[Profesh]

I'll start:

UFO: Alien Invasion is a computer game in which the player fights aliens that are trying to take control of the Earth.
The game is heavily influenced by the X-COM series, mostly by X-COM: UFO Defense. It is based on a modified id Tech 2, and runs on Linux, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X for both PPC and Intel Macs. It was nominated for "Best project for Gamers" in the Sourceforge 2007 and 2008 Community Choice Awards.

Most aspects of the game are still in an evolutionary development, but it should be considered a fully playable game. Currently, version 2.2.1 is the most up to date version (released 29 April 2008). Licensed under the GNU General Public License, UFO: Alien Invasion’s engine is free software, but it includes media under other licenses, including the non-free CC Sampling+. Development is coordinated through SourceForge.net.

[...]

It is the year 2084. You control a secret organisation charged with defending Earth from a brutal alien enemy. Build up your bases, prepare your team, and dive head-first into the fast and flowing turn-based combat.

UFO: Alien Invasion is a squad-based tactical strategy game in the tradition of the old X-COM PC games, but with a twist. The game combines military realism with hard science-fiction and the weirdness of an alien invasion. The carefully constructed turn-based system gives the player pin-point control of his/her squad while maintaining a sense of pace and danger.

Over the long term the player will need to conduct research into the alien threat to figure out their mysterious goals and use their powerful weapons for your own ends. He/she will produce unique items and use them in combat against your enemies.

The game takes a lot of inspiration from the X-COM series by Mythos and Microprose. However, it's neither a sequel nor a remake of any X-COM or other commercial title. "What we as a team wanted to make is a brand new experience that tries to surpass the quality of games from 1992, rather than simply recreate them with flashier graphics."

Download it here.

[Dalimyr]

Title edited. No abandonware allowed, guys (I realise it's a technicality but it isn't legal, hence we don't allow it on TSR)

Also, from past experience of similar threads, I imagine there will occasionally be disputes regarding anything that's free but was formerly a commercial title (e.g. it's quite widely-known that Rockstar North have re-released Grand Theft Auto 1 and 2 for free (only for download from their site, mind) as a promotional thing for their more recent titles, San Andreas and GTA IV). I doubt anyone will be reading this but just so I can state it clearly in the thread, if you get a warning for something like this then please go to AAM to dispute your warning but be sure to present evidence (web links to reliable sources ) that the publishers/developers have allowed the game to be distributed for free. If you cannot do this then your warning will not be removed.

(Original post by Profesh)
I remember the original 'Democracy'; wasn't its principal developer a child-prodigy of some sort?

Its only developer, actually Positech was founded in 1997 by Cliff Harris (who's worked with the likes of Peter Molyneux's Lionhead Studios and the now-sadly-defunct Elixir Studios) and to this day he remains the sole employee of the company. Don't know about him being a child prodigy or anything, but he sure as hell has a talent for making games

[Dalimyr]

1213
5 Days A Stranger
6 Days A Sacrifice
7 Days A Skeptic

A Blurred Line
Alien Shooter: Vengeance
America's Army
Armagetron

Battle For Wesnoth
Battlefield: Heroes [Free Plus Microtransactions]
Battleships Forever
Bear Go Home

Combat Arms
Command & Conquer [Former Commercial]
Cortex Command [Not Free]

Democracy 2 [Not Free]
Desktop Tower Defense
Dwarf Fortress

FreeCiv
Frets On Fire

Gelatin Joe
Grand Theft Auto [Former Commercial]
Grand Theft Auto 2 [Former Commercial]

Knytt Stories

Liero [Broken Link]

MASQ

Narbacular Drop

Quake: Live

Phun

Ragnarawk

Soldat
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Restoration Project [Mod - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords]
StepMania
Streets Of Rage Remake
Synaesthete

Tamriel Rebuilt [Mod - Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind]
Toblo
Trilby: The Art Of Theft
Trilby's Notes

UFO: Alien Invasion

Within A Deep Forest
World Of Goo [Not Free]

Zak McKracken 2



Key (though most are self-explanatory):
[Broken Link] = Link provided to game in the post does not work.
[Former Commercial] = Game was formerly a commercial title available on shop shelves, but has been re-released for free.
[Free Plus Microtransactions] = Something big publishers are toying with at the minute, they give you the base game for free, but there are things in the game you have to pay to acquire. These are usually cosmetic and have no effect on gameplay, to make playing fair to those who don't have money to burn.
[Mod - [Game Title]] = A modification for a game (almost invariably a commercial game). Requires the mentioned game to run.
[Not Free] = Game is independent/shareware. It may have a free demo, but you'll have to pay to get the full game.


(Last updated 19:34, 21/04/09 - up to post 61)

[Jace Falco]

Not free, but independent.

Do you crave power? Could you do a better job of running the country than the people currently in charge? Are you sick of corrupt politicians making stupid decisions that benefit only themselves? Could you keep enough of the population happy to win re-election, and still turn around the economy and deal with the national debt? Be warned it's not as easy as it sounds...
Democracy 2 is the ultimate political strategy / simulation game. Based on a complex Neural network, the game simulates the motivations, loyalties and desires of everyone in the country. As president or prime minister, it's your job to balance the need for income from taxes against the demands of the voters. Do you want your country to be an eco-friendly green paradise? or a socialist utopia? Will you pander to the patriots, the liberals or the religious pressure groups? Can you keep crime under control without destroying the civil liberties of your citizens?

Download here.

[The Fat Controller]

Free:

Armagetron is a multiplayer game in 3d that attempts to emulate and expand on the lightcycle sequence from the movie Tron. It's an old school arcade game slung into the 21st century. Highlights include a customizable playing arena, HUD, unique graphics, and AI bots. For the more advanced player there are new game modes and a wide variety of physics settings to tweak as well.

http://www.armagetronad.net/downloads.php

[Profesh]

Think Diablo II, but with guns:

Alien Shooter: Vengeance is a third-person shooter PC action game that was created by the "Sigma Team" company and released in 2006. It is a large-scale sequel to Alien Shooter. The game combines elements of arcade action and RPG games.

[...]

21st century. The M.A.G.M.A. Energy Corporation sends its mercenaries to the top secret object. Awful and dangerous experiments were held there and now they are beyond control. The hero must complete their tasks destroying anything and anyone in their path.

[...]

The player will find well-built plot line with several ways to pass, many additional quests, ability to choose and upgrade the character.
The most impressive technical innovations are:
- dynamic shadows and lighting;
- about 10 000 monsters on each map, showing up to 100 monsters simultaneously on one playing screen;
- natural phenomena (fog, rain, water);
- NPC characters;
You will also find:
- more than 50 types of weapons - now you can not just kill but also burn, freeze and even diminish the enemies;
- more than 20 types of useful gadgets - from flash lights, radars and medkits to battle drones;
- 3 game modes: Campaign, Survive and Network game;

And, to crown it all, dynamic music and sound effects.

Download the demo here.

[Profesh]

(Original post by Jace Falco)
Not free, but independent.



Download here.

I remember the original 'Democracy'; wasn't its principal developer a child-prodigy of some sort?

[c2uk]

Zak McKracken 2

A fan sequel to Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

You enjoy playing classic adventure-games like Monkey Island, Indiana Jones or Zak McKracken? You are really eager to save the world with pure brain-power?

If you answered all these questions with a “hell yeah!" – then you have reached your destination. The world is in danger once again and who else but the charming office bore Zak McKracken would be better suited for investigating what is going on out there?!

“Zak McKracken: Between Time and Space” is an unofficial sequel of the adventure-classic “Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders” which was released in 1988. We (a bunch of adventure-fans) made it our task to use the theme of this impressive cult-game and create a sequel which follows in the footsteps of the classic adventure games, but at the same time delivers a brand new experience.

Good graphic, good story and challenging quests.

More here

[Choad]

freeciv - it's civilzation! woop!

battle for wesnoth - a fantasy tbs rpg tpye thing, hotseat multiplayer too.

frets on fire - rock out with your keyboard (guitar hero clone). this game contains more awesome than any other free game

desktop tower defense - flash game, super addictive!

[chaywa]

A Blurred Line
Genre - RPG
Review - http://www.m2kbrothers.com/Site/ABL21Review.php
Download - http://www.reloaded.org/download/A-Blurred-Line/269/ (Click Download in Bottom Right Corner)
Requires - RPG Maker 2k/2k3 - http://www.crankeye.com/index.php?page=downloads

Personal Review - In my eyes this stands tall as one of my favourite RPGs of all time. Highly engaging in the plot department, mixed in with some fantastic (simple yet rather deep) gameplay options that's reminiscient of the likes of Golden Sun, set in a cyberpunk dystopia. Trumps most FF games in my eyes (sits on par with V, lagging just behind IV, VI and IX), which is testament to the greatness of this little title. You will get a lot of mileage out of this gem.

[Jace Falco]

I just remembered these. The Chzo Mythos, or the John DeFoe series, is one of the best adventure games I've played in a while. The storyline is amazingly well written, intriguing and frightening. I was hooked from the first, and all else came second for a while until I completed them all.

5 Days a Stranger

7 Days a Skeptic

Trilby's Notes

6 Days a Sacrifice

Don't be put off by the change from the first to the second, second to third, and third to fourth. It's worth it, and you do get it after a while. The way everything links together is so brilliantly thought out; the kind of story where events, even apparently inconsequential ones, from the first installment appear in the last. All free as well!

[Profesh]

Ah, you (both) beat me to it.

[Nude]

I have played every FPS under the sun - free and paid for. And i STILL believe AA:Online (Americas Army) to be by far the greatest. It is free.

http://www.americasarmy.com/

beware - if you are used to joke that is CS et all - you will very likely get your ass handed to you in AA for the first couple of weeks, at least. No Health packs (a couple of players are designated 'medics' before every round, this just means they have the ability to use a limited number of medic packs, which do nothing more than stop bleeding), no ammo pick-ups. The only way to get more ammo is to pick a gun from a corpse, or for an ally to drop one they have picked up. No respawn - if you die, youre dead till the round is over (i.e. when the enemy team dies, or when the objective has been completed). People play this game pretty seriously. It truly requires skill - a headshot is a headshot, with any gun. If a bullet hits your head, you die. If a bullet hits anywhere else, you bleed (the more damage you take, the slower you walk/hobble - if you start bleeding whilst already on low health, you will bleed to death unless a medic is around to patch you up).

The game was developed by the US Army as a training tool for soldiers - so the emphasis is on simulation, which results in a beautiful experience. However, it was also released into the public domain, and was overrun by non-army people, making the game far better.

Plethora of weapons and maps. Map editors etc. You will need a fairly decent system to run it smoothly - i'd reccomend at least 2ghz, 2gb ram, and 5 or 6 series nvidia or equivalent. The website also offers some of teh best Clan facilities of any game, with tournaments and such all the time.

Also - cheating is virtually non-existent, the PB system they have works extremely well (there are websites/apps which allow you to view the screen of any player playing AA at any time - cheaters never escape).


So, download the game - learn to play clever, aim for the head always and first.


Oh, you will have to go through a somewhat tedius "training" program thing before being allowed to play proper (i think you can still play without having done it, but only as an infantry with an M16 - everyone completes training just so they get to play Sniper and "G" - same as an M16 but with a grenade launcher attached to it - very fun). Start on the map "Bridge Crossing" - its a good place to get used to the basics of play-styles etc, and many people strictly play that map for years for the unique play dynamics. Its all about psychology.

[Profesh]

Independent, and free:

Battleships Forever is an IGF award-nominated freeware real-time tactics video game set in a futuristic space environment inspired by Warning Forever. It is currently in beta phase. Players control a variety of spaceships and must position them to maximize damage on opposing ships and minimize damage to their own ships utilizing a wide variety of tactics and vessel sub-systems.

[...]

Players can embark on a single-player campaign, play four different scenarios, or use a free-form "sandbox" gameplay mode. The game is played in 2D, with ships designed using raster graphics that resemble vector graphics. Battleships Forever lacks resource management, and play centers on the positioning of ships to attain the best tactical solutions. The campaign begins with the player being issued a single ship, with more ships being added both during and between missions. Several grouped warships can be commanded at once, or individual turrets can be selected and issued attack commands. All, even the smallest ships, are separated into sections, each of which can be individually targeted and destroyed. The ships are separated into 3 categories: patrol craft (or frigates), destroyers, and battleships. Patrol craft tend to be small, with only 2 sections, and fast with 2-3 weapons and little to no defense. Destroyers are larger, 4-8 section craft with some active and passive defences, but tend to focus on firepower. Battleships are highly specialized, with some acting as massive mobile shields for other vessels and others as heavy assault ships, able to focus comparatively huge amounts of firepower on a single target or multiple targets. One of the larger battleships, the Cronus, also carries a flux projector, which allow players to draw their own defense layout within set parameters using their mouse. Among other modules with special functions are several kinds of 'deflectors', which can render sections of ships invulnerable. Some defensive ships can also intercept and destroy enemy fire with their own weapons. Since ships are constructed from individual sections, if one section is destroyed the ship can continue to function. A ship editor is included with the game, which allows the player to design custom ships, which can be uploaded to the developer's website to share with other players. These ships can be used with the game's various 'skirmish' scenarios in place of the normally available selection of vessels (though any scores attained through the use of this feature are not valid and cannot be uploaded to the high score database), or spawned within the 'sandbox', which includes a number of special options not available in the other game modes, such as the ability to spawn asteroids and meteors.

Download it here.

[Profesh]

(Original post by Dalimyr)
Title edited. No abandonware allowed, guys (I realise it's a technicality but it isn't legal, hence we don't allow it on TSR)

Also, from past experience of similar threads, I imagine there will occasionally be disputes regarding anything that's free but was formerly a commercial title (e.g. it's quite widely-known that Rockstar North have re-released Grand Theft Auto 1 and 2 for free (only for download from their site, mind) as a promotional thing for their more recent titles, San Andreas and GTA IV). I doubt anyone will be reading this but just so I can state it clearly in the thread, if you get a warning for something like this then please go to AAM to dispute your warning but be sure to present evidence (web links to reliable sources ) that the publishers/developers have allowed the game to be distributed for free. If you cannot do this then your warning will not be removed.

Its only developer, actually Positech was founded in 1997 by Cliff Harris (who's worked with the likes of Peter Molyneux's Lionhead Studios and the now-sadly-defunct Elixir Studios) and to this day he remains the sole employee of the company. Don't know about him being a child prodigy or anything, but he sure as hell has a talent for making games

With hindsight, I may have been mistaking it for this (which was conceived and designed by a precocious adolescent who went on to achieve seven A-Levels).

On an unrelated note; would it be asking the Earth, Moon and/or stars for you to 'sticky' this thread?

[Dalimyr]

Asking a bit much at the minute since it only has 15 posts If it gets a bit more popular (I'll add a few recommendations of my own later), I'll take it into consideration, though

[omicronlyrae]

I've got a few things to add to this thread, i just need to go and find the links.

[Profesh]

(Original post by Dalimyr)
Asking a bit much at the minute since it only has 15 posts If it gets a bit more popular (I'll add a few recommendations of my own later), I'll take it into consideration, though

Good-o.

[Profesh]

Independent, and basically free:

Soldat (meaning "soldier" in Russian, among other languages) is a Polish 2D multiplayer game for Windows. It is a side-scroller inspired by Liero and Scorched Earth, combined with elements from Counter-Strike and Worms. The game is shareware. Registration unlocks extra aesthetic options, such as colored jet flames and custom interfaces. The latest version, 1.4.2, also includes a minimap and changeable screen resolution for registered users. It can also be played on Linux using Wine.

[...]

In Soldat, the player controls a small customizable soldier who possesses jet boots. These boots allow the soldier to fly for a relatively short time, before needing to automatically regenerate their fuel. The amount of flying possible at a time, and fuel regeneration rate, both depend on individual maps. The game is normally played over the Internet or a LAN, but it is possible to play offline against bots. There are a variety of game modes to choose from, ranging from the popular free-for-all (DeathMatch, RamboMatch, and PointMatch) to the team-based (Capture the Flag; sometimes in the CTF mode the "black team" (Michal Marcinowski team) is on-line, Infiltration, TeamMatch, and Hold the Flag). In some modes holding or defending a flag is the primary goal, where in others it is simply to obtain the most frags, with minor objectives (for example, PointMatch sports a yellow flag which doubles its bearer's points). The most popular game modes are Capture the Flag and DeathMatch.
For all game modes, the basic objective is to kill enemy players. Upon spawning, the player is presented with a large arsenal of weapons to choose from. A few frag grenades are also supplied by default and more can picked up from boxes found on the ground ("GrenadeKits," respectively). Jet boots are used to move around the map, which typically consists of 2-3 levels/floors, or disorganized, floating boulders. Some servers enable temporary-lasting power-ups that grant multiplied damage (Berserker), invisibility (Predator), a flamethrower along with temporary invincibility (FlameGod), or Cluster Grenades (which temporarily replace regular grenades with three of more powerful, modified versions) or even a Bulletproof Vest (effectiveness of the vest depends on the distance from the firer of the bullet, and the vest slowly decreases as it soaks up damage, disappearing after absorbing a certain amount of damage, though there is no time limit). Health crates (known in the game as "Medikits") are available in many locations for healing injury back to 100% no matter how much a player is injured. Upon death and after waiting for a server-specified amount of time (on average 5 seconds), players respawn and may choose another weapon—this cycle repeats for the duration of the map, unless Survival Mode is enabled (in which case a spawning system similar to Counter-Strike is used). After a certain allotted time (on average 15 or 20 minutes), the map changes and scores are reset as players continue in another round. Players can chat with each other throughout matches (and to their own teams, for cooperative team-based game modes).
Most games are fast-paced and chaotic. Bodies often explode in a spectacle of blood and body parts, sometimes being hurled clear across the map. Besides its ragdoll physics, the game's engine, written in the Borland Delphi programming language, employs realistic concepts such as momentum and gravity. Fall damage and recoil are also taken into account when Realistic Mode is enabled, and supply crates, dropped weapons, and grenades realistically tumble down steep hills; another effect is the flag's realistic waving as a player runs with it.

Download it here.

[JammyP]

Independent, not free however (there is a demo available)

World of Goo. There are some reviews on the site, basically all positive

From the Wikipedia entry:

The game is built around the idea of creating large structures using balls of goo. It is based on the prototype game Tower of Goo[8] developed for Kyle Gabler's rapid game prototyping Experimental Gameplay Project. The game is divided into five chapters, each containing several levels. Each level has its own graphical and musical theme, giving it unique atmosphere.[4] There is also a bonus meta-game called World of Goo Corporation, where the objective is to build the highest tower using goo balls which the player collected through the course of the game. Players from all over the world can compete, as the height of the tower and number of goo balls used are being constantly uploaded to the 2D Boy server.

Objective:

The main objective of the game is to get a requisite number of goo balls to the pipe representing the exit. In order to do so, the player must use their various abilities to build bridges, towers and other structures to overcome gravity and various terrain difficulties such as chasms, hills, spikes or cliffs. Extra Goos recovered in the pipe are pumped through to the World of Goo Corporation, a sandbox area where the objective is to build a tower taller than those of other players of the game, whose towers are represented by respectively named clouds floating at altitudes corresponding to their height.[9]Players who wish for a challenge can try to unlock all the "Obsessive Completion Distinction (OCD) Flags" - which are given for having completed levels under more stringent criteria.[10], like using a minimum amount of Goo Balls, beating it in under a certain time, and using as few moves as possible.

Levels and chapters in the game are interspersed with cut scenes.

There are many types of goo balls in the game and each of them has unique abilities. The player needs to exploit their combinations in order to complete each of the levels.

The Wiiware version includes multiplayer with up to four people on the same Wii.

A few Screenies:




You can download the demo here

The full game is $20 and is very much worth it!