Favourite Freeware Games

[Dogbreath]

Just list your favourite freeware releases, and a little bit about why you like them. This doesn't include games that started life as commercial projects and were later made freeware - those games typically have the unfair advantage of having quite a bit resources invested in their creation.

To start us off:
A Tale of Two Kingdoms
by Crystal Shard

I've been playing this game for the past two days, and it may be one the best adventure game I've ever played. It's so excellent because it manages to not only do well both artistically and story-wise, but also keep superb gameplay.

As far as art goes, the game is absolutely beautiful. Each board (and there are hundreds of them) and npc, was drawn by hand, scanned, and then edited and animated very fastidiously by the contributing artists. Some of the scenes (especially the castle) look much more aesthetically appealing than a lot of modern 3D games I've seen, mainly because hours were spent rendering each scene.

The music is also good, and very appropriate. Over an hour's worth, too, so it never gets repetitive.

The game has a very deep, serious story, and the plot is very engaging as well. It's set up so you start the game right in the middle of the action, more or less, and then start your long "wander around the (v. large) gameworld meeting people, solving puzzles, doing quests, etc." several chapters in. This help hook you into the story before you get bored - unlike games where you just wander for the first half.

There's also a very large back-story to the game world. Instead of telling it to you in the manual, you only start with a brief introduction to the events immediately proceeding the game, and you learn more as you converse with NPCs, read books, and explore.

Most importantly, though, and unlike most artsy games, AToTK has very engaging gameplay. The game is nearly non-linear (except for a few events), and not only is the a different way to solve any of the quests, almost every puzzle has multiple, radically unique solutions. There are also reputedly 5 different endings, but since I've yet to finish the game, I can't speak on how game play determines them.

Anyway, that's my first entry, I'll be adding more games from time to time. Post some of yours!

[dosraider]

I'm still firing up Phun once in a while, always fun.
A continuous discovering of the physics in that sandbox.
Been discussed before in this topic
http://www.dosgames.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11072
so I'm not gonna dig deeper in it.
http://www.phunland.com/wiki/Home

[Larry Laffer]

I'm still firing up Phun once in a while, always fun.
A continuous discovering of the physics in that sandbox.
Been discussed before in this topic
http://www.dosgames.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11072
so I'm not gonna dig deeper in it.
http://www.phunland.com/wiki/Home

^That, and


Frets on Fire

It's really not that unknown, so I'll make this short: It's a PC alternative to Guitar Hero, and a decent time waster.


Chalk
By Joakim Sandberg

As far as the story goes, there's not much to it, the whole game is about getting from start to finish.

It may not be much to it, but it's got quite a good concept: use chalk lines to protect yourself and/or defeat the baddies.

Not that much to be said about it, really. It's one of those games that you gotta play to fully understand it.

[dosraider]

[url=http://www.konjak.org/chalk.htm[/url]
By Joakim Sandberg

http://www.konjak.org/chalk.htm



Nevertheless, looks interesting .....

[Larry Laffer]

There! Fix'd!

[Gamer_V]

For a moment I thought it was only for games that came out this year (we've had lists like this before?) Anyway, can't forget the quest for glory II remake. They did a terrific job with that.

[486 player]

DOS:

Xquest, G-Fighter (Review comin' when added to site.), Giana Sisters PC (Loved the original.), Alien Phobia, Wizard of Wor 98, C-, Cyber Dogs.

WIN:

G-Type, Chorensca 68k, Cave Story, Knuckles Millennium 1 (Not too hard, expect the last boss, save.), Odyssey of Colonel Ranseier (Mini games short and easy enough.), SMB Kingdom Troubles (Save, difficulty), Lizard Men (graphicvs, difficulty), Glob (Playability, lots o' collecties), Special Agent (Multiobjectives.), Commando Man 1+2 (Difficulty, humor), Monadius (SHMUP!)

[emmzee]

Most of you have probably already played it, and 486 player has already mentioned it, but <a href="http://www.cavestory.org/">Cave Story</a> is an truly excellent game, if you haven't tried it download it now. An official version is coming out for the Wii virtual console, and supposedly a PSP version was in the works but that project may be dead now.

Another one that I played recently that I quite enjoyed is <a href="http://nifflas.ni2.se/index.php?main=02 ... ies">Knytt Stories</a> ... which is a more laid-back game which includes a level editor.

Off-topic: 486 player also mentioned Giana Sisters, apparently it's coming out for the DS, though perhaps not in North America: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/10/great ... or/">Giana Sisters DS</a>

[Eminutia]

Favourite freeware game would have to be: [ url=http://.....]Amazing Spider Man[ /url] (Yes the one with spidey.exe).

Awesome immersiveness when played in the dark. I tried this first at a computer convention in 1993, and I was hooked the moment I started playing it. It came on those shareware 3.5"s bundles (were those the days or WHAT?!)

I still play it to this day..there's some error with the diagonal web-shooting though which prevents me from playing it today, but try to see if it works for you!


RULEZ d- Do not post links to sites containing warez and/or abandonware information, downloads, or links to such material.
The one exception to rule I.1.d is Home of the Underdogs ( www.the-underdogs.info ); linking to Home of the Underdogs is allowed.
URL snipped, don't link to AW sites again please, even not XTC, we all can google if needed.
THX. ~dosraider
________
[URL=http://]link snipped[/URL]

[dosraider]

Amazing spider man isn't a freeware game, this is about freeware games, not abandonware games I thought.

[Dogbreath]

Just list your favourite freeware releases, and a little bit about why you like them. This doesn't include games that started life as commercial projects and were later made freeware - those games typically have the unfair advantage of having quite a bit resources invested in their creation.

Yeah, the entire point of this thread is games that were developed freeware... it's even in the title.