Spring RTS Engine

Good program to start learning 3D Animation? I would like to start so that I can take the class in college that focuses on doing 3D animation. I've heard of 3DS Max but it honestly looks too complicated to use. Does anyone have suggestions?

Removed link. SirMaverick

Blender.

There are quite some good video tutorials out there..

The problem is they are for cgi-animations and cinema.
Not for games.
So if you want to animate for games, i dont learn those cinematic toon animations.
They are too long, and too overstated.

And then: a walkcycle is the first thing you'd animate; a walkcycle is something you'll have in all games that have bipedal actors; and most games have bipedal actors.

3DS Max
+ clear interface
+ many tutorials in web
+ many comercial and free plugins/scripts
+ nice CAT tool for animation
- very expensive
- some features available through a comercial plugins only

Maya
+ many tutorials in web
+ many features
+ very good tools for animation
- very expensive

Blender
+ available for free
+ many tutorials in web
+ good development of the program
- not bat, but also not good tools for animation
- interface is still quite difficult for a beginner
- lack of some features from other programs

Cinema4D
+ slightly less tutorials in web than other programs
- lack of some features from other programs
- expensive
- poor animation tools

is noob to pro for blender updated to the new interface and hotkeys?