Why didn't they finish the game? There was still a couple seconds on the clock after that field goal. A kickoff return for a touchdown is not unheard of in football.
I'm learning 3D Studio Max right now. I'm going to check out Maya next Then there's also Lighwave.
I think those are the big ones right now. It seems that people would want to learn on industry standard software.
This game looks fantastic http://www.elderscrolls.com/main.htm
and they are going to include a construction set to allow you to make your own quests, terrain, dungeons, creatures, etc.