I think we have a good mix for this edition of Free Games. Not just a varied selection of genres, but also physical platforms, so hopefully there’s something for everyone here. If you’re looking for an intricate PC simulation, we’ve got that. If you want a simple, but addicting game you can play in your web browser, well, we’ve got that, too. And if you really just want something to load onto your iPhone that will make your morning commute less of a drag, we’ve got you covered.
I can’t guarantee you’ll enjoy any of them as much as I have, but I can guarantee you won’t have to pay a thing when you try them out. But I’d prefer it if you did enjoy them at least a little.
So with the formalities out of the way, feast your eyes (and other overused expressions) on our current crop of freebies. And don’t be shy about tossing a few suggestions of your own our way, either. We like suggestions.
The Ur-Quan Masters
(http://sc2.sourceforge.net/downloads.php)
The Ur-Quan Masters is an interesting beast in that it’s a re-worked, open-source port of the critically acclaimed Star Control II (originally released in 1992). If you’ve played the original release then you’ll know exactly what to expect here, barring the online multiplayer Melee mode that was added and the mod support, that is. If you haven’t played it before, then allow me to tell you why you should.
Imagine most of the features you’ve come to love (and expect) from your Sci-Fi epics: a vast chunk of space to explore with lots of different galaxies and planets, ships to pilot and upgrade, a number of alien races to make friends with or atomize, and plenty of dialogue choices that can affect the outcome of your encounters, or at the very least make for some amusing moments. All of these aspects are present and accounted for, as well as a few simulation-heavy mechanics (hiring crew/buying fuel/etc.) that most PC users are used to by now.
There are a couple of issues that may turn off first-time players, though. First of all, there’s a somewhat high barrier for entry due to the absence of any kind of in-game tutorial. A quick trip to the game’s wiki or a couple of YouTube videos will take care of this particular problem, but it’s still worth noting. If you don’t like to do a little leg work before you play a game, chances are you might give up on this one before you get into your first dogfight.
The dogfights are the second and more critical issue. In theory there’s nothing actually wrong with them, but for some reason they move at hyper-speed on my system. The planet scanning and exploring, galaxy navigation and the like all run fine, but for some reason everything gets kicked into high gear once a fight breaks out. It makes progression more than a little frustrating when you lose your ship or a lot of crew because things are moving too fast for you to make sense of anything. I’m sure there’s some way to adjust the settings to fix the problem, but as of this writing I’ve yet to figure out what it might be.
Still, it stands to reason that if you’re a space sim lover then you’ll love The Ur-Quan Masters. Assuming you haven’t already been playing it for years. If you can look past the rather outdated visuals (you should) and stick with it until you come to grips with the basics, you’ll find that you’ve got a fun and impressively extensive game on your hands; one that didn’t even cost you a dime. And really, how could you do any better than that?
- Thank you to N4G user mrv321 for this suggestion -
GIRP
(http://www.foddy.net/GIRP.html)
Simple browser games that focus on scoring have been around since… well, since the advent of browsers, I suppose. GIRP is both more of the same and something completely different, but what else would you expect from the minds that brought QWOP into the world?
The idea is to get your little shirtless ragdoll guy to climb as high up the rock wall as he can. The higher he goes, the tougher it gets (obviously) and failure or dawdling will send him back to the start. So yeah, not exactly an astonishingly new concept. However, when you toss in a game of finger-Twister, things start to get interesting. Each handhold is represented by a letter, and to get your little guy to grab it you have to hold down that particular letter key on the keyboard. Thankfully he’s only got two hands, so you only ever have to hold two letter keys at the same time, but you’ll also occasionally have to press the spacebar/shift/click the mouse to get him to “flex” so that he can reach higher.
Even the lower areas are devious, despite their simplicity, as it’s all too easy to lose track of which button you’re supposed to hold and send your guy plummeting into the ever-rising water. But the higher you climb, the tougher things get. You’ll find the handholds get farther and farther apart, the positioning may require you to take a minute to change your angle of approach, and there’s also this damned seagull that likes to get in the way all the time. Seriously, that seagull is no joke. It’ll prevent you from seeing what letter resides in a handhold which prevents you from even attempting to grab it, unless you can shoo it away.
GIRP is one of those unexpected time-wasters we all seem to love so much, make no mistake about that. Despite its decidedly low-res appearance, it’s incredibly hard to stop playing once you start. Even more so if you have friends who’ve been playing it, since you’ll constantly be trying to one-up each other. My current record is 20.2 meters. Think you can do better?
DragonSlasher
(http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dragonslasher/id426074232?mt=8)
Having finally adjusted to what it’s like to own an iPhone (more or less), I now find myself constantly on the lookout for three kinds of games in the App Store: fun, on-the-go games; compelling independent games; and portable versions or facsimiles of games I’ve played on consoles. That third category is typically a tricky one, as you either end up with a lame cash-in or a disappointment that doesn’t quite measure up. Sometimes, however, you find a surprise gem. DragonSlasher is one of those gems.
It may look simple, but as of now, DragonSlasher is the closest you can get to playing Demon’s Souls on your iPhone. Shocking, I know. All of the basic ideas are there: you go from the hub world to differently themed areas where you kill stuff. Killed stuff yields currency that can be used to increase your character’s stats, learn new magic spells, and buy new equipment. Death will result in dropped funds that you’ll have to fight your way back to through respawned enemies or risk losing it forever. Granted, it doesn’t look quite as good and the controls are much more simplistic, but it’s essentially a pocket-sized rendition of one of 2009′s biggest surprises.
Your shadowy figure is controlled via on-screen buttons that will move him left and right, use magic, block, and attack, while various context sensitive buttons will pop-up as needed when you’re presented with loot to grab, ladders to climb, and so on. The premise of each area is to get from the starting portal to the exit while killing or avoiding all of the hostiles along the way, but, as with most adventure games, it’s a good idea to do a little exploring. Traveling off the beaten path will sometimes lead you to treasure or even a captured NPC (who can teach you new abilities and such) for you to rescue. Again, it’s surprising just how much there is to this simple-looking, fantasy shadow puppet RPG thing.
There’s really not a whole lot more I can say about DragonSlasher. I suppose it’s worth mentioning that the free version isn’t the full game, as you’ll encounter an in-app purchase message after an hour or two of progress, but even if you never opt to spend the measly dollar you’ll still end up with quite a bit of action RPG goodness to sink your teeth into. Regardless, you should download it. You know, because it’s free.
