Which of these great games should I play next? (Update: Decision made!)

Oh, Talos is a pretty good game. I didn't sit down and play it all in one go though, it was my kill some boredom game that I played in short bursts over a couple of months. I probably should have kept playing though because I got distracted by other things and didn't go back to it yet.

Since your time is a bit limited, I'd say "Mad Max". You can play a bit, save and continue later.
Soma is similar in this aspect, but significantly shorter.
Witcher 2 is more demanding, lore- and time-wise.
Finally Dragon Age Origins is something for people with a lot of patience and/or time, who don't mind figuring all the right combinations and correct answers, reading through countless conversations and progressing slowly through the game world. Not something you'd play briefly.

I can't say about the other games, since these are the only ones from the list that I've played.

i voted Mass Effect because i'm in the middle of a replay right now and it's just so, so comforting.

Definitely enjoyed Bioshock. It had a good balance of action and horror without it feeling like a survival game, while the setting was quite nice quasi-steampunk-metropolis style feel

Bioshock. But why not the remastered? If you have the original then the remastered should be free for you.

soma or bioshock. maybe talos.

witcher 2 is pretty poor compared to 1 and 3.

MAD mad mad mad gorgeous MAX

Since I can't vote for 2 games: SOMA and Mad Max are pretty great. I'd go with SOMA first since it's shorter

I think you should play The Cave, it's a really good puzzle game with some platforming here and there. Personally, I enjoyed that game a lot :)
If you're not in the mood for puzzles, then I'd pick Mad Max if I were you.

Voted Bioshock too, but I hesitated with Mass Effect. You will play both sooner or later I guess.

Other: INSIDE. :D

Voted for Talos Principle, since I've been wanting to play that game since forever and just yesterday read a Portal reddit thread that had loads of people hyping up it up saying Talos is a must-play. (You could tell me how correct they were. :P) Whatever you decide, enjoy your extra gaming time & hope your wife has a wonderful, safe trip!

From the games in the poll I definiely suggest Mad Max.
In your library I could spot some games you haven't played that I really enjoyed such as Broken Sword 2, INSIDE, and Oxenfree.

Bump and thank you.

I've played two from your list.

Bioshock
The Talos Principal

Both are great games. If you want a great all around game then Bioshock. If you want the puzzle aspect more then The Talos Principal. I voted Talos Principal. :)

Voted for Mass Effect. Currently playing Andromeda and really enjoying it (like the previous parts). However, if you're into lore and usually explore/read nearly everything in RPGs, it will take time. Same is valid for DA:O (great game as well) and Witcher 2, the latter one has even two separate paths and it's imho the weakest part of the trilogy.

If you'd prefer to finish the game, I'd suggest Bioshock (though you will probably end up wanting to see/read everything due to its great atmosphere and lore) or Mad Max (not a milestone like Bioshock, but still good and enjoyable for many hours).

SOMA and Talos can probably be beaten faster, but I haven't finished/played them yet.

Dragon Age Origins is amazing! There's no way you'll finish it in 10 evenings, though. But it's so good, and well worth playing.

Bioshock is great, and you could finish it in that time.

Mass Effect has a great story, but tedious combat, so just set it to Easy and enjoy the roleplaying and world building. At about 30 hours long, you could just make it in 10 days. Btw, Female Sheppard is the better Sheppard.

Witcher 2 seems really good, but I've barely started it, and keep getting pulled away by something else whenever I do. Another long game that I'll doubt you'll be able to finish in that time.

Soma is really good, and easily playable given your time frame.

The Talos Principle is good, can't go wrong with it if you feel like some puzzles. I just don't feel it's quite as must play as the others.

Mad Max is the weakest game on your list, and I'd save it for after you've played Dragon Age, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Witcher 2, and Soma. Or for when you just want a more easy going game that doesn't require as much thought and effort, letting you turn your mind off as you drive around and biff people up.

You have a really nice upcoming spread, I think most of them would be great. I voted for Talos Principle, myself, because it deserve more hype than it got.

Another vote for SOMA from me. I've played all of Frictional's games. The atmosphere in their games are amazing. SOMA is not just their best game, it's one of the best games I have ever played. When I played Amnesia, I could only handle it in "short" (2 hours or so) bursts per night. With SOMA, the story and the way it's told just made me want to push on and find out more. I ended up finishing it in 3 days.

actually, every of those title was pretty great...

Look at me, bought Skyrim years ago and never finished it, just started replaying from the beginning since yesterday XD

Either Bioshock if you want some action or Talos Principle for puzzles, whichever you feel like. I voted for Talos today.

I'd consider Mad Max and Witcher 2 as the less compelling options by way of their mechanical shortcomings [such as the fact that CD Projekt Red clearly couldn't afford to hire anyone remotely competent to handle combat systems until the third Witcher game and that Mad Max's open world and side system elements aren't near as well handled as its core missions] and Dragon Age's lack of DLCs earn it a place on the bench as well.

I'm not a fan of modern horror games like Soma (though it does seem to be one of the better ones), and non-co-op puzzle games like Talos would be more something I'd play in-between other games.

As such, I'd push for Bioshock (if you want something a bit more straightforward to get into) or Mass Effect (if you want something with more dialogue and RPG depth). Bioshock is more of an atmospheric loner experience, while Mass Effect feels lighter and more stimulating given the emphasis on party member involvement.
I recall Bioshock also feeling fairly repetitive at times, but that's not necessarily a downside, if you're wanting something a bit more mindnumbing. Comparatively, Bioware games are a bit more mentally draining with their emphasis on picking through dialogues, arranging party elements, and customizing characters.

I'd also recommend Bastion off your overall list, if you haven't yet given it a try.
Not really sure what your idling habits are like, so I didn't look at any of your games with any meaningful gametime on them. ^.^

seems like you know, what you want to play already. why you ask then?
BUT: even if you're not going to play the whole game, at least start playing bioshock. the beginning is very intense and one of the best in gaming history

Definitely Bioshock (especially you love good stories)

and SOMA :)