Another weekend day without a game giveaway, so here’s a great selection of games for you. There’s got to be something amongst this lot and yesterdays to get even the most reticent of gamers to sit down and try out a few. I’ve focused on the unusual as much as possible today, but have also included a couple of classics as well. I’ll start off with and finish with the familiar. In between there’s a collection of the most wonderful games, with brilliant idea’s. there’s one that reminded me a little of that great adventure film starring Rachael Welch The Fantastic Journey, another one of my entomology module when I was an undergraduate and the rest a mixture of the weird and wonderful.
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Screamer:
I have fond memories of playing this game with my then new steering wheel. It was the first racing game I remember ever enjoying thoroughly. It’s nothing compared to today’s racing games, but I think it has a place in your games library. It’s old enough to qualify for the DOSBox though, so if you haven’t already, get downloading DOSBox and go enjoy some nostalgic racing. The first video was taken with the game being played in the emulator. There’s even some fan made videos of the game. I even bought the sequel, which I think I still have somewhere.
Arcade racing to the max. The usual stuff what you expect in a race game. Race championships to unlock new levels. The graphics and sounds are great. ’watch the paintwork pal’.
Installation
• Unzip and run the install. A temp directory will be created.
• From the temporary folder install the game to it’s final destination.
• Keep in mind where you install it, because it will be written in some ini-file, so you can’t just move the folder. I’d install it to the folder you’ve set aside for the DOS games that play via DOSBox.
Video:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YpYTMAuIGnQ&feature=related
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=udp-nGiPs4Q
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zZj2D6qG-tQ&feature=related
see the difference between 1 and 2
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cmvQRdD-n0k&feature=related
Download Link:
http://www.xtcabandonware.com/game.php?id=1309
http://www.abandonware-paradise.org/abandonware-888-fichedejeu.html
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Chromatron 1 to 4: (163Kb)
This is a very interesting little game. You have to shoot a laser beam through certain prisms using only the reflectors, etc. given to you.
The game is simple, in looks and presentation, and that is where it stops being simple. The 2D no frills graphics are just a conduit through which the addictive and highly challenging puzzles flow.
If you like puzzle games which feel like they are trying to melt your brain as you play, then this is the game for you. It’s almost oversimplified graphics are seemingly mocking you as the puzzles get harder and harder and you just have to finish the next level.
No sounds are here to distract you and no music gets on your nerves, which is very good as you will be playing for a while and any sounds or music would just get repetitious.
Over all if you want to play a puzzle game that will hook you in just by the sheer difficulty of its own puzzles, then this is the game for you. If you like games that are a bit more style over substance, this is not the game for you. It's difficult, it's challenging and it's very, very interesting.
You can get the first Chromatron from several places just by Googling Chromatron, but I haven’t found another download site apart from the one below that does all four yet.
Download Link
http://silverspaceship.com/chromatron/
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Super Tummy Bubble: (4.17Mb)
This is another Experimental Game play Project entry that I found very addictive. It’s based on the match three concept, but this is different. I loved it. It’s got no installer so you’ll need to manually place the executable. You’ll also need to create a folder for the game. Once you’ve selected a place to copy it to (usually C:/Program Files/)
Super Tummy Bubble is a surprisingly fun matching game by Kyle Gabler, featuring an interesting physic-based combo and point scoring system.
Starting off with twenty grand and a ciggie in hand, your stash will decrease for each parasite you dismiss. The amount lost is relative to the size of the parasite, so it takes a bit of planning to make some profit from the initial outlay. Of course, the player is free to pop organisms just for fun and not worry about any game-ending consequences.
Now for some rules. Similarly colored parasites merge and increase in size when coming in contact with each other. These pop automatically if they outgrow a certain size, which is especially fun to watch when more than twenty of them pops in sequence from just one move. The combo earns you extra cash as well. The strategy to get a higher score is by popping smaller parasites first and hoarding larger ones in your tummy for as long as possible. Pretty hard to execute since all objects are dynamic.
Reference: http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2006/04/super_tummy_bubble.html accessed Jan 09
Download links:
http://www.freegamearchive.com/game.php?id=4109
http://www.experimentalgameplay.com/game.php?g=18
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Arc Aether Anomolies:
I included this one at the last minute as it caught my eye while watching another video. I recognised the title as one I’d downloaded last week, so watch the video and thought “that’s got to be included as well”. The video below should give you all the information you require. Theres some images on the downloade page via the second lik below:
Arc Aether Anomalies is a six-degrees-of-freedom arcade action shooter inspired by such games as Descent, Geometry Wars, and Every Extend Extra. It's visually.
Features:
• Shoot things and blow them up
• Grab pickups and get a huge score multiplier
• 3 whole D's of graphics and game play
• Online leader boards what are online
• Xbox 360 game pad support
Video:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=crGcTBWmTkE
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rGqRsiRME4A
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=y5mt4ddqSzo
Download Link
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=3428.0
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Biocosm:
I love unusual games and will buy most that I come across; this one looks like it’s got a lot of potential once it’s finished. Here’s what the author had to say:
DISCLAIMER: It's super buggy and there are some severe memory leaks. Also there are no loading screens, so be patient. I'll try to patch this stuff up tonight.
Unfortunately I had no time to finish what I wanted to do, so this is more like a demo. Hope it's still fun though!
Sorry there are no in game instructions, so here they are.
Use left and right arrows to navigate your specimen collection unit.
Hold spacebar to close the specimen holding pincer.
Collect specimen and bring them to the extraction beam.
Video:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GuhsTvEFQqs&feature=related
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=r2rs1Yo3zO0&feature=related
download link
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=1682.0
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Artificial Nature: (<1Mb)
The game is an abstract, organic themed, arena shooter. There is a 'base' in the center of the arena where the player spawns. When the bad guys are destroyed they will often drop STARS. The player can collect a limited number or these and should deposit them to the central base,. when the base is 100 PERCENT FULL the game is won. However if the player is hit when not holding any stars the game is over. Balance is key. The AIs are a bit aggressive at times; however once you learn their movement styles the game can be played to the end in a few minuets. The camera follows the player and when not firing the player will move sorta' quickly, do be careful not to go running into deadly creatures. It is often better to move slower and let the camera catch up and re-center. You may also use the pause screen to look around from higher up, this helps to plot your attack route. You can kill the Big Moma Bug but it is not easy.
There is a dialog at start-up that lets you set the res. as well as the fullscreen/windowed mode. The game supports 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x800 or 1280x1024.
Controls:
• MOUSE to aim
• ARROW or WASD to move about
• LMB is fire
• RMB will deposit a STAR into the 'base'.
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ma9G5M3nvE
Gameplay Hints:
• Don't drop of ALL your STARS keep at least a few so you don't lose the game on a single hit!
• Do drop of SOME STARS whenever you can! If you get hit you lose 40 percent of what you are holding. If STARS are in the base they stay there, safe, but you can not get them back.
• Watch the screen edges,. try to keep track of what direction the spawning BIG MOMMA BUG is, as other bugs originate from there,. Use the SPACE BAR to PAUSE and relocate her if you are lost!
• Hide behind trees but don't get caught up on them!
• If the 'dun dun dun' base sound is fast and bugging you shoot the BIG MOMMA BUG and it will reset.
Download Link
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=1696.0
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Dyson: (17.1Mb)
I had to include this one as it’s been nominated for several awards. The following was posted over on the TIG website:
Quote
Dyson nominated for the IGF Grand Prize
That news is still sinking in. But there it is: Dyson is a finalist for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. We’re really pleased, and personally I’m pretty daunted and mildly surprised! But it’s great to have Dyson acknowledged in this way, it’s an honour to be up there with the other finalists (I’ve played Blueberry Garden and it’s *awesome*). Good luck guys!
Rudolf and I were recently interviewed by Sarah from TunaSnax:
who have also nabbed a finalist nomination for Excellence in Visual Art, for Cletus Clay. It was great fun, and now the interview has been put up on the Snax website for all to read:
Download Link:
http://www.dyson-game.com/download.php
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Ultimate Mortal Combat 3: (3.75Mb)
The fight for control of the Earth continues in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.
There are many worlds besides our own, many realms where both good and evil hold sway. For centuries, Shang Tsung of the Outworld has sought to control the Mortal Kombat tournament for his own ends. Now a new champion must arise from our world that will fight to the bitter end and put an end to Shang Tsung's ambitions.
Choose from than 23 playable characters, such as Reptile, Cyrax, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Jax, Katana, Sonya, and more. There are two bosses that are un-lockable, as well as additional characters. Some fighters are returning favorites with improved moves and combinations while other contenders are new.
Battle the computer, fight in two-on-two matches, or enter an eight-fighter tournament, the choice is yours.
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 combines the best of all the Mortal Kombat's into one game.
Features:
* Features 23 playable characters
* New moves and combinations
* Variety of play modes
* Motion-capture graphics
The game features three modes one on one two on two and a tournament mode that has a four gains four player campaigns. In the tournament mode the winners of the first stage go into a semi final stage then the winners from that heat compete in the final. . You can also select from five difficulty settings, (easiest, easy, medium, hard, hardest.) which is only applicable if you’re playing against the computers AI. There are 23 different fighters you can choose from. Selection is accomplished using the arrow keys then the space bar. The game will appear to freeze for several or more seconds (depending upon whether you’ve chosen four or eight player), this is just the computer choosing the opponents for the four you chose. When playing the two player game during the selection process you can also choose whether your computer opponent is a Novice, Warrior or Master. I didn’t figure out what this meant, but it could be the quality of moves your computer opponent throws against you. Although there appears to be only 11 moves including the movement moves such as moving to the left , right, crouching and jumping; when these keys are used in combination with the actual fight keys you will get a variety of styles such as somersaulting, roundhouse kicks etc. When playing with two human players the keys used are as follows:
First Player:
Block………………spacebar
Kick………………..shift
High kick…………..up/shift
Low kick ………….down/shift
Punch ……………..control
High punch ……….up/control
Low punch ………..down/control
Jump ………………up
Move left…………. left arrow
Move right ………...right arrow
Crouch……………..down arrow
Second player:
Block………………k
Kick………………..L
High kick………….. keypad up/L
Low kick…………... keypad down/L
Punch………………j
High punch………... keypad up/j
Low punch………… keypad down/j
Jump……………….keypad up
Move left…………..keypad left
Move right…………keypad right
Crouch……………..keypad down
Each battle lasts 100 seconds. You can see the timer at the top of the screen, in between the two fighters’ health bars, which are blue in colour, and will reduce in length each time a fighter is hit. Just before a fight starts you can change the background scenery by using the shift key. From the main menu you can go into the options menu by using the up and down arrow keys then selecting by clicking on enter. I would suggest toggling off the sound because it’s so annoying; there’s no depth, tone or timbre to the music (it’s highly recommended that you play your own music, though nothing slow as it just wouldn’t match the style of the game, though some of the Japanese/Chinese classical music would fit really well). The only control method open to you via the options menu is a joystick, but you can use a keyboard. I read in the comments section of demonews (download provider) that you could use a game pad, but I didn’t have the time to set it up. I think you have to go into the toolbars ‘options menu’ and select ‘set config’, then click on the ‘controllers’ tab. You’ll find several alternatives, though I don’t know whether the game will support all of them. Because this is a SEGA Genesis game the game will always start in windowed mode; to go to full screen click on Esc; you can also toggle on or off blood, though this is hardly blood curdling stuff compared to some games you can buy now.
To turn the game off use the windows buttons to the top right of the window, and to reset the game use tab. You will find a whole row of commands with drop down menus in the tool bar when the game is played in a window. These disappear when you go to full screen, but some can be accessed using shortcuts. Most of these can be ignored unless you’re looking to emulate the look of a SEGA game down to the lines you get from using an old TV screen and the LED’s that showed the game was running. If the games computer opponent appears to fast or too slow you can adjust the speed of the game as well as change the window size and full screen resolution.
Videos:
When playing the game in full screen using the SEGA Genesis emulator the graphics do not look as sharp as they are depicted in the videos.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PT2X5sABDto
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rhjeYNZZbls
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yIMiuJ2Xeqw
Download Link:
http://demonews.com/download.php?det=3937
alternate download link:
http://mortal-kombat.en.softonic.com/download
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Here’s the second part of my games fest’, posted in an attempt to make up for the lack of a Game Giveway for Sunday. This really is the last time I'm going to post such a large collection of games until Easter; (though I may do a special on Valntins Day as well, lol. Most of the games are from the Independent Games Festivals (IGF)competition entries list.
I’ve selected those that I personally consider a cut above the rest (obviously an opinion only), or that are in some way original, have excellent game play, have good or unusual graphics, are wacky in some way, or have a combination of all of those attributes.
I’ve tried to post something for everyone, (though I'm sure not all will community members will find something suitable; plus, as it’s my last posting for a week, (I'm going to find it really hard not to post some of the many games I have lined up for you, lol), I wanted to post a wide a range of game types as possible, though I've not included any First Person Shooters or Strategy games, because we've posted several over the Christmas and New Year period already. I only hope I’ve succeeded in my original aim for todays post......?
:)
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Everyone loves Active 2: (8.7Mb)
Here’s what the developer Kyle Pulver said about the game (in answer to a forum post):
“The general gist of it is a 360 degree shooter. Crosshair using the mouse, movement with WASD, and shooting things, but I may have thought of an interesting mechanic to make it a little bit more interesting than that.
Its basically just going to be about blowing stuff up and shooting - to paint on the backdrop.
Online High Scores:
http://www.kylepulver.com/active2.php
Download link:
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=1690.0
If you get a live receiver error it probably means you need to update or install Microsofts Visual C++ which you can download via the following link:
LiveReceiver Errors:
Try installing this:
Or this:
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Maze ‘em up: (<1Mb)
Gameplay/Story:
Authors say:
You're a Cyclops whom takes care of a maze/labyrinth area that has gone awry. You are supposed to be in control of everything, but you have lost all control. Explorers enter the area and you must shot them enough to destroy them. A maze generates around them and changes in real time. There is sometimes also no way to reach the explorers, making you wait until the maze forms to benefit you. You also have Pillars that were supposed to shoot at the explorers, but now only target you; but these pillars have a random possibility of damaging you, damaging itself, healing you, increasing your speed, or decreasing your speed.
The game keeps continuing increasing the amount of walls composing the maze and the amount of pillars attacking you. You shoot eye beams that can destroy the explorers and the pillars. The amount of explorers you destroy is you level/current score.
download link: You’ll find a link at the bottom of the authors post. The second one is dead now. Thee’s only one comment from the community so far:
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=1907.msg45148#msg45148
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Rescue: The Beagles: (7.9Mb)
Story:
A cargo airplane crashed somewhere above the waste areas of the Amita range. It was carrying a large shipment of beagles headed to the CutLab, a huge animal testing facility.
The Lab is upset about losing its precious testing material and is deploying a biohazard division determined to reclaim it's property. They operate under the strict orders: seize the usable specimens, kill the rest.
We're sending three of our elite animal rights activists to rescue as many dogs as possible before the Lab's grunts confine them back to the life of endless misery.
Mechanics:
Basically, it's a side scrolling platform game. The map scrolls automatically at the constant speed (think Scramble) and the player needs to negotiate the terrain to advance.I'd like to keep it simple, more like a mini-game. You need to collect the beagles and avoid the bad guys. There'll probably be some way to fend off the baddies.
The following games are quoted by the author as being influences in the design of Rescue: The Beagles
The Sentinel:
You’ll find a link to a freeware version of The Sentinel near the bottom of the wiki page.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sentinel_(computer_game)
River Raid:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Raid
Both are excellent examples of procedurally generated game worlds although in quite a different way.
Download Link for Rescue: The Beagles: (At the end of the authors first post)
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=1816.msg42518#msg42518
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Rag doll Monkey Bowling: (4.58Mb)
It's a simple bowling game, but with a stuffed animal monkey instead of a bowling ball! If you want a more realistic bowling game here’s some free ones:
Bowling Masters from MyRealGames:
http://www.myrealgames.com/en/screenshots_bowling-masters.html
or
Real Bowling from Gametop:
http://www.gametop.com/download-free-games/bowling/download.html
or
Bowling PC from FreeGamePick
http://freegamepick.com/en/games_bowlingpc.html
Also there’s an online version here called Arcade Bowling:
http://freegamepick.com/en/games_arcadebowling.html
Game play Video for Rag Doll Monkey Bowling:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RTJ_ocvkXeg
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RdI2pDoekJQ
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HKqNy7nbdtw
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tlAL6m-nv_8
Download link for Rag doll Monkey Bowling
http://www.gamershell.com/download_30938.shtml
If you’ve got some spare cash there are a couple of Bowling games that I highly recommend purchasing. These include either of the latest Elf bowling games and uterball 2.
Elf Bowling Hawaiian Vacation:
http://www.alawar.com/game/elf-bowling-hawaiian-vacation/
Gutterball 2:
http://www.reflexive.com/Gutterball2.html
Elf Bowling 7: The Last Insult
http://www.reflexive.com/ElfBowling717TheLastInsult.html
Anime Bowling Babes:
http://www.reflexive.com/AnimeBowlingBabes.html
You can buy both of the Elf games as a holiday bundle for less than $15, which is a bargain. I play both of those games regularly with my children. They love it though I prefer Gutterball 2 which has a traditional lane as well as some wacky ones as well. There’s even world high score table (,em>Wow! that’s changed every day. Even after three years I see loads of high scores submitted on a daily basis.
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Mahjong City:
Mahjong, is an ancient Chinese solitaire game, though traditionally the game is generally played with four players. It’s rare to find a four player Mahjong game; though there is a plethora of Mahjong games. I have at least 20 commercial solitaire versions and one of only two of the four player variety that I know exist (see link below for more information about the four player version). The following link takes you to a list of over 90 freeware Mahjong games, many of which are just as good as the ones I bought. (I wasn’t into downloading freeware stuff when I bought all of those Mahjong titles and could kick myself now when I look at some of the games you can get for free. Those of you who love the solitaire version of Mahjong, should get you’re computer ready for a long session of downloading, lol. You’ll find an amazing variety of Mahjong sets ranging from traditional Chinese tiles to abstract patterns and from beautifully illustrated to monochrome line drawings. Wizzard also posted three Mahjong games just before Christmas that are not on the freeware list:
Mahjong Freeware List (~90+)
http://home.halden.net/vkp/vkp/freeware.html
Wizzards List: (3)
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/4320#post-46366
The goal is to remove all the Chinese dominoes in matching pairs. The latest version of the game has five different layouts-ensuring almost endless puzzle play! Choose from multiple tile sets and enjoy the tranquil historical music score. Helpful hints are available if the player wants assistance. Mahjong City is perfect for the new and experienced player!
Download link for Mahjong City:
http://www.gamershell.com/download_31250.shtml
Note about Hong Kong Mahjong:
The four player game holds true to the basic Mahjong rules. What I love about this game is the ease at which you can set up and be able to play solo with three computer AI’s without the hassle of building the walls etc (I’ve got a vague memory of it being rather therapeutic – though it’s been nearly 30 years since I played it regularly ) and you can set the game up so that the computer opponents have varying degrees of skill. I’ve tried this on hard and I’ve never beaten it yet. ( I do miss the clack clack of the tiles from a physical set – mine has been stored in the loft unused for over 20 years) I used to play Mahjong as a break from the more immersive Advanced Dungeon & Dragons that found its way over to the UK in the late 1970’s. We played D&D for a few years before I moved away from the town where I was born and eventually lost touch with the friends whom I played Mahjong with (as you do). I missed playing Mahjong and was pleased when I bought my first computer version of solitaire Mahjong in the early 90’s. Since then I’ve built up quite a collection, and the crowning glory was the four player version Hong Kong Mahjong I mentioned above, which I’ve only had for less than a year. The only thing I don’t like about the version is that the developer limits the activations to only five. This is apparently to help stop you from sharing it with all and sundry, but doesn’t bode well for those like myself, who regularly update their computers with new hardware and format their systems; which would necessitate using up these activations (I keep meaning to buy a drive image application which should hopefully help, but cannot decide which is the best value for money – b.t.w. - advice welcomed )
Link to Developers site:
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Free Card Games:
I've not posted any card games at all throughout the three months this project has been running. For some reason I find playing cards on a computer an unpleasant experience, though I used to love playing cards with a real pack when I was in the army. We used to while away many a boring night when I was on guard duty in between my stag (time on duty), or if we were on a month long military exercise away from my wife.
Download Link
http://www.cardgames4free.com/
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Finally, if you prefer a full version commercial game like the ones we usually get via the Game Giveaway project then may I suggest the following sites? They are basically the same set up as Gametop and Freegames4you, (links included where you get the game for free in exchange for allowing your browser to be opened (but not hijacked) when you close the game down.
These are also different to the games where you get 'in game' advertising. All the downloadable games have an orange box with a white pointing down arrow next to them. The rest of the games are browser games only. I’ve posted the home pages for the other two sites as well because I’m sure there are always new community members that know nothing about these free games sites (I recommend that you check them out if you haven't already - I much prefer then to the advert riddled games from Gamehouse:
http://www.myrealgames.com/en/
please note that all these sites seem to be introducing similar practices to MyPlayCity, a site which forces you to have a toolbar installed and also to have your browser hijacked; though the difference is that with the three above links, you can uncheck boxes to stop this happening wheras with MyPlayCity formost of the games you can't (there are a few games that you can, but that is a small percentage). Just make sure you are vigilant (and look out for check boxeswhen installing each game you download. It seems to be only the latest additions that suffer from this inconvenience. Most games have no nags at all. I won’t post links to iWin and another site that I’ve forgotten the name of, but is mentioned in the forums several times. You can get full version free games from these sites as well, but a lot of rubbish tends to be written to you registry when you install them, including games managers and ad ware. The other site worth visiting is Gamehouse, which offers a free game every day. You do get in game advertising and a pseudo games manager (if there is such a thing, lol), which seems variable from game to game (the advert's but the downloads are otherwise clean:
(Today's free game over at Gamehouse is called Shopping Blocks)
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