Free Computer Games Thread

[Brian Moy]

I thought it would be nice to have a place to post links to free retail computer games.   

No warez, roms, or hacks. 

Here's some good ones that I know so far: 

GameHouse offers a different free game every day - typically in the casual genre of stuff similar to what's offered at BigFishGames.  Normally they charge $19.99 for their games.  (NOTE IF GAME WON'T INSTALL:  If you have Spybot S&D installed on your computer, you'll need to remove *.gamehouse.com and www.gamehouse.com from the list of restricted websites in Internet Explorer, otherwise (as I found out) you won't be able to install the games.  More details here.)
I've tried installing the last 3 games offered by GameHouse.  All 3 of them keep erroring out, plus they seem to require a GameHouse loader in order to play them which I don't like (maybe its why GameHouse is on Spybot S&D's blacklist) so I've crossed em out.

  has an assortment of original arcade classics playable online and to download like Breakout, Asteroids, Centipede, etc... http://games.atari.com/ 

GameTap has a good selection of games in their free section such as Syberia, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, Earthworm Jim, Deus Ex, Just Cause, Psychonauts, Metal Slug, etc... http://www.gametap.com/offers-upgrade.html?s=FREE 

Microsoft has a free online game Server Quest they are using to promote Silverlight.  Its a neat retro looking adventure game with geeky IT humor and puzzles.  http://www.microsoft.com/click/serverquest/

[G.A.Pster]

I don’t go looking for free retail software it’s just too much of a pain, mostly scams and spam.

But here are some old retail games that are now freeware:

onEscapee, it’s an old amiga action adventure game in the vane of flashback, it has a really cool intro video. link

Beneath a Steel Sky, a sort of madmax/blade runner, point and click adventure game.
link


And a couple of other point and click adventure games.:

Flight_of_the_Amazon_Queen
Lure_of_the_Temptress

[Brian Moy]

I don’t go looking for free retail software it’s just too much of a pain, mostly scams and spam.

But here are some old retail games that are now freeware:

onEscapee, it’s an old amiga action adventure game in the vane of flashback, it has a really cool intro video. link

Beneath a Steel Sky, a sort of madmax/blade runner, point and click adventure game.
link


And a couple of other point and click adventure games.:

Flight_of_the_Amazon_Queen
Lure_of_the_Temptress

Those are cool games, I collect ANYthing playable on ScummVM and have most of em. 

You'll need ScummVM if you want to play those games on a newer OS like WinXP or on various other ways like on the  which is pretty rad.

[G.A.Pster]

I just stumbled across 3 more free games:

Warsow
A multiplayer Quake like game, that appears to have cell shaded graphics.
http://www.warsow.net/

Warzone 2100
It’s a good RTS I played it back in the day on the .
http://wz2100.net/

Flightgear
An open-source flight simulator.
http://www.flightgear.org/

[Brian Moy]

Here's some good games from Falcom, and even released in English versions.  These are the full games that Falcom has now released for free.

Lord Monarch is a classic RTS territory survival game originally on Mega Drive and Super Famicom, now in English for the computer. 
http://www.falcom.co.jp/monarch/index_e.html

Vantage Master Online (its not a MMO) is classic tabletop turn based strategy.  I've had a lot of fun with it.  I'm at level 18 right now.  The sprite graphics and sounds are lovely.
http://www.falcom.co.jp/vantage/index_e.html

[Brian Moy]

I was at magazine stand today and I noticed that the current issue of PC Gamer magazine is a special free computer games issue with listings of 365 free full version download games - the idea being, 1 free game per day.  Flipping thru the list, I noticed that many of them started out as free computer games and made their way being ported or enhanced to various systems like DS, Sony PSP, 360, , Wii, etc...  So as I'd heard of the game because it was a release on one of those systems I see at stores, I didn't know many of them were just free computer games.

Jade is a character on the cover, which was the first thing I spotted so I was thinking BG&E for computer is available free?!?  No no no... Jade's picture pointed to an article in the back on the best computer games to buy $10 and less.  BG&E was listed as one of those best budget games to have.  Thought also I'd point that out in case a certain mod here might want to look out for a copy of that for his collection since Jade's partly on the cover.  The issue is $9.95 though...  (Have you noticed that magazine prices are crazy nowadays??)  and it doesn't include a disc or any physical bonuses - unless you consider the list of links to 365 free full version games to download as an informational reference type of "bonus", then there's probably value in that.  If it was $5 of cheaper, I'd have picked it up. 

I don't know if issues of PC Gamer are available to read free online, but I didn't see anything like that on their official website.

It was a rad looking issue, so maybe I'll wait and hope to get it used at Periodicals Paradise.
 

[G.A.Pster]

Yeah mags’ are ridiculously expensive nowadays, They should wizen up, since online publications are free. 
 
That would be cool but it isn’t worth $10 to me, it just isn’t that significant.

I have a feeling I should save my money for all the inevitable promos that come out for BG&E2.
 
That reminds me I have some magazines that listed free games I’ll have to dig them up.

[Brian Moy]

Fun Flash game, N.  Simple and elegant to play, yet classic platform difficulty.  Yes its the original that was enhanced and ported to the DS and PSP as N+ last year in 2008.

http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/

[G.A.Pster]

There’s Mirror’s Edge 2D,
It’s a short 2D flash spin off of the Mirror’s Edge.

http://www.mirrorsedge2d.com/