Cheap fun? Download free games
Give your wallet a break and download free games
Old Grand Theft, America's Army are the top picks
By DWIGHT ODELIUS
For The Chronicle
A PC gaming habit doesn't come cheap. Fortunately, there's a never-ending supply of games that won't cost a nickel.
One of the most popular free games is the one created for the U.S. Army, the first-person shooter America's Army. Part recruitment tool and part educational software, America's Army attempts to provide a realistic look into modern military operations.
In the latest edition, Special Forces, players train in specific roles in an offline single-player mode, then play online against other virtual soldiers, with the goal of earning Green Beret status. Although it's free, it stacks up well against other shooters. Find it at www.americasarmy.com.
Mojo Master, a game sponsored by the men's fragrance line Axe Unlimited, requires players to chat up 100 computer-simulated women across seven cities and convince them to share their phone numbers.
The women in Mojo Master are defined by a combination of five personality traits. Figuring out a woman's type allows the player to make successful moves and win her affection. Download the game at www.mojomastergame.com.
Remakes and re-releases of classic PC titles are all over the Internet. Rockstar Games, makers of the now-infamous Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, recently released free versions of the games that started it all. Like their progeny, Grand Theft Auto and GTA 2 are violent, but with low-tech graphics and sound.
Despite their limitations, these are great games. Download them, along with Wild Metal, Rockstar's first 3-D vehicular combat game, at www.rockstargames.com/classics/gta.html.
The adventure-game style of the 1980s may be long dead, but that doesn't mean they aren't worth playing. The folks at Anonymous Game Developers Interactive recognized this, and remade the 1984 classic graphic adventure King's Quest and its sequel Romancing the Stones. They're available at www.agdinteractive.com.
The Homestar Runner Web site has a hilarious send-up of King's Quest called Peasant's Quest. Find it and other parodies of classic video games at www.homestarrunner.com/games.html.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy text-based adventure game has been resurrected as a graphic adventure by the BBC in celebration of its 20th anniversary. Penned by Douglas Adams, it's a smart piece of interactive fiction that stands on its own, apart from the books, the movie, and the radio and television shows that share its name. Find it at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/game.shtml.
For other free games, check out www.gamehippo.com and www.freewaregames.net.
games@odelius.com
HoustonChronicle.com - At Home: Cheap fun? Download free games
Old Grand Theft, America's Army are the top picks
By DWIGHT ODELIUS
For The Chronicle
A PC gaming habit doesn't come cheap. Fortunately, there's a never-ending supply of games that won't cost a nickel.
One of the most popular free games is the one created for the U.S. Army, the first-person shooter America's Army. Part recruitment tool and part educational software, America's Army attempts to provide a realistic look into modern military operations.
In the latest edition, Special Forces, players train in specific roles in an offline single-player mode, then play online against other virtual soldiers, with the goal of earning Green Beret status. Although it's free, it stacks up well against other shooters. Find it at www.americasarmy.com.
Mojo Master, a game sponsored by the men's fragrance line Axe Unlimited, requires players to chat up 100 computer-simulated women across seven cities and convince them to share their phone numbers.
The women in Mojo Master are defined by a combination of five personality traits. Figuring out a woman's type allows the player to make successful moves and win her affection. Download the game at www.mojomastergame.com.
Remakes and re-releases of classic PC titles are all over the Internet. Rockstar Games, makers of the now-infamous Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, recently released free versions of the games that started it all. Like their progeny, Grand Theft Auto and GTA 2 are violent, but with low-tech graphics and sound.
Despite their limitations, these are great games. Download them, along with Wild Metal, Rockstar's first 3-D vehicular combat game, at www.rockstargames.com/classics/gta.html.
The adventure-game style of the 1980s may be long dead, but that doesn't mean they aren't worth playing. The folks at Anonymous Game Developers Interactive recognized this, and remade the 1984 classic graphic adventure King's Quest and its sequel Romancing the Stones. They're available at www.agdinteractive.com.
The Homestar Runner Web site has a hilarious send-up of King's Quest called Peasant's Quest. Find it and other parodies of classic video games at www.homestarrunner.com/games.html.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy text-based adventure game has been resurrected as a graphic adventure by the BBC in celebration of its 20th anniversary. Penned by Douglas Adams, it's a smart piece of interactive fiction that stands on its own, apart from the books, the movie, and the radio and television shows that share its name. Find it at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/game.shtml.
For other free games, check out www.gamehippo.com and www.freewaregames.net.
games@odelius.com
HoustonChronicle.com - At Home: Cheap fun? Download free games
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