You sometimes have some spare moments in life. What better way to fill those moments with some time wasting games? Every month I will select 5 games that are perfect for this: 4 that are free to play, and one great game that costs a little money. This months headliners will be Fable 2 ,I’ve been waiting for this title a very long time, and Quantum Legacy, a free browser based multiplayer RTS.
The Time Wasters of November 2008:
Fable2 (Paid game for Xbox 360)
I’ve really been waiting for this game, so I bought it and I love it. The gameplay is quite similar to the first Fable, but it is extended in all sorts of ways. There is much more to do and the skills look just great. As a bonus there even is co-op multiplayer (although it isn’t really good). The game is quite framedroppy here and there and it is quite easy, but you need to waste quite some time before you’ve cleared the game for 100%. If you like to kick chickens or if you want an RPG with a lot of humour in it, Fable2 is really a game for you.
Website: www.fable2.com (you can get some free bonus content here)
Quantum Legacy (Browser Based MORTS)
Ever seen a browser based multiplayer RTS? I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen that… that is, till Quantum Legacy. You will need shockwave to play it, and a fast computer will help, but after that you have access to Online Multiplayer Real Time Strategy without even having to install a single file. It has a nice Single Player campaign (which is quite hard), and if there are enough people online, you can even make use of the multiplayer function and make it to the top of the ladder.
Website: http://www.quantumlegacy.com
Stick Arena (Flash Game)
An interesting game in more than one way. First of all, the gameplay is super, it’s like a 2D arena fight between stickmen. Next to that, this arena fight is online against other human players. This is one of the few flash games that I’ve seen that really implemented online multiplayer in a useful way.
Website: http://www.xgenstudios.com/game.php?keyword=stickarena
Silkroad Online (Free to Play MMORPG)
Silkroad Online is one of the biggest free MMORPG’s at the moment. Why? Because it’s a quite large world, and the moves look quite cool. For a free MMORPG it’s a nice game and the items that you can buy in the Silkroad shop don’t make you overpowered, so it’s even fun if you don’t pay. A big downside of the game is that the gameplay is quite monotonous (quest 1: slay 400 white tigers, quest 2: slay 600 white tigers) and it will cost you some time to get on the servers because they are overloaded, and there are no queues. But the pvp system is quite nice, and you can probably enjoy yourself for some time.
Website: http://www.joymax.com/silkroad/
Assault Cube (Open Source Game)
A very fast Arcade First Person Shooter. The game is quite basic, there aren’t a lot of weapons, there is no story line and the graphics aren’t what people would call "next-gen" but it is definitely fun to play. You can either play single player against up to 32 bots or you can play multiplayer. Both LAN and through the internet… that is, if you know the adress of a server. If they would extend the project on a few points, this could be a promising game.
Website: http://sourceforge.net/projects/actiongame/