Game Scout: Free Games

Article and Media by Zach Bonner.

Are you bored? Are you broke? Are you BOTH??? Well my friend, you’ve come to the right place! Whether you like strategy, shooters, tower defense, RPG, or MMO, I’ll do my best to find something you can lose track of time playing.

Hawken (FPS) 

A Mech Warrior style game, with a squad based feel. It has a similar game play style to Battlefield, but an infinitely smaller price-tag.

The game is still new, but the controls are mostly intuitive, the environment is easy to navigate, and the game play is excellent. Even the graphics on this game are top notch. The action is fast paced and there are several modes of play, so staying interested is easy.

Assault Cube (FPS)

An older game, with dated graphics and gameplay, but still a great game for a group of friends, or a more laid-back player. The rounds are shorter than a more complex first person shooter, and the weapons and controls are simple.

A great casual game, but not likely to keep the attention of a more serious gamer.

League of Legends (RTS RPG)

An addictive and exciting game, with an ever-growing following. Based on the game play style of DOTA,  League is easy to learn but hard to master, especially with the ever changing lineup of free heroes to choose from. A match starts with every character at level 1, and maxing out at 18. You go head to head against other players to knock out towers and other critical structures. Every character has a different skill set, and several possible ways to play with them.

Game play is fast and aggressive, and can become very competitive. If you like a slower game, or find yourself easily stressed by aggravated teammates, this may not be the game for you.

Bloons TD (RTS Tower Defense)

Do you like monkeys? Do you enjoy defending the world from murderous balloons? You may have found your calling. This game is addictive, having consumed many hours of my life, and the lack of gore or human opponents makes it great for a more casual player.

The artwork is fun and the game is well constructed for a flash game. They have also made several sequels,  all the way up to Bloons 5. And in my humble opinion, each has been better than the last.

Anti-Idle (Idler) 

This game is great for a person stuck at an office job, or who enjoys just a few minutes on a game per day. Why is that? The game plays itself while you’re gone. Not as well as you can as the player, but you continue to progress even when you are taking care of responsibilities or hanging out with your friends.

The game starts out slow, and you don’t unlock some of the more interesting features until much later on, so the game can feel like it’s dragging from time to time, so if you prefer action, or adventure, I would recommend Hawken, League, or Path of Exile.

Dwarfs (RTS) 

A great game for the aspiring king of the ant world. This game starts slowly each match, but by the end of the round, you will find yourself frantically trying to seal off lava and water leaks, and curing the drunken miners who dig their chaotic and relentless tunnels.

One of the biggest perks of this game is the ability to select a match length. Only have 10 minutes? You have time for a full match. Want to play for a whole hour? That is also quite possible (though I doubt most of you will be able to win that length)

Some of the features are pay to play, but the free options are enough to provide hours of entertainment.

Path of Exile (RPG) 

This game is great to play alone, or with friends. The game’s campaign trail leads you through a fascinating story line, filled with ghoulish monsters and well designed maze-like dungeons.

While the campaign is linear and there is only one possible outcome, your character is impressively comstomizable, and while it is possible to beat the game alone, you will find better loot and advance your character faster if you form a party with friends, or like-minded people in the game’s world.

The controls take a bit of learning and the game’s currency system and item usage take a while to learn well, but the game is well worth the small learning curve.

Dice Wars(TBS) 

A simple and straightforward game of conquer the world. The controls are super simple and the game is very easy to understand.

It is likely to lose your attention after a few games, but can be a great time killer while waiting for something else.

Music Catch (Other) 

Are you stressed? Need a few minutes of soothing music, and relaxing game-play? Give this simple and addictive flash game a try. A great play before bed, or to calm down after an argument or bad experience.

The Company of Myself (Platform) 

A simple flash game with a fun and different game-play style. Simple controls, and a fun philosophical story-line make this game worth giving a try, though not likely to hold interest well enough for a second play-through.

LOTRO (MMORPG) 

Breaking the ice on this massive, and well designed game is difficult. It is likely to take you several hours of game-play to feel like you have an idea of what you’re doing. A great game for someone who enjoyed Runescape as a kid, and who thinks World of Warcraft looks fun, but isn’t willing to invest the money.

Once you learn the game it is a blast to play, especially with a group of friends, or a consistent group of online allies.

(Only free to play to Level 20)