Free games

[Zerush]

I played it, in those years it was a real sensation, far ahead of its time. Too bad Shiny didn't survive long after MDK 2. This and other games they created, such as Earthworm Jim, were sold to Interplay Inc at the end of the 90. MDK, this gem is now archived as abandonware and freely downloadable from several sites, or playable like here, in the browser. The marvelos soundtrack in YT, Spotify, Soundcloud and some others.

[jaxa]

Tales Beyond The Tomb - Pineville Night Stalker

https://slickdeals.net/f/18073267-tales-beyond-the-tomb-pineville-night-stalker-episode-1-pc-digital-game-free

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3288180/Tales_Beyond_The_Tomb__Pineville_Night_Stalker/

[revelator]

hehe MDK was pretty funny indeed to bad it runs like a.. on modern computers.

need a framerate limiter for one otherwise it runs way to fast, also has other problems.

well atleast i can run it on my retro pc

[revelator]

as for retro games i recently started playing prototype 1 and 2 and they are quite fun .

A bit like infamous though instead of superpowers you get viral powers .

[Zerush]

12 hours ago, revelator said:

hehe MDK was pretty funny indeed to bad it runs like a.. on modern computers.

need a framerate limiter for one otherwise it runs way to fast, also has other problems.

well atleast i can run it on my retro pc

(??) The Browser version works fine and flawless on my laptop (16GB AMD Ryzen, AMD Radeon GPU, ~600 Mbs internet speed), maybe it has a framerate limiter, it's not too fast.

Edited January 30, 2025 by Zerush

[revelator]

No the original newer tried the browser version but i do have the original cd.

can get around some of it with dgvoodoo2 and an asi limiter mod, but the (original) old game runs quite bad on modern hardware (mostly due to these old programs not being dpi aware and having certain problems with directx which dgvoodoo fixes a good deal of).

[Zerush]

4 hours ago, revelator said:

No the original newer tried the browser version but i do have the original cd.

can get around some of it with dgvoodoo2 and an asi limiter mod, but the (original) old game runs quite bad on modern hardware (mostly due to these old programs not being dpi aware and having certain problems with directx which dgvoodoo fixes a good deal of).

I¡ve also the original CD, but CD units rare in current laptops. Because of this it was a nice surprise to find the full game to play in the browser (the site use an DOS Box emulator)

[jaxa]

58 minutes ago, Zerush said:

Because of this it was a nice surprise to find the full game to play in the browser (the site use an DOS Box emulator)

These sites are basically abandonware pirate sites, definitely infringement, and are only "free games" in that sense. Not that I care, I used them to play a few side scrollers, and even CD games like Shivers. Bandwidth is so cheap these days that nobody cares if you effectively download a several hundred megabyte CD and throw it away repeatedly.

If games seem slow, try Ctrl+F12, the increase cycles shortcut. You probably won't see an indicator like you would get in an actual DOSBox window, but you'll feel the difference or not.

https://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Performance

[Zerush]

MDK anyway isn't a pirated game in this page, because it was catalogized Abandonware long ago, the company Shiny sadly not exists since may years ago, it was bought by another company which also not longer exist. Because of this there are also several sites where you can download the game for free, but this, it won't longer work in a modern PC.

The alternative is to buy the combo MDK I+II in Steam (€9.99) where it works with an emulator by Steam in current PCs

Specs (somewhat better than a Toaster)

Pentium 300Mhz 64MB RAM HD 650MB

[chakkman]

1 hour ago, Zerush said:

MDK anyway isn't a pirated game in this page, because it was catalogized Abandonware long ago, the company Shiny sadly not exists since may years ago, it was bought by another company which also not longer exist. Because of this there are also several sites where you can download the game for free, but this, it won't longer work in a modern PC.

Not that I want a big discussion about it, but, that's the problem with the designation "abandonware". It's not something you can just decide, because the developer or publisher has gone bust, and nobody really knows who owns the I.P. It is highly unlikely that you can offer it legally as a download. Actually, I'm 100% sure that it's not legal. Such sites just offer it, and don't care about the legality.

[revelator]

Aye not really abandoned even though the developer no longer exists someone out there has the legal rights even if they dont care that much about it being downloaded for free. Still be carefull even if it is unlikely that the rights holder will go to court over it (it does cost money to make a case) but anyway.

This is just advise and take it as such :).

[revelator]

oh and my retro pc has a dvd unit in full working order it can even burn new cd's/dvd's if i so choose.

actually not to shabby for a retro machine it runs both xp and win 98 though win98 can only use one core of the core2 quad it is fitted with (took quite some patching to get it to run on it at all). the gfx card is a geforce 6800 ultra which only runs up to direct x9 but is massively powerfull in it. it runs crysis (the original) with all bells and whistles on in ultra with plenty of headroom. farcry 1 also works like a charm with this setup. I use it mostly with old games that are to finicky to get running on modern machines, even using emulators etc.

as for ram it has 8gb which is kinda overkill for the 32 bit win9x and xp since they can only use 4 gb's well 9x can actually only use about 3 gb. i could add a vista 64 os to the menagerie so that i could get some use out of them.

it can actually run win10 but it is rather slow on the aging core 2.

[revelator]

tried win 7 on it just for fun and it runs pretty well though a bit on slow side booting as this pc uses mechanical harddrives. threw dark sector on it because i had some problems running it on my ultrawide and 4k screen and it runs quite good to on xp.

should be pretty cheap for anyone interrested to throw together a retro box, the parts are usually cheap as dirt even the 6800 ultra can be had for a pittance these days.

win98 can actually also use the 700x series from geforce but not the 800x series win9x has no support for the cuda driver needed with those cards. the ati's from that time are also an option but performance wise they cant hold up to the geforce cards but who gives a damn with games on win9x .

i dont mind giving advise for those who want to try building one as the specifications are a bit strict if you want the latest and greatest hardware that is compatible with win9x. also some of the hardware needs patched drivers if say you want to use sata with win9x (yes it is possible i use it) . for soundcard use creative pcie128 for max compatibility. gfx card geforce 600x series or ati from around that time. 700x series if your board has pcie.

cpu it does run on the core2 series but win9x is limited to one core, you could also go with a pentium model with one core but if you intend to dual boot with xp or maybe 7 the core 2 is better. harddrives with unpatched drivers you are limited to PATA with the patched ones you can actually run win9x on an ssd but this might be to fast for some and also makes it a living hell to debug if some driver burps. ram DDR1 or DDR2 with specs matching the board.

[chakkman]

Not quite free, but, if you're subscribed to Amazon Prime, you can get some nice freebies on Prime Gaming: https://gaming.amazon.com/home

Among others: Deus Ex - Game of The Year Edition, Bioshock Infinite, Bioshock 2, Blood West, The Talos Principle - Gold Edition, and The Outer Worlds (Ok, that one is mediocre at best...) - all on GOG.

[jaxa]

The last 48 hours is the first time many have heard of Prime Gaming because of this doing the rounds:

https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/amazon-apparently-thought-it-was-gonna-compete-with-steam-since-the-orange-box-but-prime-gamings-former-vp-admits-that-gamers-already-had-the-solution-to-their-problems/

https://hothardware.com/news/amazons-losing-war-with-steam

[chakkman]

Just like Epic Games, they all want to beat Steam, but don't even come remotely close.

[jaxa]

Golden Light 100% off on Steam

Free to keep when you get it before Feb 24 @ 1:00pm.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1245430/Golden_Light/

[Zerush]

 

Townscaper

Quote

A stripped-back browser version of the popular indie game. Townscaper is the ultimate desktop toy. If you need something relaxing to play with, there are no complex rules here, and not even that much of a UI—just a color palette and the mouse buttons to let you paint an ocean canvas with your very own seaside vacation spot. There's a simple joy to Townscaper, which is essentially a simple but elegant creativity tool. It's the perfect pick for brief respites with soothing music.

 

Maybe also valid as an fast and easy design, inspiration for an TDM Town

[jaxa]

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy (1999)

100% off on GOG, Offer ends in: 2d 22h 31m 01s

https://www.gog.com/en/game/amerzone_the_explorer_legacy
https://www.gog.com/giveaway/claim

 

[chakkman]

Thanks!

I saw that a remake is coming soon, and, was wondering how the original is. Pretty sure I like it, as I like the other games of the same developer as well.

[jaxa]

Also on Steam. Someone is complaining it doesn't work well on modern systems.

https://slickdeals.net/f/18194152-amerzone-the-explorer-s-legacy-1999-pc-digital-download-free

https://store.steampowered.com/app/302190/Amerzone_The_Explorers_Legacy_1999/

[chakkman]

I just played it for an hour or so, and, I really like it. Nice game, and very nice freebie.

[taffernicus]

On 3/22/2025 at 1:29 AM, jaxa said:

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy (1999)

100% off on GOG, Offer ends in: 2d 22h 31m 01s

https://www.gog.com/en/game/amerzone_the_explorer_legacy
https://www.gog.com/giveaway/claim

 

i am short on what game to play , this game looks good

much appreciated

[Zerush]

On 3/21/2025 at 7:29 PM, jaxa said:

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy (1999)

100% off on GOG, Offer ends in: 2d 22h 31m 01s

https://www.gog.com/en/game/amerzone_the_explorer_legacy
https://www.gog.com/giveaway/claim

 

A nice one, and yes, it remembers a bit of the Myst/Riven series.

[Zerush]

Nice little Adventure game (~1h) to play just in the browser, Blue Cyber

Blue Cyber is a VR Game Series

Decades ago, the Locusts began to spread across the galaxy. Nothing could stop them. In a desperate final effort to slow their advance, a spell was cast to imprison all life outside the planet Cobalt in stone. This spell is only temporary, and the Locusts will return soon.

Don't have a headset? Play on desktop or mobile.

Edited March 30, 2025 by Zerush