Josh over at Tiny Frog Software has published his list of top games of the 00s.
Since there has been an awful lot of free stuff I've enjoyed this decade, I decided to start just with my top freeware games. I recommend you play them all if you haven't already, so each of these is linked through to a place where it can be downloaded.
10. Seiklus (Cartoon Platformer by Autofish)
A pleasant exploration game set in a non-hostile, cartoony world. The first decent game I played that was made in GameMaker!
9. Afterburner 3D (Shooter by Brodaroda)
An exciting 3D remake of the Sega classic, not too dissimilar to Afterburner Climax which was released later. Difficult to get to work on Vista I'm afraid.
8. Ben Jordan series (Horror Adventure by Grundislav Games)
A series of ten games (Still in production) about the adventures of a sensitive, new age kind of guy who travels around the world solving cases about the paranormal, while uncovering the truth behind a globe spanning conspiracy.
7. Robocop 2D Trilogy (Sci-Fi Shooter by Park Productions)
A trilogy of shooter games based on the classic Robocop games by Data East and Ocean. The first was an adaptation of the first film, the second introduces Robocop to the Terminator universe and the third is an original story. The third game is bit of a let down, but the other two are utterly brilliant.
6. Mondo Nation (Art Puzzle by Cactus)
A series of bizarre first person games that revolve around illogical puzzles, featuring greyscale environments, people with televisions for heads and endings that come out of the left field. If David Lynch was a video game designer, this is what he would make.
5. 1213 (Sci-Fi Platformer by Yahtzee)
A highly experimental platformer developed in the Adventure Game Studio engine(!) 1213 is a tale about an amnesiac prisoner who seeks to discover the circumstances behind his incarceration, only to discover a horrific secret about the fate of humanity. The special edition, which includes Yahtzee's fascinating commentary, is now free as well.
4. Pleurghburg: Dark Ages (Horror Adventure by Gaspop)
Okay, it has terrible graphics and a silly name, but Pleurghburg is a gripping, full length Crime drama set in the not to distant future. Features a day-night cycle, occasional action sequences and CSI style investigations.
3. Jet Set Willy Online (Cartoon Platformer by Ovine by Design)
An insane concept - take a ZX Spectrum classic and make it multiplayer capable - somehow became one of my favorite online games ever. Instantly accessible to casuals, but with enough depth and variety to keep hardcore players entertained.
2. Chzo Mythos (Horror Adventure by Yahtzee)
A series of brilliant horror adventure games revolving around the machinations of the pain elemental Chzo and his slaves, who are opposed by the gentleman thief Trilby and others across a timespan of centuries.
1. Cave Story (Cartoon Platformer by Pixel)
An incredibly well polished Japanese platformer in the Metroidvania subgenre. Cave Story is the bittersweet tale of an amnesiac robot who wakes up in a cave and has to fight to save his new friends. Not just the best freeware game of the 00s, but it may be the best freeware game of all time. A commercial Wiiware version is on the horizon.
(Honourable mentions: Adventures in the Galaxy of Fantabulous Wonderment, Head over Heels, Highway Pursuit)
Well, that is it! I know most people seem to rave about Knytts Stories and Spelunky as being some of the best freeware of all time, but I am ashamed to admit I have never gotten around to spending much time with either of them.
Maybe soon I'll be releasing my list of favorite commercial games of the 00s. Stay tuned.
Comments
5 Days a Stranger didn't make it?
Of course it did, read number 2.
Out of the freeware games, I also enjoyed Adventures in the Galaxy of Fantabulus wonderment and Kynatt stories. As much as everyone else seems to rave about it, I just couldn't get into Dwarf Fortress, which will probably make a decent number of Top Ten Freeware lists of the decade.
Cheers Josh, forgot about Adventures in the Galaxy of Fantabulous Wonderment (say that five times fast!). I've added an honourable mentions part to the post, which will no doubt be added to as I think of more games that I forgot about!
Oh right.. I read that one before and had no idea that you meant the entire series. I thought it was just a game not game and/or series list.
Maybe a steam like program for free games would be nice? Make it easy to find/search/download/play ect?
A Steam type program for free games would be nice, I was thinking much the same thing recently.
Possibly something forked from a Linux repository system?
Well, a forked linux repo management application + package manager.. I think something like that already exists, you just have to find it again.. (I lost it.)
Microsoft really needs to open up their own 'shopping' applet.
It exists.. So you should encourage people to hijack it to a degree.
I think Microsoft do have a shopping site for Windows Mobile apps (Which was a response to the iTunes app store) but it'd be nice to get something for Windows itself.
Hrm. I don't think MS could successfully implement a well controlled store. Too many independent parties have basically complete control of your system as soon as you run their 'EXE' file. No one would want to be subjugated.
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