3ds Max, Maya, Blender, or others?

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Just throwing that in here, you can get free student versions of both 3ds Max and Maya if you register on the Autodesk website. They work exactly the same as the "real" version, except that you're not allowed to do commercial work with them.
So don't let the high price keep you from trying out the Autodesk products. Especially if you ever aim to work in the games industry you'll be glad you learned one of the "official" programs