Recommendation for a Beginner

#1 Well.. It seems like the free T3D OS is the way to go for 3D games,
3SS is a good place to start for complete beginners IMO but it's still in alpha. Also free tho.
T2D and iT2D is getting merged into one product and all owners of either one will get the merged product for free, so doesn't really matter which one you choose. T2D and iT2D is the way to go for 2D games but is a paid product.
TGE, TGEA, TorqueX, Torque360 is no longer on sale so they should be out of the question unless you contact GG directly to buy one of these products.

#2 Thanks for the reply. Can I also use T3D OS for 2D games even it is for 3D games? Because we would like to try making 2D first.

#3 Unfortunately there is not 2D features in Torque3D, ofc you could make a 2D game anyway or a 2.5 game if that pleases you, but it is not what it is made for.
... Actually 2.5 is exactly what it is made for... What I mean is you could make a side scrolling 3D game, using 3D models for the creatures. (See Trine for an example of this) But for real 2D I would suggest going Torque2D as that is what it is made for. Torque2D is a paid product tho.

#4 If I understand the policies right you could pay for Torque 2D and get Torque 3D for three because of their open source event. Then you are all set for a very long time.

If you are a beginner I definitely recommend starting with T2D. It can be difficult at times but after some practice it is really good. For me personally I will move to 3D eventually but not until I comprehend how 2D all works you know?

I didn't know about the T2D-iT2D merge. It's cool but I guess I would need to actually buy an apple product...

#5 Using T3D vs T2D is not that much different in complexity. As it stands now I would say the T3D tools are a little better and more mature. Either one would be a good one to learn on. Whatever you do, just "start".