Free Games Guide - By Ray

No this is not a way to download games illegally. This is my guide to finding some great freeware/abandonware games - which includes old dos/windows games that used to be for sale but are now free, and independent games created by people who just do it out of their love for games.

These games fall into many categories. For example, would you expect the original two Grand Theft Autos to be available for free? Well they are! As is Tribes - an online team based FPS that has a huge following. Did you like point and click adventure games? Then maybe you should download Beneath a Steel Sky with full voice support. Or perhaps you played Manic Mansion and would like to download it... well don't! Instead download the even better Manic Mansion Deluxe painstakingly re-created and updated with better graphics by fans of the original.

Perhaps you don't know any of these games I'm talking about and you just want to download a fun shoot-em-up or a Lode Runner clone or a Tetris type game or a Civilisation type game... The list is endless and it's all out there for free!

Before I get to the sites it is worth mentioning that some of these games will require a little effort on your behalf to get going. Many of the newer re-makes of games will run perfectly with no fiddling while others may require you to click on a few of those handy windows 95 compatibility options (run in 640x480, run in 256 colours etc...). While others will require you to run them in Dosbox (there is a mac version of Dosbox too by the way). Whatever the case there are plenty of guides out there to help you get games going and it's really not that hard. So don't let a little effort put you off. Old games rock!


Abandonia - dedicated to classic dos games

There are a heap of old dos and windows games here divided into several categories. Just glancing through I found myself being constantly surprised by the number of very flash looking games available for free download. There are of course plenty of older - EGA, adlib - type dos games available too if that's your thing.

MDK (Murder Death Kill)


Beneath a Steel Sky


GTA 1 + 2


NOTE: Not all the games at Abandonia are available to download. If it has a small 'ESA' sign next to it it is protected by copyright.

Abandonia also have a link to their newer site called Abandonia Reloaded - dedicated to retro remakes and community made freeware. Just glancing through I noticed they only have about 60 games, but what's there is pretty sweet.


GameHippo - over 1000 freeware PC games to download

Heaps of cool games here and the majority of them are very small downloads. Great if you only have dial-up.

Gene Rally


Spice Trade


Also what is interesting about Abandonia is that they list what 'dev' tool each game was created with. Of course some are programmed traditionally, but many are made using the popular game creation tool Game Maker (there's a free version with a few limitations, but the full version is cheap anyway). Gamemaker is perfect for creating platformers and shoot-em-ups, but in theory you can create a game in any genre (like a strategy game for example), with no programming skills required. Check out some Gamemaker games.

Seiklus - An original platformer. It's beauty lies in it's simplicity.


Legend of Shadow - A retro remake of the arcade classic Legend Of Kage.



Home of the Underdogs

In their own words these guys are "dedicated to the preservation and promotion of underrated PC games".

This was the first "abandonware" type games site I found where there was an abundance of great games that I thought I would never be able to find again. Some games which are not available for download at other sites are available here because as they put it "We believe that providing games that have been abandoned by their publishers, while technically illegal, is a valuable service to the gaming community because these games are in danger of disappearing into obscurity, and their copyright holders no longer derive any revenues from them".

One cool thing about the site is the ability to list games in handy ways (popularity, publisher, year etc), though I've found this feature no longer works for me under Firefox browser. Also these guys are popular so sometimes it is slow. Still well worth checking out though.


GarageGames - changing the way games are made and played

Here you will find some awesome games made using the Torque game engine (which sounds fantastic by the way). All the games have demos available for free download. Once again it is truly inspiring to see what fellow game enthusiasts out there have made themselves using the flexible and impressive Torque Game Engine.

Marble Blast Gold (I am addicted to this one. Pure bliss!)

DH: Lore Invasion


Retrospec - Retro Gaming at it's best!

These are games that have been re-made to run on current PC's. Some of them are up-dated with better graphics and sound, while others retain their old look.

There aren't many here, but what's here is the cream of the crop.

We have already reviewed Head Over Heels (you can find it in the previous posts). A great example of what retro gaming is all about!

Head Over Heels


Chuckie Egg: The Next Batch


Adventure Game Studio

Adventure Game Studio (AGS) is an awesome free development tool for creating Lucasarts and Sierra type adventure games. It is extremely easy to use, yet with some time and skill the results can be incredible. Some games are re-makes like Manic Mansion Deluxe and Kings Quest 1 + 2 where they have painstakingly updated the graphics and in some instances added more puzzles and depth if it was lacking. While others are total originals. Just look at the quality of the titles available here:

Manic Mansion Deluxe


King's Quest II - VGA


Apprentice II: The Knight's Move

For me these are the most inspiring to see as Monkey Island is still my top gaming experience. I just can't let go of these point and click adventure games and now I don't have too!

Soldat - 2D Multiplayer Shooter

This is possibly the greatest freeware game I have come across. It's a bit like Worms and Liero, but in my opinion it's even better. Basically you control a little army guy and jump around (with the help of jet powered boots) blowing people away with a wide range of guns. You can play against bots or go online (or networked too of course). No words can describe how fun it is so just download it!


Well that's it from me for now. Whether it's a game from your past that you want to re-live or something new in your favorite genre, I guarantee if you spend a little time browsing these sites you will find something you love.

Next Generation Consoles - By Ray

Next year will see the release of not one, not two, but three "Next Generation" consoles. The Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Revolution.

I own a modded Xbox and am very happy with it as a media center (why it doesn't ship with these capabilities enabled is beyond me) and at the beginning I played a lot of games on it, but now I've stopped. I have been wondering why I lost interest and as I read about these new consoles it dawned on me: I desire much better games. I think the reason I just can't bring myself to touch my Xbox games is that the same old things that I hated about the first Playstation are still here now: jaggy edges, boxey looking characters, pop ups (or fog to cover the popping up scenery), bad lip-syncing, terrible AI and the list goes on. Basically a bunch of things that remind me I'm playing a game and distance me from the experience. I have waited long enough. I want better games and I want them now!

Judging by videos and pictures of forthcoming titles on the Xbox 360 and PS3 I think my wish may finally come true and about bloody time! Take a look for yourself:

This is an IN-GAME shot!



Now I know some of you will be saying "but the PC has games like this already, just look at Doom3 and Half Life 2!". I agree to a point. The home PC is pretty amazing but the thing is the lounge is where all my best equipment is. My Hi-Def LCD Television is in the lounge. My 5.1 Stereo is in the lounge. My couch is in the lounge. So I want to play games in the lounge, not at my desk!

Also, judging from the gear inside these next gen consoles they are going to blow away what current PC's are capable of by a huge margin. Let's look at some geeky stuff.

Xbox 360

Before I delve into the 360's numbers let me just say what a stupid name! If you do a 360 you go all the way around and end up where you begun, isn't that like going in circles and not getting anywhere? That's hardly a step forward is it? Anyway...

Here it is, ain't it pretty?



BRAINS: Three CPU's, each at 3.2 Ghz (current xbox: one CPU running at 733 Mhz).

GRAPHICS: ATi chip at 500 Mhz; 48-pixel pipelines (current xbox: nVidia chip at 233 Mhz; 4-pixel pipelines).

POLYGONS: 500 million per second (current xbox: 116 million per second).

MEMORY: 512MB of RAM (current xbox: 64 MB of RAM).

STORAGE: 20 GB removable hard drive (current xbox: 10 GB hard drive).

The controllers are wireless too (you only plug them in to recharge).

Imagine having all that power sitting snugly under your TV!

If you have broadband at home there will be a free "Silver Tier Plan" on Xbox Live (with limited abilities) and the "Gold Tier Plan" where you can do live video chat with other Xbox 360 users as well as playing games, sharing pictures and downloading game updates (finally console games will all be patchable just like on a PC). I've never made the move to online play with a console but I wouldn't be surprised if one day in the near future I will hear myself saying "Remember when we used to play games offline?".

Apparently the 3.2 Ghz CPU doesn't really matter, what matters is how many gigaflops it is capable of. Now I have no idea what a gigaflop is (in fact it makes me think of Doc when he realises he needs "1.21 giga-watts" of electricity to get Marty back to the future). But this is where the Xbox pales in comparison to the PS3. The Xbox 360 is capable of 115 gigaflops and the PS3 is capable of 218 (practically double the raw power). Sony say this will allow for bigger environments and better AI among other things.

What stands out to me about these next generation consoles is their Hi-Def support. Playing games in 1080p on a sexy HD-TV is going to have a huge impact on how good they look.

I could go on more about the Xbox 360 but there is plenty of info out there at gaming sites (such as Gamespot which is in the links on the right) so let's move on to the competition.

Playstation 3

Feast your eyes on this puppy:




Numbers wise the PS3 is very close to the Xbox 360 the only differences being they each use different manufacturers for their parts. I could name who made what and all that but who really cares? What matters is how good the games look and how well they play (but if you're dying to know, Sony claim the PS3 is over 30 times faster then the PS2).

For me what stands out about the PS3 is one simple thing. It will use Blu-ray and Xbox 360 will be DVD. If you are unaware of what Blu-ray is where have you been? Blu-ray is the next huge step forward for home cinema. Blu-ray discs can hold up to six times as much data as current-generation DVDs (with all that space films will be far less compressed and will therefore look much better. For games it simply means you can fit in way more content). This has got to be one huge advantage and selling point for the PS3. If Microsoft want the Xbox 360 to be the Media Center in peoples lounges wouldn't it be a good idea for it to play the upcoming media formats? Microsoft have hinted that it may be able to play Blu-ray disks in the future, but what does that mean? Some crappy expansion pack or what?

The only downside to the PS3 being so incredibly advanced is that it will be pretty expensive. Prices are unknown at this point but Sony's Japanese head honcho has been quoted as saying "it will be expensive". Microsoft have pointed out that the Xbox 360 will be affordable. Will there really be a large price difference and if so will Microsoft finally be number one in the console war? Time will tell.

Of note also is that Sony have stated that the PS3 will be totally backwards compatible with PS1 and PS2. Microsoft have not cleared up this particular issue with the Xbox 360 and it is becoming increasingly clear that it probably isn't backwards compatible.

Lastly, another cool feature of the PS3 is the ability to output to two TVs. Meaning you could play in ultra widescreen or have a game on one screen and a video chat in the other.
I've never owned a Playstation - I was just never that impressed by them. But now I find it hard to imagine choosing the Xbox 360 over the PS3. That Blu-ray issue is just to big to ignore.

Last and definitely least is:

Nintendo Revolution

Well at least it's small:



NOTE: No picture is available of the controller yet.

Bad points:

Nintendo have no plans to support Hi-Def TV.

It ships with a DVD drive but doesn't play DVD films without an additional purchase.

Their main games are once again Zelda, Mario, Pokemon etc... Will these guys ever do something new? Don't get me wrong, I admire several Gamecube titles but this is hardly a "Revolution" is it? Let's face it, are gamers going to be lining up to buy next-gen Grand Theft Auto or Pokemon 26: Collect lots of sparkling gems?

Good points:

It is really, really small.

The entire back-catalogue of NES, SNES and N64 games will be available for download online - which is an incredibly cool feature, but once again they are relying on their past glory and not moving forward like Microsoft and Sony.

There you have it. Here's hoping these next generation consoles finally deliver the caliber of games that we have been waiting for.

Check out videos/pics of upcoming Xbox 360 and PS3 games at Gamespot, it is seriously worth it!

P.S. As a side note I would like to ask these questions: How will all this technology effect the game makers? Will budgets rise and therefore games will become even more generic? Is there any hope we'll see inventive and fresh games on these next-gen consoles? Can someone out there shed light on this (I'm talking to you Qume)?

Ray's Top 50 Arcade Games - Part 1 of 2

I grew up in the 80's and my favourite thing was going to the Arcades (or Spacies as we called it then). As I parked my BMX outside I always had this great sense of anticipation, I couldn't wait to get in there. There was an Arcade called Wizards that was my favourite and it was huge (it must have contained about 200 arcade machines). As you know home consoles were a different beast altogether then, they were simply light years behind the quality of the games in the arcades.

When I walked into Wizards my ears were bombarded with hundreds of sound effects, music tracks and children's laughter - the sound of fun! If you didn't already have a pocket weighed down with twenties you went to the change booth (operated by a bored old guy). A dollar was enough to play for hours if you stuck to the games you were good at. If you had $5 you could splash out and play a few of the games that you were crap at or had never quite figured out how to play. If you had $10 then you'd be there all day! Damn it was good and I can't wait until the day when I have a bigger house and can afford a dozen or so Arcade units. Until then I will just have to make do with Mame, which is still fantastic - it will be even better when I get a proper 2-player arcade stick.


Here I will list my 50 favourite arcade games, but first are the 10 games that I most frequently play. They are not what I consider the 10 best Arcade games of all time, they are simply the games that I keep returning to out of sheer addiction!

RAY'S TOP 10 ARCADE GAMES (in random order):






SHINOBI (1987)
ACTION PLATFORMER
Collect the kidnapped girls in pink and kill everyone in sight! I have spent a huge amount of time and money on Shinobi, though I never quite clocked it. It is simply one of the best Ninja games of all time. There are a good variety of locations and baddies. Big bosses turn up every 3 levels and are all huge and cool. The bonus ninja-star-throwing stage is a nice change of pace too. Followed by the crappy Shadow Dancer, where you have a pet dog!?





KUNG-FU MASTER (1984)
BEAT-EM-UP
Your girlfriend has been kidnapped (the most over used plot in video game history!) so you need to conquer the 5 floors of the temple and get her back. Time to kick people in the face!
This is an absolute classic that I poured twenties into like there was no tomorrow. Each of the 5 levels has their own unique challenges and different end of level Big Boss. I just find it so addictive that I've never stopped playing! Though I tend to quit after I've beaten the 5 levels as they just repeat themselves and become harder and faster (cheap!). There is something compelling about the sheer never-ending onslaught of morons to beat up. They just keep coming and coming and coming...




BOMBJACK (1984)
PLATFORMER/PUZZLE
Collect the red bombs and try not to touch any of the baddies. You can collect them in order for extra points - just look out for which one's wick is burning. A very simple concept but I find it totally addictive. When you get the 'P' powerup you can eat the baddies - but be quick they'll change back soon! Come to think of it it's sort of like a Platformer Pacman hybrid.





TRACK & FIELD (1983)
SPORTS
Mash the buttons and try to break some records in six different events! This game rocks! It's an excellent 2-Player game too. Not to be mistaken for it's mediocre sequel Hyper Sports.




STREETFIGHTER II - THE WORLD WARRIOR (1991)
ONE ON ONE BEAT-EM-UP
I know it's an obvious choice but this really is the game that started the one on one beat-em-up craze and inspired hundreds of inferior copies. Great graphics and sublime controls - Street Fighter II is quite simply the best fighter out there (and I prefer not having an overwhelming amount of characters to choose from).





BANK PANIC (1984)
SHOOT-EM-UP
Help people do their banking by shooting all the outlaws. You've got 12 doors to cover so keep your eyes peeled! As with the others in my Top 10 I keep returning to this game because it is addictive. Make sure you map out your controls well because you've got 3 fire buttons and you'll have to shoot fast!




ELEVATOR ACTION (1983)
ACTION PLATFORMER
Use elevators and escalators to get down the building and collect all the documents from behind the red doors. But you'll have to do some shooting too because the building is teaming with crooks! I think this was one of the most inventive platformers of its day and it's still just as fun now as it was then. Try to shoot down a light so it lands on a baddies head!




GALAGA (1981)
SPACE SHOOTER
Space Invaders was just a little before my time and the only old-school space shooter I ever got into was Galaga. It just has a really good weighty feel to it; I can't explain it any other way. The sound effects are classic too. One innovation was how the green baddies can suck up your ship and then if you blast them, your old ship and current ship join together for double the firepower! Just don't let them suck you up if you don't have any lives remaining.




MAT MANIA/THE MAIN EVENT (1985)
WRESTLING
Possibly one of the first wrestling games that was actually any good. It has a great feel to it and some hilarious (and badly spelt) wrestlers such as Insane Warrior, Coco Savege, The Parania and Blonde Stud! I love the WWF games that came later but they just aren't as damn funny as this one! Watch out for Coco Savege, he may only be the third person you fight but he is far harder then the two that follow him.




CIRCUS CHARLIE (1984)
VARIED
This is actually very similar in structure to Track & Field - in that it is clearly separated into various events. Leap through the flaming hoops, jump those pesky purple monkeys and don't let the knife throwers get you! This game can drive me nuts sometimes but I keep returning just the same.

15 MORE ARCADE FAVOURITES:





BAD DUDES vs DRAGONNINJA (1988)
SIDE SCROLLING BEAT-EM-UP
"Ronnie, the President of the United States has been kidnapped. Are you bad enough to save him?" Be an 80's type dork and beat up an endless supply of incompetent ninjas! OK I'll admit it, I have a thing for ninja games... ninjas are cool! A solid and attractive - albeit mindless - fighter. "I'm bad!".





BLACKTIGER/BLACK DRAGON (1987)
ACTION PLATFORMER
This game stood out with it's unique look and cool music. A fairly standard platformer I guess, but it is well made, has a strange collection of characters and a dark brooding atmosphere. Plenty of different weapons adds some variety. I love any game where you can go to a shop and buy powerups!





CHELNOV - ATOMIC RUNNER (1988)
ACTION PLATFORMER
This one almost made it into my Top 10. It is unusual in that your character is constantly running and you have to press a button to change between facing forward and back. It's this strange concept that makes the game stand out for me. Also there are many different gun powerups which all drastically alter how the game plays. Varied level design adds lastability too.




DOUBLE DRAGON (1987)
SIDE SCROLLING BEAT-EM-UP
Your girlfriend has been kidnapped (of course) and now you need to walk slowly down the gang infested streets and beat up everybody to get her back. For me, Double Dragon is the definitive side scrolling beat-em-up. Some might argue Final Fight is better but I never liked its huge sprites and repetitive level design. Double Dragon has good variety (for a game of its sort) and plenty of Big Boss fights. Some fairly mean moves are at your disposal - there's nothing better then grabbing someone's hair and kneeing them in the face five times! The first sequel still has the same look but is far too difficult. Part 3 looks totally different(worse in my opinion) and feels heavy and slow.




THE FINAL ROUND (1988)
BOXING
This is an excellent and hard hitting boxing game. I never liked boxing games that were side on, this one took a better approach and it payed off. The punches have great impact and the training sequences rock!





NINJA GAIDEN (1988)
SIDE SCROLLING BEAT-EM-UP
Like I said I love ninja games. Ninja Gaiden was well presented, had good sound effects and responsive controls. I liked the ability to run up walls and flip off them. One of the few ninja games to capture the gymnastic quality that ninjas have. It has one of the best continue screens of all time - your character is tied down and a huge spinning blade is coming closer and closer, put in a twentie quick before he gets it!




GHOSTS'N GOBLINS (1985)
ACTION PLATFORMER
What a classic! I love this game. Every fish and chip shop should have one! Surprisingly your girlfriend has been kidnapped... shock horror. So chuck on your suit of Armour and kick some ghosts'n goblins butt! A fairly difficult game (especially frustrating as when you die you are respawned further back), but it's worth playing through for the unique atmosphere and variety of locations and weapons. Look out for the daggers, they are the best weapon (avoid the sucky fireball weapon). Followed by an excellent sequel imaginatively called Ghouls'n Ghosts.




GUN SMOKE (1985)
VERTICAL SCROLLING SHOOTER
This is a little like a cowboy version of the extremely difficult Commando. Except I always liked this better because you had 3 fire buttons, enabling you to walk in one direction and fire in another. Gun Smoke is one fast, exciting and difficult game.





GYRUSS (1983)
SPACE SHOOTER
Gyruss almost made it into my Top 10. What makes this an unusual game is that your ship circles the screen and you fire inwards towards the enemies. Gyruss also has a really nifty 'classical' soundtrack. Not to mention you can visit Uranus!




JUNGLE KING/JUNGLE HUNT (1982)
VARIED
Your girlfriend has been kidnapped (yawn), now it's time for some Tarzan type action! Leap between the vines, murder some poor crocodiles, jump the rather unconvincing boulders and finally avoid the naughty natives! Games don't get much more amusing then this.




THE LEGEND OF KAGE (1985)
ACTION PLATFORMER
Your girlfriend blah, blah, blah... Once again a favourite of mine that is a ninja game, but this one is seriously worth checking out. It has particularly pretty graphics and sound, and the main character has possibly the largest jump in game history. Look out for the magic flute at the end of level one. Kage is pronounced "Kaa-gay".





MARBLE MADNESS (1984)
ROLLERBALL PUZZLE
Roll the marble through the maze to the finish before the timer runs out. While I never played this in the arcades I had it on my Amiga and now rediscovered it through mame. I love the simplicity of it, I just wish I had a rollerball!




MORTAL KOMBAT (1992)
ONE ON ONE BEAT-EM-UP
After the success of Street Fighter II it was inevitable that other companies would try to cash in on this Fighter craze. Midway's effort was one of the better ones in my opinion. The digitized graphics and sound really made it stand out, not to mention the incredible amount of gore and the nifty fatalities. Also what distinguished it was the controls, which were quite different to Street Fighter II. It is of-course followed by many sequels but the fundamentals of gameplay never changed. "Finish him!".




MOON PATROL (1982)
SHOOT-EM-UP
This side ways scrolling hybrid shooter always stood out to me because of it's innovative mixture of jumping and shooting elements. The look is just classic and it has one catchy tune! Watch out for the ships that blow holes in the ground!




NBA HANG TIME (1996)
SPORTS
Clearly another Midway game using their digitized style. It’s about as far from reality basketball as you could get, but who cares when it’s this much fun! Hold down turbo and slam some dunks… or something.

Next 25 Arcade Games