Favorite Free Games

DarkCloud · July 22, 2008, 18:59

I was reading through PC Gamer's 365 games a year article http://www.gamesradar.com/f/365-days...4293190000/p-5 and was thinking about some of my favorite free game gems I discovered on the internet... what are your favorites?

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Downloadable RPGs
* Avernum (Only a demo, but a traditional RPG)
* Battle of Wesnoth (Amazing Tactical RPG- good storyline. Reminds me of Heroes of Might and Magic.)

Arcade Style- Internet Based
* Bloons Tower Defense (addictinggames.com) - Pop balloons in this strategic game... with Monkeys! Very cute and very fun.
* Villain Defense??? In this game you played an evil overlord dungeon keeper who had to place units to drive off adventurers who came to steal your gems. Cute game, nice strategy.

Strategic Waiting Games- Internet Based
I used to play these games; they were great.

* Earth: 2025 - Space Development Warfare (To really have fun you needed to join a clan)
* Nation States - Very fun and very simple to get into (Drawbacks: got 'old' after a while)
* Manifest Destiny??? - I can't remember the name, but it outdid Earth 2025 in that it had graphics of planets and allowed people to colonize areas across known space. It was a very excellent game. I wish I could remember its name.
* Utopia - Fantasy Warfare and Timed Development (Okay... The fantasy version of Earth 2025- more involved)

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Main_Brain · July 23, 2008, 03:39

"Villain Defense??? "

I think its called Dungeon Defender =)

DarkCloud · July 23, 2008, 10:56

Yes, that's it. Great game. Sat down and played through it all at one sitting though... I wish there had been more levels.

Main_Brain · July 26, 2008, 10:28

Right now im playing Pandemic II:

Its quite a morbid game where you are a virus and try to wipe out mankind..

http://www.crazymonkeygames.com/Pandemic-2.html

DarkCloud · July 26, 2008, 13:09

It's Strangely interesting.

Tuberski · July 26, 2008, 15:01

I've been playing it all week at Kongregate. You aren't a virus, however, you are a disease, virus, bacteria or parasite.

I do better with virus.

ACK!

Nostromo · July 26, 2008, 15:24

I played Hoplites for a while

http://digilander.libero.it/zak965/hoplites.htm

Traianvs · July 26, 2008, 17:13

Utopia again atm, after 7 years or so

El_Cid · July 26, 2008, 18:03

Something low brow from me at the moment(I first played it about 4 years ago), wack a peguin:

http://pingu-throw.freeonlinegames.com/

Bkeela · August 3, 2008, 09:36

Huh? Aren't all games free? Oh. Um. Carry on.

DarkCloud · August 3, 2008, 21:31

I tried out 2K games free version of Railroad Tycoon. It seems a little different from how I remembered it, and the double track-laying doesn't appear to work-(If anyone knows how to do that, advice would be greatly appreciated) but it's still fun.

DarkCloud · August 4, 2008, 19:37

Ah, OGame was the other space game I was thinking of, I think... Does anyone play that anymore- I think I heard in another thread that Spaced Cowboy still played- that would be quite impressive...

El_Cid · August 5, 2008, 06:34

OGame..........ah yeah I think I started that ball rolling here a long time ago

For me it suffered in the way most mp games do for me, it involved other people screwing up my game all the time

I still like the start up where you get a lovely new random planet pic to start on. But no I don't think I'll go back, as it was basically a time sink while at my old job, and now I have no time to waste!

We also have a whole host of rogue-u-likes that are free, there was a thread around here for just those at one point.

DrSpike · August 5, 2008, 13:29

Some free games are good but with finite time and a decent disposable income I don't tend to play them these days.

DrSpike · August 5, 2008, 13:31

Also, forgot to mention if I was to spend time playing free games it would be on one of the popular emulators like MAME, where you can play old arcade classics to your heart's content.

DarkCloud · August 5, 2008, 17:05

We also have a whole host of rogue-u-likes that are free, there was a thread around here for just those at one point.

Really? Does anyone know about that link?
What do you think about the "Dwarven Fortress" game. I haven't downloaded it because it looks odd, but it seems to have received good reviews?

Still, it seems more like a generator to watch than a game... how do you control the dwarves?
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O Game was a great deal of fun.

DarkCloud · August 5, 2008, 19:42

Ah, I think I found the threads:

Dwarf Fortress: http://www.apolyton.net/forums/showt...ight=roguelike

http://www.apolyton.net/forums/showt...ight=roguelike

And was this the thread you were talking about:

http://www.apolyton.net/forums/showt...ight=roguelike

Harovan had an amusing comment on Colonization in that thread

http://www.apolyton.net/forums/showt...ight=roguelike

Ah, another good thread!

Sparrowhawk · August 5, 2008, 20:24

I had to search a bit, but this is what I found:

Ogame First Thread on Apolyton?

Not sure if it actually was the first Apolyton Thread, but it was the one that got me (and Spaced too I believe) hooked on the game originally.

I still have accounts on Universe's 4, 8 & 19, but haven't played in a long time. I just log on every once in awhile to keep my account active (and see if Spaced is still #1 in Universe 19...he has been for a long time now).

Great game and one that I enjoyed very much, but glad I quit playing as it was a game that involved planning my life around the arrival of my fleet which probably wasn't such a good thing

/me

DarkCloud · August 5, 2008, 21:30

but glad I quit playing as it was a game that involved planning my life around the arrival of my fleet which probably wasn't such a good thing

I can certainly echo those statements. When I started to get nervous about logging online to upgrade my planetary empire, I realized the time had come to cease and desist.

El_Cid · August 6, 2008, 03:33

"Another note of caution:

a friend pointed me to this game and he has been giving himself forced de-tox from the game as it was taking over his real life(he was planning sleeping/eating around his game time! and being very efficient about it). So i guess if this is the kind of game you may like, then be prepared to loose jobs/spouses over it, maybe."

@Sparrowhawk+DarkCloud, I did warn people about it at the time!
And those links all seem to be the ones I was remembering

Dwarf fortress is one I did download but has ended up on a semi-permanent to-play list, the threads about it were interesting reading mind you. Maybe one day as not many new paid for games are that interesting to me(Spore?).