www.MarkTAW.com/blog/ACompleteWasteOfTime.html (printable version)

A Complete Waste Of Time WARNING: Do Not Read This If You Have Work To Do!!!!!!!!!
Why do people insist on torturing me so?

10 Newest

Skip to Online & No Install | Independant and Shareware | Abandonware | In Real Life

Board Dots
11 December 06
GAH! I'm going to figure out the next level if it kills me.

Line Rider
11 December 06
Cute game where you draw lines & then a sledder rides down them.

Distraction Game
26 November 06
This game is hilarious. Really. You just have to play it to see what I mean.

tunnl
12 November 06
Oh yeah this is a good one. You must pilot your ship through a tunnel filled with a series of rotating discs. By moving the mouse, you move the ship through the various holes. One word of advice: If you can clearly see the next disc, you're probably ok. And I blame my lack of skill on the laptop toucpad.

Run Run
12 November 06
Press up for a small jump, press space for a big jump. It's really that simple. Or is it? Time wasted: 5 minutes

Danger from the Deep (6 mb download)
10 November 06
WWII submarine sim game.

True Combat: Elite  (400+ mb download)
10 November 06
A free first person shooter. This one looks really good. It's a Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory mod. Check out the image gallery.

Qwerty Warriors
10 November 06
This is a fun game where you have to type the names of those that are attacking you to shoot them. It's actually a lot of fun, and a great way to learn typing!

Orbit
10 November 06
Hmm. I'm sure I played this one before, I don't know why isn't already in the list. This is a fun game where you fling a coment & try to get them to orbit a number of stationary objects without crashing in to them.

click the one you Like Better
10 November 06
Subconsciously, you're driven to prefer one thing over another. But why? This site can offer some insight into that. Simply click the photo of the two you like better, and this site will tell you something about you (with startling accuracy).

Online, no Install 

Skip to Online & No Install | Independant and Shareware | Abandonware | In Real Life

Board Dots
11 December 06
GAH! I'm going to figure out the next level if it kills me.

Line Rider
11 December 06
Cute game where you draw lines & then a sledder rides down them.

Distraction Game
26 November 06
This game is hilarious. Really. You just have to play it to see what I mean.

tunnl
12 November 06
Oh yeah this is a good one. You must pilot your ship through a tunnel filled with a series of rotating discs. By moving the mouse, you move the ship through the various holes. One word of advice: If you can clearly see the next disc, you're probably ok. And I blame my lack of skill on the laptop toucpad.

Run Run
12 November 06
Press up for a small jump, press space for a big jump. It's really that simple. Or is it? Time wasted: 5 minutes

Qwerty Warriors
10 November 06
This is a fun game where you have to type the names of those that are attacking you to shoot them. It's actually a lot of fun, and a great way to learn typing!

Orbit
10 November 06
Hmm. I'm sure I played this one before, I don't know why isn't already in the list. This is a fun game where you fling a coment & try to get them to orbit a number of stationary objects without crashing in to them.

click the one you Like Better
10 November 06
Subconsciously, you're driven to prefer one thing over another. But why? This site can offer some insight into that. Simply click the photo of the two you like better, and this site will tell you something about you (with startling accuracy).

PhantasyRPG
03 November 06
A browser-based MMORPG. These browser based games can be somewhat slow, but if you enjoy it, you can find hours of entertainment. This is one of the most complete I've seen.

Fritterware
03 November 06
Something tells me if you visit Fritterware you'll stop visiting this page... Just kidding. :-) A web 2.0 "bookmark & vote on your favorite time wasters" site. 

World of Warcraft Island
03 November 06
I never played World of Warcraft (and something tells me I should be glad I never got sucked into it). This is a free, web-based copy of WoW.

Snowball
03 November 06
Sort of like a Flash version of SkiFree only you play a snowball and get bigger & bigger and gain more & more momentum as you go along. You can roll over anything smaller than you are.

Very Difficult Analytical Puzzles
29 October 06
Non graphical brain teasers (you know.. words). For those who like to get a headache while they waste time.

Ball Toucher
29 October 06
Touch the good balls, but not the bad ones... a very pointless waste of time indeed. (but fun)

Solitaire Craving
29 October 06
Online solitaire, with player rankings & stats.

Parking Perfection
29 October 06
A simple little puzzle game that inolves parking a car.

Conquer Club
29 October 06
Online Risk game. I've wasted a *lot* of time on this site. Just a word of warning: Avoid the freestyle games, not all the potential strategies that can be used in freestyle games are obvious to the beginning player.

The Car
29 October 06
Another one of those point & click puzzle games. I actually managed to solve this one with only one hint!!!

GiidGames.com
29 October 06
A list of flash games that appeared on Digg.com

Jeu Chiant
29 October 06
A very challenging pong like game that requires you to also balance a ball that's connected to your paddle moves. It requires quite a bit of thought in the fraction of a second you have.

Top 10 Time Waster Games
29 October 06
Since I haven't been adding anything for a while, here's 10 new(ish) games for you.

Tank Ball (Flash)
22 January 06
Fun fast-paced, furious multi-player tank war action.

Tactical Assassin
12 January 06
A quick first person stick figure shooter. Not as good as The Saint, but it will test your mouse skills.

Uber Breakout
12 January 06
A spherical breakout. Use the arrow keys to move the paddles.

Shift
12 January 06
Another one of those point & click flashy games. This one seems to have a musical theme. It's a very attractive game.

Web Sudoku
06 January 06
I still don't get the whole Sudoku thing, but here you go... Easy, Medium, Hard and Evil levels.

Mario Sunshine 64 Demo
06 January 06
Really short, and not too difficult, but worth a couple of minutes. Basically, what you'd expect from a third party mario game.

Samorost (Flash)
02 January 06
Gorgeous little point-and-click puzzle game. Reminds me of the Polyphonic Spree game Quest for the Rest. Then check out Samorost 2.

sodaplay (Java)
02 January 06
Really cool construction game where you can build squiggly creepy crawly machines. When you're done constructing, you can check out the zoo. or compete in a race. If you like this game, try Pontifex. Be sure to read the "How To" section (it's quick) and learn about how to make muscles.

1980 Games
02 January 06
Play all your favorite classic video games free online. Looks like a Java MAME emulator. Now excuse me while I go play some 1942.

Top 10 Free Time Wasting Sites on the Net
02 January 06
It's official: Everyone is wasting time, even the folks at About.com. (via Joystiq)

jay is games: Best of 2005: Top 20
02 January 06
With Growcube and Hapland, you know this has to be a good list. More goodness at JayIsGames.com. (via Joystiq)

Sand (Java)
27 December 05
This is my new favorite. Rather than explain it, I think you should just play with it for a little while and see how quickly you get hooked by this weirdly hypnotic game. And if you like this, check out the even more surreal Hell of Sand.

Chuzzle
10 December 05
From PopCap Games (the makers of Bejewelled & Alchemy) comes Chuzzle, click & drag the rows of Chuzzles to form groups of 3. Release to pop. Cutesy sound alert!

Not Pr0n
02 December 05
One of those online puzzle/riddle/point & click style puzzles. Only, this one employs more tricks than just point & click....

Tangram Game (Flash)
18 November 05
Arrange the shapes to mirror the object to the left. 7 levels, but the shapes randomize each time you reload.

Sonic the Hedgehog (Flash)
16 November 05
I was never good at this game (Never had a Sega), and I'm still not good at it. Pretty big download, it may take a minute or two. Large & small versions.

AsoBrain Xplorers, java based Catan online
12 November 05
Everyone keeps telling me about this board game "The Settlers of Catan" like it's the best thing since sliced bread. Well now I get to play online with complete strangers. Yay!

Ringmania
10 November 05
A rotating spinning tetris thingy.

Gems 2 (Flash)
04 November 05
Sort of a 3 point (hex) version of Bejeweled.

Rumble Ball (Flash)
01 November 05
Frustrating cross between pool & breakout. Destroy the small boxes & collect the golden balls. More on Rubilon

Babycal Throw
01 November 05
An odd game where you click on guys as they walk past & try to get the (baby?) that flies up into the air to land on someone else.

Mouse Avoider 2
01 November 05
Another one of those "get your mouse from point A to point B without hitting the obstacles" games. This one is pretty good. (Loud)

Death in Sakkara (Flash)
01 November 05
You gotta love flash. It's the rebirth of adventure games. I haven't played too deeply into this one, but it looks interesting. So far only Episode 1 has been released & it looks like there will be a new one each week in November. (Loud)

gridgame.swf
30 October 05
Interesting game where you start with a bunch of tiles with 1/4 circles & by moving one, you can start a chain reaction that spreads across the whole board. Not a very active game, but a lot of fun to watch.

Number Logic :: Sudoku
29 October 05
Another one of those annoying number puzzle games that seem to be all the rage. This site promises a new one every day, and you can print them out.

Gravity (Flash)
21 October 05
A new personal favorite. You slingshot an atom through some gravity wells and see how long it will last before being sucked into one. You need to log in to track & submit high scores. (via ?off)

Grow Cube (Flash)
21 October 05
Pretty clever isometric pixel art game. Another fave. Bad Music Alert! (via ?off)

RCade Raceway (Flash/Sockwave)
21 October 05
It's pretty impressive how far the web has come. This game probably looks better than most racing games of the Nintendo era. Use the arrow keys to accelerate & stear, and the space key to brake. (Disclaimer: the developer emailed this one to me) Loud Game Alert

The Package (Flash)
21 October 05
"Hmmm, a package. I don't remember ordering anything." I wonder what's in it. Note: This game assumes you know a little bit about computer science, if you don't know the difference between hexadecimal & binary, don't bother. Bad Music Alert!

Nightmare Escape (Flash)
21 October 05
Another one-room point & click game. This one with a spooky vibe. The solution is on LazyLaces for all you cheaters out there, you know who you are..

Lost Survival Game (Flash)
21 October 05
4 8 15 16 23 42. The game.

LazyLaces.com
21 October 05
There's like a billion point & click games at LazyLaces.com. The previous three games are probably from there. (I kinda lost track of which were emailed to me & which were from there.)

Hapland & Hapland 2
21 October 05
Don't ask me, I'm just the messenger. Similar to GrowCube.

Noodan Free PC Games
21 October 05
Um, the owners of this site asked me to add it. It's a list of lots & lots of free game downloads. I haven't checked any of them out.

StreetWars: Killer - NYC (NYC Only)
15 July 05
Large scale version of the classic game Killer where the object is to asassinate (via water balloon or water gun) someone else. Sorry, no online play. (Yes, I know, I suck.)

Good Experience Games (HTML)
15 July 05
Another big list of games. From the site: "These are online games that, in my opinion, offer a 'good experience' - good game design with an overall attention to quality. Unless otherwise noted, they're all free, online, and available right now."

POOM (Flash)
14 July 05
Damn that bouncing balley.

Dona Room (Flash)
12 July 05
A point + click flash game similar to some of the old adventure games I grew up on. It took a while to get it, but eventually I did. The final message is:Don't forget to do your homework and have something to eat. Don't forget, the door slides, you don't have to use the doorknob and bang it. Mom (written in white so I don't spoil it for you) (via my friend Evan)

The Batman Game (Flash)
28 June 05
A fun and well extremely animated game. Check out the rest of the games from TheGN.com.

The ZoomQuilt (Flash)
28 June 05
Again, not a game, but a pretty cool collaborative art project. This one is quiet, I promise, and as far as I know, does not feature David Hasslehoff.

Mus.swf (Flash)
28 June 05
Music with the Windows sounds. Not a game, but pretty cool. Very loud, though.

Defend Your Castle (Flash) (a favorite)
28 June 05
You pick up the stick men & fling them (very satisfyingly so). It starts out slow, but gets fast. Be sure to read the Help section for tips on all the upgrades. I can't get past level 15, 1443 casualties, with a final score of 164260. It's possible to level 100 if you get your strategy right, but is madenningly frustrating if you get your strategy wrong. Be sure to visit XGenStudios for more games.

tetka.swf (Flash)
27 June 05
Strangely bizarre, and just sleightly morbid. (via ?off)

WEBoggle (DHTML)
23 June 05
A browser based competitive port of the board game Boggle. Enter your name, and start playing. You type the words you find on the board on the keyboard. (via ?off)

Super Mario Pac (Windows)
20 June 05
I don't know if Super Mario has passed into the public domain, but this game is a great example of what can be done with the Mario legacy. It might take a few tries to get what the game is all about, but once you do, it's a fun, simple, interesting, frustrating game. Windows only, sorry _NIX.

The Sith Sense (Flash)
13 June 05
Lord Vader reads your mind. Hilarious. Based on 20Q.net Beat the computer at 20 questions. This program learns as it goes along, so the more people play, the smarter it gets. You can learn more about it here. Experiment in AI asks you the questions. You can also buy the travel version of 20Q.

A Great Idea That's All in the Wrist (HTML)
13 June 05
An article about the inventor of the Joystick. (What, no article on the inventor of the Paddle? Breakout just isn't the same without a paddle.)

Zork Online (HTML)
13 June 05
You are in an open field west of a big white house with a boarded front door. There is a small mailbox here.

Video Game Ads (Windows Media Player)
13 June 05
Classic & modern video game advertisements.

42 Games (Flash)
11 June 05
Utterly annoying HHGG game, but I think you can win a prize if you get good at it.

The Maze (HTML)
11 June 05
"I invite you to enter my Maze. I say it is mine, because despite who else I might be, I am the architect as well as your guide. Your first goal is to find the shortest route through the Maze - a simple task, I assure you, if you know what to look for. I have planted clues throughout for your interpretation - or misinterpretation. Indeed, you will be fascinated by the Maze's ambiguity, stimulated by its mystery, stymied by its riddle. But fear not! I will be with you all the way. Fear not, that is, if you truly believe that my clues or I can be trusted."

Bains (Flash)
02 June 05
My girlfriend's current Orisinal game (see below). It's like SameGame (see below) crossed with a slingshot.

NationStates (HTML)
31 May 05
This was recommended to me a few years ago. Create a nation, design a flag, and by answering questions (I think about 2 a day) your nation grows & develops a character. Inspired by a book called Jennifer Government.

MrWong's Soup'Partments (HTML)
31 May 05
Occupancy is no longer available, but at the time you could design an Isometric apartment for display in this virtual skyscraper. A personal favorite, but not very interactive.

Habbo Hotel (Shockwave)
31 May 05
Isometric virtual chat bar (PG rated). I remember when this was Mobiles Disco.

You Grok? (Flash)
31 May 05
A little more corporate shilling submitted by Rosie via email. This time an intellectual game. Solve the smaller puzzle to help solve the larger puzzle. Definately for the smarty college crowd.

Dyson Telescope Game (Flash)
31 May 05
Okay, it's a corporate shill, but still pretty cool. Can you get the ball in the hole using the push & pull powers of the telescoping Dyson Vacuum Attachments? via ?off. Dyson also has a "steer the ball into the goal" game, which is okay, but only worth a footnote.

ThrowPaper (Flash)
01 January 05
One of life's more pressing concerns - how many paper balls can you get into the waste paper basket under a variety of wind conditions. via ?off.

YAVBW (Flash)
01 January 05
Yet Another Virtual Bubble Wrap. These regenerate after a second, giving lots of satisfying action. No clicking required. I try to see if I can write letters & numbers in the bubble wrap. via ?off.

Home Run (Flash) WALK THE DRUNK HOME
01 January 05
This should keep you entertained for a while. Just move your mouse left and right (no clicking) to keep him walking in a straight line. The object of the game is to keep him walking without falling over, by moving your mouse left and right.
You can't see your cursor, which makes it more difficult. Apparently the record is 82 meters. Via ?off.

South Park Create-A-Character (Flash)
01 January 05
Not exactly a game, but still a good waste of time. You can create your own South Park character. Just screencap it & send it to your friends, use it as an online avatar, whatever. "Version 2" which as far as I can tell is by a different person.

Kitten Cannon (Flash)
01 January 05
A familiar concept, but a bit of a (sick) twist. The name really says it all. Via ?off.

Boxit3D v2 (Java)
01 January 05
Seltar, the author of this game sent this to me. It's a puzzle game where the object is to clear the board of boxes by sliding your box around the screen. The tricky part is, your box only stops when it hits another box, so you have to make sure you end up in the right place to launch off in a new direction.

Orisinal (Flash)
01 January 05
From keithaw: Your list of online games made blogdex today, and looking through it I was astonished to see no mention of Orisinal.com. They are all flash games written by someone named Ferry Halim, and they are quite beautiful as well as enjoyable. Definitely a unique style to his work. This one: http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/g3/floats.htm is the one I am most addicted to.

The Saint (Shockwave)
01 January 05
from quertystar: If you like games this is quite cool - kinda like doom but with stickmen - cleverly done.

Someone keeps stealing my letters... (Flash)
01 January 05
A collaborative magnetic refridgerator lettors. Tres cool. Well, "collaborative" isn't quite the word for it, it's more like "competitive." Hilarious if you can get some friends or acquaintances to visit with you. A personal favorite. Now with 5 fridges!

Escape! (or Dodge) (DHTML)
01 January 05
Click and drag the red block, avoiding all the blue blocks as long as you can.

Wolfenstein 5K (Java)
01 January 05
The classic shooter in 5 kilobytes. It reminds me a bit of Drivey, which is a download, but really impressive.

AddictingGames.com
01 January 05
A whole bunch of simple games, many of them seem like updated versions of old Atari 2600 games.

Ball Revamped 2: metaphysik (Flash)
01 January 05
This game requires a lot of control and a lot of hand-eye coordination. And a lot of rapid button pushing. You "levitate" a ball that's dropping past some obstacle and to the "warp point" - which is the end of the level. Here's a link straight to the flash file so you can play full screen. Ball Revamped II.

Smack the Penguin (Flash)
01 January 05
I'm not gonna tell you how this one works, but ... well, it pretty much lives up to it's name. Timing is everything. Alternate Site

Pass The Pigs (Java)
01 January 05
Ever been to a pig-toss? Me neither. But now you can, virtually, with this craps like dice... er.. pigs game. (Thanks to Rose Wing for the link). Just be sure to turn the sound down if you're at work.

Scorched Earth 2000 (Java, Multi-Player)
01 January 05
I never knew the name for this game. You aim with the arrow keys and every round you get a chance to shoot at your opponents. A direct hit destroys them. This version is multi player, and has chat. (Thanks to Chris Uhler for the mentioning it.)

Son of a Peach (Flash - NSFW?)
01 January 05
Not a game, but a clever cartoon exploring what might have happened after the original Super Mario Brothers. Not exactly safe for work.

Every Video Game (Java)
01 January 05
"Play Nintendo and Sega video games online for free!" Looks like every Nintendo, Sega, Gameboy and a bunch of arcade games playable online for free. I could spend all day just playing 1942.

Space Dudes (Java)
01 January 05
Basically it's a cross between Asteroids and Space Invaders. Fun, clever, and a complete waste of time.
"Space Dudes is a classic arcade-style shooter. Play through 60 levels of manic shoot-em-up action and destroy everything in sight! It's a Java game that you can play right from your browser." (disclaimer: The author e-mailed this one to me.)

Pac-Mondrian (Java)
01 January 05
"Pac-Mondrian closes the perceptual distance between fine art and video games by combining Piet Mondrian's Modernist masterpiece 'Broadway Boogie Woogie' with Toru Iwatani's classic video game Pac-Man."
ATARI = ART + AI (Artificial Intelligence).

Zanpo (Flash)
01 January 05
SecondLife was too complex for me (and at $9.95 a month, not free either), I like Zanpo. It's an isometric pixelart city where you can design buildings, and the community votes on the best ones for inclusion in the city. Then you can walk around the city & talk with the other residents. Perhaps more art than game, it lets you unleash Your Inner Pixel Artist! Create a city for your friends. (disclaimer: The author e-mailed me and asked me to add this one. Lucky for him, I like it.)

DHTML Lemmings™
01 January 05
I'm glad this thing only has about 10 levels per difficulty level or I'd play it all day long. This thing plays exactly like the original, it's awesome. If you don't know about Lemmings, you didn't own a computer in the mid 90's.

Same Game (Java)
01 January 05
I wasted many many hours playing this as an .exe (see my Smallware page for a review). Now thanks to the miracle of the Internet, anyone can play anywhere at any time without even installing the damn thing. This guy has a bunch of other games too.

Daleks (Java)
01 January 05
Oh and I wasted many hours playing this one too as a DOS game. Also see my Smallware page for a review. See if you can get Dr. Who to destroy all the Daleks before they get him. This version is a little different than the one I'm used to, the board is bigger, there are more daleks to start, and you get more sonic screwdrivers than usual. The cool thing is you can test your best scores against anyone else who plays on this site.

Boulderdash (Java)
01 January 05
Classic. I played this in the 1980's on my Atari computer. The goal is to collect all the diamonds while dodging all sorts of obstacles. It's not a joystick fest like it sounds like, it's more of a puzzle game. I remember getting to level N or O regularly "back in the day."

Alchemy (Java)
01 January 05
PopCap games makes some of the most addictive games. Alchemy is one of them. Bejeweled is another. With over a dozen games to choose from, you can't go wrong! (a personal favorite)

Super Maryo World (DHTML)
01 January 05
A clone of Super Mario Brothers written in DHTML of all things. Cute cat. It's a little harder to control than the original, but it's fun. Actually, I never got too far because I couldn't get up enough speed to make some of the bigger jumps. Still, this is quite an amazing feat of HTML. At one point I saw a turtle that hadn't loaded yet.

Legend of the Green Dragon (HTML)
01 January 05
A clone of the old game LoRD (Legend of the Red Dragon). I wouldn't call it addictive, but it's a great distraction while you're supposed to be doing something else. When you're waiting for your computer to do something, you can play a little, and then go back to work. It's better than staring at your computer screen.

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Java)
01 January 05
This classic & hilarious game of the book of the radio show is now available to be played online, via DouglasAdams.com.

Frozen Bubble (Java)
01 January 05
This is that game that was in nearly every arcade and bar for years. The one where there are bubbles and you have to shoot them with more bubbles... If you don't know what I mean, just visit the page.

SimCity Classic Live (Plugin)
01 January 05
You have to register with Maxis (you can use a throwaway email address), but you get to play the original SimCity online. This one is borderline browser based / install because it installs a plugin to your browser.

Independant and Shareware 

Skip to Online & No Install | Independant and Shareware | Abandonware | In Real Life

Danger from the Deep (6 mb download)
10 November 06
WWII submarine sim game.

True Combat: Elite  (400+ mb download)
10 November 06
A free first person shooter. This one looks really good. It's a Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory mod. Check out the image gallery.

TomeNET and Mangband
10 November 06
These are online, multiplayer roguelikes. Roguelikes (see my entry below) are games that use very simple graphics, but have very deep gameplay. ToME is based very closely on the works of J.R.R. Tolkein (in my first game, I was killed by Farmer Maggot's dog). TomeNET is the online, multiplay variant, using the Mangband engine. Play with or against your friends, or make new ones.

Free MMORPGs
03 November 06
Wikipedia has a list of Free MMORPGs. Not all of them are completely free (you may have to pay for premium content, for example), and others (like Entropia Universe) have an economy that uses real money.

Cube
03 November 06
Really nice looking open source First Person Shooter.

Enemy Nations (300MB download)
02 January 06
"Meet interesting people on the Internet, then build big tanks and show the bastards who's boss." A real-time multi-player online strategy now free & available through BitTorrent. (Sorry, haven't played this one, just passing the link on to you strategy freaks out there.)

Knuckles in China Land (install)
02 January 06
Knuckles in China Land is a language-learning RPG. Currently it teaches Japanese, and I think somewhere it mentioned German as well. You might be able to use it to learn anything if you create your own quiz cards. It uses an algorithm called Language 2 Acquisition to ensure optimum learning. If the above link doesn't work, try http://www.kicl.info/ (If I post an educational game, is it still a waste of time?)

5 Best Freeware Games of 2005
29 December 05
A list of 5 of the best freeware games of the year. Nuff said.

Façade
10 December 05
I'm downloading this one now. It's a large (800MB) interactive story that's supposed to go beyond the traditional interactive fiction or point & click games of the past. I guess it's more of an experiment in AI than just being a video game... (via Joystiq)

Super Mario War
10 November 05
"Super Mario War is a Super Mario Deathmatch game.
The goal is to stomp as many other Marios as possible to win the game.
It's a tribute to "Mario War by Samuele Poletto"." (7MB Download, Windows & XBox only)

Silk Road Online
10 November 05
Apparently a gorgeous, free MMORPG where you play in Ancient China. via GamersDaily Check out this screencap.

XP Games
10 November 05
A list of freeware/independant games for Windows XP.

Cloud
04 November 05
A gorgeous game, and an entry into the Independent Games Festival, find the clouds & lead them to each other. File it in the same genre as Katamari Damacy and Ico. 33MB download, Windows only.

Free Multiplayer Online Games
01 November 05
Really impressive list of "free multiplayer online games." MMOs, flight sims, war games, first person shooters. There's a lot here.

Alien Arena
01 November 05
Based on the GLP (open source) source from Id (the guys who made Quake), Alien Arena 2006 is a free, open source multi player shoot-em-up, err, First Person Shooter. Via Joystiq. (Windows & Linux, ~150MB)

Dofus (50MB install)
30 October 05
I've never really played MMORPGS, but this one is free (some advanced features cost money or something) and cute. I'm a total newb. (Windows, Mac & Linux, ~50MB download.) Update: I've reached the edge of the free area. You can wander around outside the town, but any interactions aside from fighting there are off limits. There are some nasty comments about the game on Joystiq today. I guess it doesn't compare to World of Warcraft or something.

Tom's Hardware Ten Free Games Worth Downloading (Windows)
28 June 05
"Most free games are terrible and that's when you can even find them. Type the phrase into a search engine and the water goes murky with links to demos, flash games and a whole lot of online poker. Still, a little patience and a lot of browsing ... brought up a lot of hopefuls. That eventually resulted in this list of ten titles - in no particular order - that you should check out, just to see what gamers are up to in their free time. Trust me, some of these are good enough that you'd like to see them appear in a box one day."

mono
01 January 05
Classic 80's arcade shoot-em-up action, with a stylistic flair for the new millenium. This game is part Astreoids, part 1942, and part abstract art with a slick hip hop feel. Definately worth checking out.

Roguelike Games (wikipedia)
01 January 05

"Rogue-Like" games are role playing games that focus on complexity over graphics. The amount of detail, depth, and options in these games is staggering... there are just no graphics. Unlike big box RPG's you can't play through in a few days, these often require weeks and months to complete. It may take a little effort at first to learn the commands and get used to the fact there are are, essentially, no graphics, but the reward is well worth the initial effort.

Some of the most popular roguelikes include

Graphical variants include

MacGamesAndMore.com (Mac Only)
01 January 05
The owners of MacGamesAndMore pointed me to this site. I don't own a Mac, so I don't know if these are any good.

Baf's Guide to the Interactive Fiction Archive
01 January 05
Often considered the last bastion of independant game making, Interactive Fiction (also called Text Adventure, think Zork) games are made by hobbyists, and some of them are extremely high quality, almost masterpieces of game making. These games are completely text based (which is why they're called Interactive Fiction...), and you have to type in commands such as "go west" or "kill monster" or "inflate raft." Extremely addictive, and will work on nearly every platform under the sun from Windows to Palm and everything in between (usually using an interpreter called a Frotz).

2004 Independant Game of the Year (GameTunnel.com)
01 January 05
These aren't necessarily going to be free, but odds are you haven't heard of these games before. Well, except maybe Gish, which has been getting a lot of press lately.

The Independant Games Festival
01 January 05
Made on a low budget (less then millions of dollars), there are a lot of great independant games out there, like Pontifex and Reiner Knizia's Samurai, and I found them through the IGF.

Tibia
01 January 05
This is a free (there's a pay/premium version) MMORPG. Top down... looks good, I haven't tried it yet.

Epic Pinball (direct download link)
01 January 05
When I first got my computer it was this game & Lemmings that my friends got me in to. This is the shareware version, but the levels that are included are very enjoyable.

Abandonware 

Skip to Online & No Install | Independant and Shareware | Abandonware | In Real Life

Betrayal at Krondor
07 December 05
From Yoda: "Betrayal at Krondor, it's my favorite RPG, it came out in '93 and Sierra released it as freeware when it's sequal came out. note: I can only get it to work with DOSBox."

Abandonia - Abandonware DOS Games (DOS)
24 June 05
Not all of the games are available for download (some are still for sale, or protected under the ESA), but this site has quite a lot of old DOS games, such as Colonization, Civilization 2, and even a very, very old Castle Wolfenstein (check out those graphics!) (via ?off)

PalmMAME (PalmOS)
13 June 05
MAME is an emulator for all those great old arcade games. PalmMAME is a port for the PalmOS.... Play arcade games on your Palm.

Zelda Classic
01 January 05
More than just a Zelda clone, you can make your own quests and share them with your friends.

SkiFree
01 January 05
That strange little windows game has an official homepage by the original author. You gotta love a story that starts with: " In 1991 I was working at Microsoft as a programmer, writing programming utilities for use by other programmers, such as a dialog editor used in the development of Word and Excel." And ends with an animated GIF of two snow monsters humping.

SSI Goldbox games & Unlimited Adventures
01 January 05
The Underdogs have a lot of old SSI games (and other "abandonware" games) available for download, including the wildly popular (think cult favorite) Unlimited Adventures, which allows you to build your own RPG's.

Zork
01 January 05
Available for Zero Zorkmids, play the game that started it all! (Mac too! Probably PDA too if you can hack the .zX file into PalmFrotz or something)

Starsiege: Tribes & Tribes 2
01 January 05
In anticipation of Tribes: Vengeance, Vivendi has released Tribes 1 and 2 for free. Read the press release.

Rockstar Classics - Free Downloads
01 January 05
Download GTA, Wild Metal, and GTA2 for free. It says that not everyone is elligible to download these games (I don't know what their criteria is), and they ask for your name, address, and email. I don't know if trading your address for a game is really "free," but it costs no money at any rate. Don't expect GTA1 to be anything like GTA3, but you might want to check it out anyway.

The Elder Scrolls: Arena
01 January 05
Released in 1993, this first person RPG launched the Elder Scrolls series. From what I hear, the game is huge. Definately a good waste of time.

DOSBox
01 January 05
A DOS emulator for Windows so you can play some of your favorite old DOS games in XP.

In Real Life 

Skip to Online & No Install | Independant and Shareware | Abandonware | In Real Life

Spanish Castle Illusion
29 October 06
This one isn't a game, it's actually a very cool illusion based on the opponent process color theory. You've probably seen ones like it before, but this one is much more sophisticated than the flag or the superman logo. And the fun part is, they give you a tutorial to learn how to make one yourself.

How to Win Every Time in Monopoly
29 October 06
The title says it all.

Says-It.com
29 October 06
Sign generators & talking heads.

Denial of Perspective
22 January 06
No game here, just some cool pictures. Growing up, this is exactly the kind of thing I would have done. You know, if I had the resources.

The Ultimate Showdown (Flash)
22 January 06
Just awsomeness, and since it's a video, that means no getting carpal tunnel syndrome while watching it!

The Eagle_Fire Garfield Randomizer
10 January 06
A while ago I heard an interview with the director of Time Warner: A Life in the Clouds, which spoofs how utterly banal comic books are nowadays, using Garfield as a prime example of a comic that used to be great, but now is just... well, banal. Well, now you get the chance to design your own Garfield comic.

Subway Fun
06 January 06
Mostly for New Yorkers, make your own subway sign to confound your fellow straphangers.

Goocam World Map
06 January 06
A while ago, someone figured out that you could search for a certain phrase and find unprotected webcams (that published pages with that phrase). Well, someone went through the trouble of figuring out where all those webcams were and putting them on a map. For the voyeur in all of us.

Cute Overload
02 January 06
Your co-workers will all gather around your computer and go "awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww". Also check out StuffOnMyCat.com

Chapelle GTA
22 December 05
Dave Chapelle's take on "What if life was like Grand Theft Auto?"

Pac-Man At the University of Michigan Library (quicktime video)
22 December 05
Don't you hate it when you're studying for finals and you notice a ghost trying to chase you down?

Robot PacMan
02 December 05
PacMan has an incredible following. PacMondrian, PacMan on the streets of NYC, and now Robot PacMan. A complete waste of space.

Paper airplane - The best paper airplane
11 November 05
How to build the best paper airplane in the world. This is actually the airplane my friend's dad taught me to make when I was 12, minus the tailpiece. It does fly really well. Uh, Mac, Windows & Linux compatible, but consult your office manager before launching one in the conference room.

Things to do when you're bored - a bumper list of pointless timewasters
06 November 05
Scratch yourself
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)
Go ahead, scratch yourself now. Even if nothing itches, go ahead. Doesn't that feel pretty good?

Hoody Hoo Cartoons!
01 June 05
Cartoons based on the popular (or so we're told) comic strip. Not games, but about gaming. Entertaining at any rate. Another personal favorite. PS, if you like the series, you can buy Hackmaster. It's a real game. Honest.

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page first created on 25 August 04

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