Gaming The Empty Pockets Thread

[John]

Thanks in large part to the indie game explosion of the last few years, more and more excellent, free games are being developed today, and I think it's high time we have a thread about them.

So go ahead and tell us what you've been playing for free lately, be it web-based, desktop, mobile, or whatever. (And be sure to post a picture too, because every thread's better with pictures.)

[IMG]http://www.g4g.it/g4g/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/spelunky_01.jpg[/IMG]

[B]Spelunky[/B] ([URL]http://www.spelunkyworld.com/[/URL])
This is a great little platformer released about a year ago that centers around exploring procedurally-generated caves, collecting gold, stealing idols, saving dames, and killing cave creatures. The controls are tight, the art is wonderful, and the difficulty level is just right, but what really ties it all together is how well the procedural-generation algorithm works; it's so polished that it never really traps you in a spot you can't get out of, and the gameplay elements work so well together naturally that when they're thrown together (somewhat) randomly, you'd swear some of the clever situations you face were designed by hand. Impeccably polished, mercilessly addicting.

[neoswordmaster]

[B][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v499/neoswordmaster/Iji.jpg[/IMG][/B]
[B]Iji[/B] ([URL]http://www.remar.se/daniel/iji.php[/URL])

I absolutly love this game. For a free game, this is amazingly deep in terms of content. I'll start with the basics. The world has been attacked by aliens, blah blah blah, you're the only one who can combat them, yada yada yada, it's something you've heard quite a few times before. However, a plot twist about halfway through the game changes everything, but I won't spoil anything here. Not to mention, there is quite a bit of backstory of the aliens that you can discover by reading their logbooks.

Enough about the story, now onto the gameplay. Iji is an adventure/platformer, with RPG elements. As you progress though the game you earn points which you can spend into a number of skills (strenght, health, enemy weaponry to name a few). While there are 8 main weapons in the game, you can combine two different weapons to form a more powerful one. Also included are a number of secret weapons, which I won't get too much into.

Possibly the biggest part of the game is your ability to play as a pacifist. You can beat the game without actually killing anyone. By doing so, you greatly affect the story of the game. Again, I won't go into details, but it's worth trying to get through without killing anyone. The game even makes you feel quite guilty if you do shoot everything in sight.

I've only begun to scratch the surface of the amount of content the game has to offer. While the main story can be completed in a few hours, the game has a ton of replay value. With multiple difficulties, a ton of secrets, and multiple endings, this game is well worth checking out.

[Xyandar]

[B]Evony [/B][URL="http://110.evony.com/s.html"]http://110.evony.com/s.html[/URL]

Its a neat online game where you build a town and an army to go attack other towns and cities which are controlled by other players. You do the quests, build buildings,and wait for them to finish. Its a time consuming game where you click to build everythimng and then leave it for 4 or 5 hours while you do something else... but it fits in perfectly with my schedule lol.

[Kastom]

Agh, there are so many! This is like the only type of gaming I do on my PC due to the fact that I'm poor and can't afford to upgrade XD

Easily one of my favourite series of indie games would be the Chzo Mythos games. They're a series of four point and click adventure games (much in the vein of the old LucasArts games like Monkey Island).

5 Days a Stranger
7 Days a Skeptic
Trilby's Notes
6 Days a Sacrifice

These are made by the great man that is Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw (maker of the Escapist's Zero Punctuation).

I will assume that you have all played, or at least know how point and click adventure games go. If not, then I feel old and depressed. Anyways, the main thing I personally liked about them is that they are effing freaky as hell. Very psychological scares here (the type that Yahtzee always says he loves the most). Just note that if you do play them, be prepared for excessive blood and gore. While it's all graphics made in paint basically, it is still pretty freaky, especially combined with the story.

Basically, amazing games. Check out his site, FullyRamblomatic.com

[John]

Iji is excellent. I really need to play it again, as I only finished it once (and I played psychopath style, lol). I don't think anyone else would see this comparison, but I think the game plays a bit like a 2D Deus Ex, in terms of combat pacing and upgradability. I'm also fond of the Chzo Mythos games.

[IMG]http://www.smarrone.com/arcade/media/icons/ngame.jpg[/IMG]

[B]N[/B] ([url]http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/[/url])
N is not only my favorite flash game of all time, but one of my top three or four favorite games, period. The fact that it was made in flash and yet is so taut and responsive is impressive, and the powerful, minimalistic art design hits me right in my aesthetic-bone. But what really gets me is how the developers made so much with so little. All you can do is run left, run right, and jump, there are only a small handful of enemies and terrain objects to choose from, and the level design is restricted to a pretty small square frame, but they still made [I]hundreds[/I] of unique levels that cover a wild variety of playstyles and gameplay dynamics. I've never seen anything quite like it before or since.