|OT| Freeware Thread

Transdude1996

Transdude1996

Junior Member
Apr 30, 2019
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So, what is defined as "freeware": What is freeware? definition and meaning - BusinessDictionary.com
Software distributed free of cost, usually without any printed manual, warranty, or upgrade option. Although its copies may be freely redistributed (without any charge or fee), its copyright remains with the original writer or publisher.
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And, there you have it folks, a thread dedicate towards listing games that DO NOT require or utilize the exchange of currency in any way.

  • What games can be listed?
Anything and everything that was released completely free of charge for the public to download and play. It can be some home project released on some guy's blog, or the a game publisher releasing one of their "classic" titles. In addition, if you are aware of any games for consoles that are now freeware, you can post about those as well.
  • How can I add to the list of games?
Just state the game's title, it's genre, what system(s) the game is compatible with, and a link to where the game can be downloaded.
  • [So & So] has their game available for free for a limited time, can I have that game be added to the list?
No. When a game is released as freeware, it is expected for the title to be freely available almost indefinitely. The game(s) that you want listed are part of a promotion, and will return to being a paid program once that deal ends. That being said, if a game has previously been released as freeware, only for the owner to pull it from availability (For any reason: bankruptcy, change of ownership, start charging money for it again, site goes down, etc.), I will not remove those games from the list because they still exist as freeware (However, I will remove the link and leave a note about the situation). Also, given this site's rules, I will not link an "unofficial" source on where to now acquire the freeware versions of those unavailable games.
  • What if a game is still "technically" available for download from a site, but you have to use an archival site to access the page, like the Wayback Machine?
I could see that as being acceptable because the point of such projects is to serve as an archive, and the government has considered archival sites to be as "legitimate" as the real thing. However, that being said, this still restricts it to official freeware releases (Which means I won't be adding those No-Intro collections, in case you ask).
  • [So & So] just released a translation for a game, can this also be added to the list?
Sure, just as long as the original version of the game is available for free as well. An easy way to verify this, using Japanese games as an example, is see if you have to buy the Japanese version on DLsite.
  • [Such & Such] is "officially" available as a free download, but you can also buy it. Will you still list these games?
Only the free version as long as it's "officially" available. Say that if a game was originally released in Japan for free, but an English version was later released and started charging money. In such a case, the Japanese version would still be the version that is linked on here.
  • [Such & Such] game is pretty much abandonware as for as the owners are concerned, and these fine gentlemen have repackaged it to work. Will you list these games?
No, because the owner isn't the one releasing it.
  • There's [Such & Such], but it's available on Steam/GoG/Origin/etc. Will you still list it?
If it's available for download from a site without the need for an account, I will list that site first and foremost. However, if those stores are the only place to acquire the title, I will list it, but will also make a note that it requires a account for Steam/GoG/Origin/etc. in order to access it.
  • What about fangames?
I don't know. If there's enough demand, I'll list them in their own separate section, but you also have a large number of fangames that do NOT exist as freeware.
  • What about 18+ games?
Again, if there's enough demand, I may start up a category.
  • Doesn't this border on piracy?
That's why I'm attempting to only stuck with "official" sources if I'm directly linking the game. Otherwise, I will leave a note and leave the decision on what to do for the reader to decide. This list is just suppose to serve as a source of information, and nothing more.
  • Can you remove [Such & Such] and/or games made by [So & So] because [Insert reason]?
No, I won't. Unless the game installs a virus, or does something illegal (Which I would love to see the explanation as to how since The Guy Game has never seen a rerelease), I'm not removing any games from the list.

Now, let's get to the games:

The games where there's puzzles, a lot of reading, lots of talking, and restricted action:

Games where you take a very active role in deciding how things play out, sometimes theatrics are involved:

The games were you kick the crap out of an entire group of enemies:

When one player mashes buttons randomly to defeat the computer or another player:

The games where you drive an urban assault vehicle a car:

The games where you jump on things:

The games were you level up and act the story of either your, or somebody else's, self-insert:

The games that drop the player in the world, and flash the words "Go nuts" across the screen:

The games where you use projectiles to hit something:

The games where you escape real life...by living out real life:

The games where you strain your brain by trying to look smarter than you really are:

Games that don't have a category:
 
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fsdood

fsdood

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Jan 9, 2019
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Great thread! I really liked freeware games and all the fun it brought to me when I didn't have a debit card/paypal account. Want to add that you can also get the original Cave Story for free, a 2D shooter made by Pixel which has a fan translation. There's also Iji , probably one of the best 2D platformer/shooter I've ever played. If you know nothing about the game, then don't look stuff up for spoilers. It's got one of the best way on telling different stories based on gameplay I've ever seen and it makes me sad knowing the spoilers before actually playing it.

Cave Story ( fan translation)
Iji
These games were released on Windows, but Cave Story had Mac and Linux ports made by the fandom so I dunno if it's "official" per say.

Edit: Damn, I missed the Q&A. Gotta fix stuff up.
 
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EdwardTivrusky

EdwardTivrusky

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Marathon Trilogy - Bungie - FPS

Aleph One - Open Source Marathon Engine
The Trilogy Release - Bungie Org
The Trilogy Release FAQ - Bungie Org

Wow... can I do whatever I want with this stuff?
Click to expand...
NO. Bungie still holds the copyrights to these files. They're allowing them to be distributed for free (mostly because you can't buy them any more) - but they're still Bungie's intellectual property. You can't, for example, sell them.
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Hopefully this counts as i love the games.
Back in the day Bungie released the old Marathon Trilogy Boxset ( Marathon, Marathon: Durandal, Marathon: Infinity ) games as freeware, they retain the copyright etc but the games can be downloaded and played via the Aleph One Open Source project. If you want to see what Bungie did before Halo, what FPS was like on the Mac or just like Old-School FPS then give them a whirl. Beware though, they can be tough.
 
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Nyarlathotep

Nyarlathotep

The Crawling Chaos
Apr 18, 2019
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These are all Gud Games

Tyrian - Epic Megagames SHMUP
Desktop Dungeons FREE! - prototype freeware edition of Desktop Dungeons (a puzzley short playthrough roguelike)
Starcraft - its f'ing starcraft breh
Spelunky - prototype freeware edition of Spelunky (a roguelite platform / exploration game)
Alien Swarm - online multiplayer co-op class based shooter extreeeeeeemely similar to Team 17s Alien Breed series
Super Crate Box - platformer / shooter by Vlambeer
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun - RTS
Brink - underrated team focussed, class based, objective based FPS. Multiplayers dead, but has an AI botmatch campaign with a pretty good 'neither side are the good guys' story.
 
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RionaaM

RionaaM

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That's a great premise for a thread! Gotta check out some of those games later.

Here are my contributions:
Nitronic Rush: a fantastic futuristic racing game that's more of a stunt/obstacle course time trial than racing against other drivers. A student game, whose developers later went on to kickstart Distance (which I backed due to how much I had enjoyed NR).

Doki Doki Literature Club: an excellent visual novel with a dating sim appearance and a really deep (and dark) story.
By clicking "No thanks, just take me to the downloads" you can download it for free.

Jill of the Jungle (requires a GOG account): I loved this 2D platformer when I was a kid, and it's still fun to play nowadays. The second episode is kinda weak and the third one has some cheap enemy placement, but the first one is pure gold.
 
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Alextended

Alextended

Segata's Disciple
Jan 28, 2019
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Seems like much of that stuff is abandonware.

Here's a King's Quest style freeware game that's pretty good and has both adventure and RPG elements in that format.

Crystal Shard: 15 years of indie game design! - available on various places for dl, Steam included.


Merry Gear Solid 1 and especially 2 (much better realized game but you should play them in order for all the funny stuff to work) are great.







Most of Yahtzee's old games are really great too. Most are point & click stuff and part of one series. Trilby the Art of Theft however used AGS, Adventure Game Studio, and stretched it to its limits for a stealth action platformer game!

The Escapist : TRILBY: The Art of Theft

The mouthpiece of the gaming generation, The Escapist aims to capture and celebrate the contemporary video gaming lifestyle and the diverse global video game culture by way of in-depth features, thought provoking articles and relevant columns authored by leading video game authorities, as well...
www.escapistmagazine.com www.escapistmagazine.com
Do explore his adventure stuff titled like _ days a _ such as 6 Days a Sacrifice (the last game, don't play this first).

Fully Ramblomatic.com - Come and play with us. For ever. And ever. And ever.

www.fullyramblomatic.com

Oolite is a fun Elite clone, it lacks things like planet surface gameplay (you'll explode on atmosphere entry) but other than that it's a nice upgrade to the original with support for player mods so people have added lots of nifty stuff, from upgraded graphics to expanded mission styles, ship roster, whatever.


Almost all of Locomalito's games (maybe not 8BIT KILLER) are worth playing (and plenty got commercial updated editions you can go buy afterwards).

Locomalito — Traditional video games

I'm Locomalito, and this is my collection of classic video games: Maldita Castilla, Hydorah, Issyos, 8bit killer, Gaurodan, l'Abbaye des Morts and more…
www.locomalito.com www.locomalito.com

One of the most famous roguelikes, NetHack, has been free and is still being updated (!).

NetHack 3.6.7: NetHack Home Page

www.nethack.org

Minima is a cool Ultima retro homage.
feneric.itch.io

Minima by Feneric

An homage to the 8-bit Ultima games
feneric.itch.io feneric.itch.io
 
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EdwardTivrusky

EdwardTivrusky

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Ooooh, beten to Merry Gear Solid series. He's started working with Stardew Valley lately and i'm glad he's still making games.
 
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