Kotaku's 2010 PC Gift Guide

There's no faster way to somebody's heart than to buy them a great PC game. With that (and this week's Black Friday sales) in mind, here are our picks for PC games to stuff in that special someone's stocking.

Whether you're looking for a strategy game, shooter, role-player or something completely out of left field, here are ten best PC games you could wrap up and surprise someone with this holiday season.

Civilization V

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Rating: E10+

Genre: Turn-based Strategy

Ideal Player: History buffs with a desire to see their social lives and marriages ruined.

What's It About? You take control of a civilization in its earliest days, as you guide your people throughout human history advancing their knowledge, exploring new lands and taking the sword to your neighbours.

Bang For Your Buck: Civilization IV came out five years ago, and people are still playing it. In many ways, this game is better than Civilization IV. Need me to paint you a picture?

Read Kotaku's Civilization V review

Starcraft II

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Rating: M

Genre: Real-time Strategy

Ideal Player: Anyone who has ever had any contact with the first Starcraft.

What's It About? The sequel to a game first released in 1998, Starcraft II takes you on a journey around the galaxy as the corrupt - yet strangely lovable - forces of humanity struggle to stay alive against an insectoid alien race that seems unstoppable.

Bang For Your Buck: While the game's singleplayer campaign is a fairly lengthy (considering it's only 1/3 of the overall game), it's multiplayer where most of a player's time will be spent. Get hooked on Starcraft II and there's precedent for you to still be playing in twelve year's time.

Read Kotaku's review of Starcraft II

Minecraft

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Rating: N/A

Genre: Island Death Simulator

Ideal Player: Someone who isn't afraid to experiment with a game, really push at its edges to see what can be done with an open world and finite resources.

What's It About? Minecraft puts you on an island and lets you fend for yourself. What begins as a struggle for survival eventually turns into an expression of your mastery over your domain, as frantic races for shelter at night give way to days spent building shrines in your own image.

Bang For Your Buck: Minecraft will last as long as your imagination can power your daily routines. It's a game free of story or time limits, so if you can find something to do on the island that day, you've found another way to spend a day playing Minecraft.

Monkey Island 2: Special Edition

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Rating: N/A

Genre: Adventure

Ideal Player: Someone who likes a laugh and isn't afraid of some (at times) abstract puzzles to solve.

What's It About? A shiny remake of a classic 1991 adventure game, the Special Edition of Monkey Island 2 drags one of the