Posted by Derek Yu
Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:38:00 GMT
It’s still quite early in development, but I have to mention Omar’s Orthogonal Oyster Outing, the follow-up to Omar’s first tremendous oyster outing. If only to support charon and get him even more juiced about finishing this bad boy. ‘Cause it’s that great.
The original game, which pitted Omar against a town full of zombies, was an enjoyable action RPG “lite,” that had a number of interesting mechanics, like searching/securing buildings and fighting infections. O^4 so far seems to be that game, but with totally sweet minimal 3d graphics that can be zoomed and panned (using the mouse or the numpad).
The controls at this point are a bit obtuse and require that you have roughly 3 hands – you move with the arrow keys and aim with the mouse, but to shoot, you have to press the Spacebar. ‘Enter’ will get you into buildings. You can see the rest of the controls (and edit them all) by opening up “oooo.gei” in Notepad. This is a good way to get the game running in a window, as well.
Alse, be aware that in certain “omigod zombies”-type situations, Omar may start “panicking,” in which case you will temporarily lose control of his movement!
(Thanks, Alehkhs, I got it! Via Puppy Buckets.)
Posted in RPG, Windows, Action / Arcade, Freeware, Previews | Tags SinisterSystems | 12 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:52:00 GMT
The desert sand squirms beneath your feet, alive with mutant nanomachines. Sheriff Clayton has Elias. He’s hanging him at noon.
It looks like you’re going to have to shoot some people.
So begins Gun Mute, a new interactive fiction game from Pacian, the developer of Snowblind Aces, a Text the Halls favorite.
And yeah, you’re definitely going to do a lot of shooting in this game, which may seem out of place for a text adventure. Non-linear exploration and item collection/usage are kind of the hallmarks of your “typical” IF, but in Gun Mute there are only two directions – forward and backward – and the only item you’ll ever need is your trusty six-shooter (ain’t that the truth!).
That Pacian can craft some tricky puzzles around such a limited set of actions is a testament to his abilities as a game designer. But it’s the narrative, set in a far-out futuristic Western, that keeps you hooked until the final, climactic showdown. Games like this really show off why interactive fiction is such a unique and exciting genre. Superb work!
EDIT: And if you’re stuck anywhere, you can type ‘HINT’ for hints.
Posted in Macintosh, Interactive Fiction, Highly Recommended, Linux, Windows, Freeware | Tags Pacian | 24 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:57:00 GMT
Kriegspiel, or “War Game,” is a digital remake of a board game developed by French avant-garde writer, film maker, and activist Guy Debord.
Inspired by the military theory of Carl von Clausewitz and the European campaigns of Napoleon, Debord’s game is a chess-variant played by two opposing players on a game board of 500 squares arranged in rows of 20 by 25 squares.
One of the fundamental strategies behind the game is to maintain various “lines of communication” across the map, while cutting off your opponent’s lines. These lines radiate from arsenals and relay points and allow your troops to move and attack. If a troop is not on a friendly line, it’s immobilized, but if it’s on an enemy line, it blocks the line at that point. The game is won when a player’s arsenals or troops are completely destroyed.
RSG, the developers of the remake, have chosen not to add a single-player component to the game, in order to preserve the “fidelity” of the original idea. Unfortunately, it makes the game, already in a niche, that much more challenging to get into. But for war/strategy buffs, I think it’s worth checking out what looks like an extremely elegant, Chess-like game (and a well-done remake).
(Source: Tim Stone, via Rock, Paper, Shotgun)
Posted in Macintosh, Multiplayer, Windows, Strategy, Freeware | Tags GuyDebord, RSG | 10 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:03:00 GMT
This one’s been out a while, but I just played it and I figured some of you might not have seen it!
By Sean “Wyrdysm” Chan (the developer of Battleships Forever), qrp is, in the author’s own words, “about daydreaming about girls in class. It’s a simple expression of how I felt as a silly little boy going through school.”
Really cute and charming little game.
Posted in Casual, Windows, Freeware | Tags SeanChan | 16 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:21:00 GMT
Karoshi, which means “death from overwork” in Japanese, poses an interesting challenge to the player: kill yourself! It’s a gimmick that’s actually carried quite well across the 25 levels of this unique puzzle platformer. The game often messes with your expectations to genuinely hilarious effect – I love that you can pick up a gun, but can’t use it to off yourself directly. I don’t know why, but I love that.
Despite the lack of polish in the game’s overall presentation, Karoshi is, in my opinion, much more entertaining and clever than Adult Swim’s Kill Yourself in 5 Minutes.
(Source: dessgeega, via The Gamer’s Quarter forums)
Posted in Platformers, Unique / Bizarre, Highly Recommended, Puzzle, Freeware | Tags JesseVenbrux | 25 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:37:00 GMT
Mighty Jill Off is a vertical platform game by dessgeega (aka Ancil Anthropy) that has you climbing a tall tower to please your mistress. The controls are based on Mighty Bomb Jack (hence, the game is a “Jack Off,” only starring a female character). You have a high leap that can be shortened with another press of the jump button ‘Z’.
The game is short (< 30 minutes) and you are meant to die many times on your way to the top – the game saves your progress every couple of screens. Your time is recorded and displayed to you at the end of the game. I think my best is around 11 minutes.
Mighty Jill Off can get repetitive and a bit frustrating at times, forcing you to make more than a few precise jumps off the very edge of platforms to avoid bumping your head on overhangs, monsters, and spikes. But overall I enjoy the simplicity and retro vibe… my only real beef with the game is that you have to keep tapping ‘Z’ to stay afloat, which is more of a challenge of physical stamina rather than skill or reflex. But then again, this is a game who’s plot revolves around BDSM, so maybe that’s entirely appropriate!
I want to mention the cutscene artwork and music, too – both are quite cute!
Posted in Platformers, Windows, Freeware | Tags dessgeega | 20 comments
Posted by BMcC
Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:52:00 GMT
I could type the title of this game all day. (Which is fortunate, because it takes all day to type.) Stargirl and the Thief from the Exploded Moon (gasp!) is a new platformer from Bernie that, according to Bernie himself, is “not much different than the other games [he’s] made.” Which is to say a well put-together retro experience with it’s own special something sprinkled on top.
Stargirl was made in only two weeks, so it’s rather short and there are still a few kinks to be ironed out, but it’s a lot of fun. It’s got a definite SMB2 vibe. Oh, and before you ask, this game is in addition to the other two projects he’s got going… way to go, Bernie!
Download here.
Posted in Platformers, Windows, Freeware | Tags Bernie | 12 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:53:00 GMT
1up’s compiled another great list of 101 Free Games this year. The authors, Darren Gladstone (formerly of Games For Windows) and Scott Sharkey, are two of indie’s greatest champions in mainstream game journalism. Respect!
And be sure to check out last year’s list, if you haven’t already.
Posted in Community, Freeware | 12 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:51:00 GMT
Sean Barrett, creator of Lost in the Static, has made parts 2, 3, and 4 of his Chromatron series of games free to play! Each of the games features 50 levels of ever-more-difficult laser beam deflectin’ puzzletry (did I just say that?). Read haowan’s guest review of the game here.
(Thanks, haowan!)
Posted in Macintosh, Puzzle, Windows, Freeware | Tags SeanBarrett | 3 comments
Posted by ARelativelyHotGirl
Sun, 24 Feb 2008 21:40:00 GMT
Some of us remember XOP, a nifty Allegro-based shooter by Christopher Emirzian, from glorious ages past.
Recently, Chris decided to revive XOP as XOP: Black.
The game is available for download here.
Posted in Shoot-em-ups, Windows, Freeware | 6 comments
