I’m running out of computer games to play, and the budget is currently a bit tight. Flash games are fun and all, but I’d really like to play some full retail games. For an example of what I mean: You can download the full version of Psychonauts on Gametap. Full game, not shareware, not some little java game, very fun. I am aware of the rest of the Gametap library, no need to mention.
Another example: the game Savage is freely downloadable and multiplayer.
Another older example: the original Simcity is downloadable, no strings attached.
What other games can I find for free? I have no problem with yesterdays classics (heck, most were better than the dreck being released lately anyway).
Rockstar Classics: GTA 1 & 2 and something called Wild Metal
Savage: The Battle for Newerth - some people here really like it, but I couldn’t ever get into it, really.
Have a look at Liberated Games - there are tons of freebies there.
Blocksum is a really cool unique twist on Tetris. I have no idea how to describe its gameplay, it is best watched for yourself.
There is also Battleship Forever. I also remembered there was a fan re-make of Star Control II.
After a first failed attempt to get into it I recently retried Dwarf Fortress with a handy graphical upgrade (turns the ordinary ASCII into generally intuitive icons) and an equally useful tutorial, with which it became easily one of my most played games. A game of truly epic scope which I think deserves at least one try from all gamers. It is dense and at times presents a thoroughly unhelpful interface, but there is a fantastic game under there, unlike anything else I have played, and it’s free!
Area 51 is free. It’s a 1.9GB download, and I think it’s ad-enabled.
EA recently released free downloads of Command & Conquer Gold and C&C Red Alert to celebrate their 12th anniversary. Don’t know if it’s still available, and I couldn’t get a direct link to a download site, but Google and some clicking might fix that for you.
Wait, really? Because I really wanted to get into it the first time and just couldn’t at all. How big a difference are we talking?
The graphical improvement is considerable, but the really important thing for me was the tutorial at the wiki, which led me from flailing around at the incomprehensible ASCII trying to get my (as it turned out) entirely unskilled dwarves to do something, anything; to being familiar, if not fully aquainted, with the most important parts of the game. Keeping the wiki to hand for the next 15 hours or so of game time (I still have it open in the background) allowed me to more or less familiarise myself with all the important parts of the game, but for me at least it was fun even before I was entirely sure about the difference between an ‘Adept’ and a merely ‘Proficient’ Engraver, for example.
However you come at it, you will not keep your first fortress. There’s no tutorial in the world that can give you sufficient information to survive out more than a few years, but you get there, in the end.
If you haven’t played Star Control II, I would definitely recommend it. The freeware version isn’t so much a fan re-make, but a fan porting. The original writers released the games source code. The freeware version is called Ur-Quan Masters, because the authors didn’t own the rights to the name “Star Control” but owned the game itself.
So, if you haven’t played it, get it.
Thank you to everyone so far for the suggestions. You sir, however, get a gold star! I really really REALLY wanted to love this game but I just couldn’t stand the ASCII art! This is great!
I was playing it a bit about a month ago myself after I finally got a grip on it thanks to having the wiki open in front of me (an interface that obviously congealed rather than being designed and dumping on the user with thousands of non-intuitive decisions and no feedback in game will do that). Once you can get a grip on it then it’s pretty neat.
Perhaps we need to start another Doper Dwarf Fortress legacy game where we each take turns managing the fortress for a year and then hand it off to another player…
There’s Transcendence Transcendence | Space Exploration, Trading, and Combat Game | Kronosaur Productions
still being added to, but there’s a lot of fun there
That looks really, really cool - like a cross between Elite (one of my favorite games of all time), Thrust, and Asteroids.
That reminds me- if you like open-ended 3D space exploration/combat games, there are a half dozen excellent ones built on the open source Vegastrike engine.
Try Gemini Gold or just google “vegastrike”.
Oh ghods! GTA2! twitch Okay, there goes my whole weekend…
Question for anyone playing it, though; I used to play it when it first came out, and I seem to remember you go back to your starting point in the first city when you want to go to the next level. For whatever reason, I can’t seem to do that (go to the next level, that is, not go back to the starting area). Any idea what the heck I’m doing wrong? (Pretty sure it’s not a money requirement- I’ve got tons of loot).
IIRC, loot is the only requirement for advancing to the next level.
Go blow up more stuff!
I’m not sure I’m missing a requirement- I’m just not remembering if there’s like an entrance I have to go into or something? (I stole the tank and racked up an insanely impressive ‘destruction’ score, including the ‘Cop Killah’ bonus.)
Meh, you’re right. Apparently you need a -lot- of cash to get out of the level. I’m wondering how I did it so easilly years ago… Cheat codes must’ve been involved.
The Suffering, a 2004 survival/horror game has been released for free: http://files.filefront.com/The+Suffering+Sponsored+by+the+US+Air+Force/;11846564;/fileinfo.html