Beyond Solitaire And Minesweeper: A Flood Of Free Games
What the fat cats don't want you to know as they charge you $50 for computer games is that the Internets are aswarm with freebies.
1UP has waded through the morass of free downdloadable computer games and found 101 of them that are worth a download. The games span several genres, from action, to role-playing, puzzles and, of course, skeleton pogo-stick jumping.
The roundup also links to the site's similar roundups for the past three years.
Previously: PS3 Downloadable Game "Rag Doll Kung Fu" Is Free, Still Not Such A Great Deal
101 Free Games 2009 [1 Up]
(Photo:A glimpse oflife)
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I agree about all the fun little free games to be found on the internet. My latest addiction is My Brute. Even though you have no control over what happens, the fights between the little battlers are hypnotic, and there's puppies!
www.s2games.com
Savage 2 is free, and you'll find few $50 games near its quality.
Don't even start. I am addicted to Pandemic II and Chuzzle like Kurt Cobain was addicted to heroin.
BRB, killing Madacasgar
Quake Live is another good free game www.quakelive.com
www.Iminlikewithyou.com
has an awesome tetris like game called Blockels.. It's much better than 90% of $50-$60 games I've purchased.
There's also sites like Abandonia who offer (old) games that are no longer supported by companies, or the companies no longer exist, or the companies released the games as freeware or said they'll not sue anyone if they play them.
You'd probably need an emulator like DosBox to play some very old ones, but some are well worth the effort.
Wikipedia also has lists of either open source games or freeware games, usually you just have to visit the specific game's wiki page to get a link to it and download it.
These above can keep you happy for a very long time.
You could also get one of the games in the Half-Life series for around $10 on Steam (there are promotions almost once every two weeks), which allows you to download about 30 freeware game mods, a lot of them multiplayer and fun.
This is why I won't pay for things like DSi Ware, its a joke compared to the free flash games or even cell phone games out there plus you have to pay for it. If I want to play small snippets of gaming I will head for flash games over the current pay for minigames trend.
Anyone who pays $5 to get "part" of a game or a game that has been reduced in some way is an idiot, especially since you can buy used DS carts that have the full game for around $10-15 and most of the time less than that.
Most cell phone games are better than the crap they are putting out on DSi Ware, and most are very inexpensive or free plus you are getting a full game and not just part of a game that was already released.
For those that don't know Nintendo has taken to releasing parts of their games and charging for them on DSi Ware, such as the math part from Brain Age or the Darts game from clubhouse games.
If you really must have gaming on the go you would be better off buying a netbook and getting creative with its uses, you will pay more upfront for the netbook than a DSi system will cost but I am sure there are plenty of decent free games or low cost full games out there.
ikariam.org rules my day...definately a good break from work
@Radi0logy: Well, you get six on the first day, then three. I like it at three b/c it's just enough to distract you for a few minutes, but not enough to make you stop going to classes like Escape Velocity did to me during my 2nd Freshman year.
Here's a site that gives you some info on the characters skills in My Brute: [www.mybrutecheats.com]
Just watch out for viruses. I use Sourceforge.net.
The list on 1Up is good, but fails for not mentioning Cave Story.
Shot online. Nice free pseudo-MMORPG-styled golfing game.
It's free and there's also the option to buy items like golf clubs, balls, and clothes for real money -- that's how the game is supported. Although one certainly doesn't *need* to pay anything to enjoy the game.
It's a nice model though, really it's pay what you wish.
Jayisgames.com reviews (mostly) free online games. They also do some download games, which helps me decide if I care $10, but mostly free online flash games. Yay!
Ok do you guys really NOT KNOW this? There is a whole world of filesharing going on. It may be legal or it may not, but everyone is doing it. Tons of downloadable games that everyone shares for free, and only the suckers pay for them on other websites or in stores. The blogs give you the info about the game/file/music/app and they direct you to RapidShare or another filesharing site (not in the USA - most are in Europe) where you download the actual files anonymously. Here's my favorite for great games www.hitzwarez.com.
@LawnTractorJockey_GitEmSteveDave: ooh, you clever one, sneaking in your referral... alrite I'm your pupil now!
at least I beat you in my first battle
@Harry Pothead: Your username says it all, really.
We're talking about legal free gaming here, not pirating games and abusing the developers. Not ok.
Say, would anyone know of a site for a Jeopardy-like online multi-player game?
@SteveZim1017: Well, it's not like I get any money or anything. It's the same way I got into the game, through someone named Jezen.
Here's a mention for [www.rrrrthats5rs.com] with wonderful games such as "Don't Shoot the Puppy", "Don't Make Mommy Cry", and "Click once a Minute"
@Harry Pothead: Harry let me let you in on something: not everyone wants to pirate games,music, and movies. Some (like myself) consider that it's only fair to pay someone for the product that they create and we enjoy.
I really hate freeloaders.
@nucwin83: $11 is more then reasonable. Seems like their letting you try the games first and then ask for a small fee to continue playing.
@acrobatic rabbit_R.O.A.C.H.: TD is useful for me to plot my path to the bathroom through the cube farm avoiding anyone that might flag me down and make me actually work.
@Eldritch: Or, "I enjoy Pandemic II more that Kurt Cobain enjoys a Remington 12-gauge shotgun".
Wait. Too soon?
adultswim.com has a wide variety of free games to play! My favs are Gigolo Assassin, Amateur Surgeon, Dungeons and Dungeons, and Viva Caligula!
Star Control© - I mean - Ur-Quan Masters [sc2.sourceforge.net]
Re-live the classic 3D0/PC game FREE - and with many clean ups and bug fixes.
@HungryTuna: They're now calling themselves omgpop.com
I'm rather addicted to "Draw My thing" there, once you get past the 12 year olds.
The only thing beyond Minesweeper and Solitare is the void.
Must click little squares faster.
@Quatre707: I loved the original Savage (Battle for Newerth), I had no Idea they released another one, and to top it off it's FREE! Thanks for the heads up. I've got it downloaded and I look forward to playing it...
If you're looking for classics online and you've got java installed, one of my favorite sites is: [www.nintendo8.com]
Rogue, Moria, Dungeon. Who needs fancy graphics when you are stuck in a maze of twisty passages, all alike. Plugh!
@nucwin83: I get Peggle free in WoW. Thanks, PopCap! You put a game in my game so i can game while i game.
Puzzle Pirates is awesome and has free servers where you can do micropayments or earn in-game cash and exchange for the money-bought currency.
Been playing since 2003.
@FuryOfFirestorm: I'm afraid to ask, but precisely which weapon* does the Gigolo Assassin use to dispatch his foes? And is it with extreme prejudice?
* THIS is my weapon. THIS is my gun.
THIS is used for shooting. THIS is used for fun.
Whoo. Wah.
Thanks, I just wasted an hour of my life playing that Draw My Thing game cause of you. ;)
Good list. My favorite site at the moment is Orisinal - lots of cute little games and "children friendly" to boot (my niece LOVES Winterbells) [www.ferryhalim.com]
Snood!! I love Snood!
Someone put Alchemy on a computer at this job I used to have, but I never played it at home. I couldn't figure out how to work it properly.
@FuryOfFirestorm: And don't forget Go Right: The Worst Game Ever.
Part of me wants to meet the high scorers for that game.. and part of me fears them terribly.
Miniclips.com!
I like kongregate.com for free games. Kind of an online game aggregator - it has a lot of these and more. I don't know what I'd do without a good tower defense session to break up the work day.