time interaction with human beings, etc.
I just aquired a copy of Total War:Shogun, and I REALLY like it. Sadly, it crashes to much to make it playable, but that’s me, not the game. I’m going to go out after Xmas and actually buy it, since it looks good.
Freeciv
It’s Civilization 2 just much better, it’s free, and it’s multiplayer.
I got Civ IV last Christmas but only got to play it recently when I picked up a new laptop (my 1.4 P4 with 256mB of RAM just didn’t cut it). Excellent waste of time, but the only newish game I’ve been able to play to judge.
I found Shogun-Total War to have a rather steep learning curve though, is it as hard as I thought or am I missing out on some tutorials?
Another vote for Civ 4 Warlords.
There’s a reason every version of Civ is so highly ranked…
Everyone intersted in the Total War series should find the box compilation that came out a few months back. it has all the Total War games & expansions through Rome in the same set, and perhaps CA made at least a token effort to configure the older game (Shogun) to run on newer systems.
I’m also going to recommend Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords . Its one of the most addicting games I’ve played in a long while. Almost as addicting as Diablo II. It also has the best AI of any stratagy game I’ve ever played, its a challenge, and it DOESN’T cheat.
The company who makes it Stardock is also the best game company I’ve seen in a long time. They actually support the game, since it came out in Febuary, there have been 4 major updates, adding lots of cool new stuff. Also, there is no CD copy protection on it, you can install it on your hard drive and then put the CD away. The only copy protection is a serial number that you need to use to download the updates.
There is also an expantion pack comming out in January. Its the only video game I’ve ever pre-ordered. It was pushed back to January because the developers wanted to add more features… Something you’ll never see with any other developer.
Elder Scrolls: Oblivion is the best PC game I’ve seen in a long time. Its an RPG with so much depth its almost TOO deep - I spent hours doing side quests and never really got into the actual story line. It has great little things, like I fought some vampires and later on found out that I had been bitten and turned into a vampire myself! I don’t game on PCs much but this one is fantastic.
If you don’t want to take my word for it, it also won several awards at the Spike TV video game awards, including Game of the Year & Most Addictive Game.
Not to mention, it’s easily one of the most moddable games around. Don’t like one aspect of the game? Someone else probably didn’t like it either and fixed it. Want more of this? Less of that? Mod the game to your liking.
My recommendations:
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Medieval 2 Total war. The sequel suffers from a few bugs, which should be patched by the end of year. But even with the current bugs it’s a great game. If you liked Medieval you’re bound to like this one. ROME is great too however, but I’d go with the newest installment.
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Neverwinter Nights 2 is out and it’s great game. Right now the multi-player and mod scene aren’t anywhere near as developed as it is for the original game, but it’s already heading that way. You may want to pick up the original NWN 1 first in the bargain bin (get the diamond edition which includes both expansion packs). These game could last you YEARS thanks to the toolset and the HUGE amount of quality user created modules (adventures) that can be had.
Company of Heroes is probably the best pure-form strategy game out there. The campaign is awesome and the skirmish and multiplayer modes are singularly addicting and exhilerating. It’s also got plenty of shiny.
For uninhibited “DAMNIT, I DIDN’T CONSIDER THE DAMN INQUISITION” level of tactical mass, you should seek out the new Total War game, Medieval 2: Total War[er]. It’s prohibitively stressful and you’ll feel like stabbing your own royal family in the eyes, but it can be greeeat fun.
For really involved hold-your-breath gameplay, my personal favourite’s always been the Splinter Cell series. There’s something about re-doing a mission for that smooth, hardcore run where you pop one cinema-worthy moment after another. Nothing quite like running a screeching halt down a hallway, then jumping up and grabbing a pipe in the roof, waiting til the guard pass underneath - and reach down and twist his neck 
Gets your pulse going, any time.
don’t know if you’ve heard of the Heroes of Might and Magic series, but you should check it out. it’s a turn-based build-'em-up strategy game which employs “heroes” to lead armies of fantastical creatures and go beat up other heroes and armies and take their stuff. The most recent one out is V, but I don’t recommend it next to any of the previous ones. The graphics are nice, and the gameplay’s basically the same, but the interface sucks.
also, I have not had the privilege to try Civ 4 yet, but it’s at the extreme apex of my Christmas list.
I know this is way off what you seem to like, but I was wandering around Best Buy today and saw a couple of items–
Logitech Momo Force Feedback Wheel- regular 99.99 now 59.99.
GTR2 racing- 19.99
Reviews for this racing game are all at 90% and above, and the wheel comes recommended as the budget choice (under 200.00) of the players. The idea of getting a really good racing sim with a decent wheel for under 100 bucks is pretty appealing to me