The Best Open-Source (or Freeware) Games!

Posted 10/03/2008 at 11:45am | by David Murphy

15

Comments

Print

We've already shown you our picks for top-notch open-source (or freeware) graphics applications and system optimizers. To celebrate the start of the weekend, we're going for the gusto this time around: games.  But the difficulty in this list stems from the fact that there are a ton of excellent games in the independent scene right now.  We frequently profile these as much as possible on the Maximum PC monthly CD, but even then, it's tough to pick five examples of top-quality games--we could fill an article with five hundred. Your favorite open-source game might not have made our list this time around, but feel free to leave comments about other awesome alternatives you've sampled!

Now that the disclaimer's out of the way, cancel your appointments and throw up your away message.  It's time to game, and it's time to game for free!

a game about bouncing

We're starting off with a puzzle game.  But before you conjure images of another Tetris or Bejeweled clone, know that "a game about bouncing" is a fun romp through an iTunes visualizer.  At least, that's what the simple beauty of the game's vibrant backdrops brings to mind. The game's premise is simple: grab onto shapes to collect them while avoiding "tails" that follow you around.  Only, the shapes you're grabbing also serve as pinball-style bumpers, sending you careening around an endless map every time you snag a new shape.  Replace the bumpers with buildings and you'll have a minimalistic Spider Man on your hands.  Our only reservation?  The game doesn't come with a built-in screensaver mode.  How cool would that look?

Tremulous

There are more open-source and freeware first-person shooters in existence than strippers in Duke Nukem 3D.  But rather than sift through 30 different games to find one that barely squeaks by the others, we've decided to place a genre mainstay into our top 5 list.  Tremulous is frequently cited as one of the first-person shooters to play and it's easy to see why.  The game's graphics are vaguely reminiscent of the Quake shooters of old.  Only this time around, you can play as the good guys or the evil aliens, with each race operating under a unique leveling style. Regardless, you're rewarded for killing the enemy with new weapons and upgrades--making this first-person shooter a fun hybrid of mini-RPG and shoot'em-up gameplay.

 

Glest

We enjoy the fantasy setting of the real-time strategy title Glest as much as we enjoy the game's polish.  In fact, we dare say it looks better than some of the earlier RTS offerings of now-established companies (here's looking at you, Warcraft).  Pick one of the game's two factions--Tech or Magic--and slug it out on the battlefield using all sorts of arcane powers and plain ol' ass-kickery.  You can even fire up Glest over local multiplayer if you want to pour a bucket of open-source ownage all over your unsuspecting friends.  If you're of the programming mindset, you can also grab a number of tools for modifying the game straight off of Glest's official site.