Welcome to the first installment of Gratis Gamer, covering some of the best (or, simply, most interesting) free games to play around the web. All titles featured are absolutely, 100% free and holy shit, they just might actually be worth your time! So, with that said, hit the jump, follow the links and enjoy the satisfaction of being entertained without letting a single, precious coin slip out of your pocket....
This first entry isn't so much an individual game, as much as a gigantic repository for games from (mostly) independent designers and developers. As of this posting, Kongregate currently boasts 41,515 free games, a number which grows daily. While other sites such as Newgrounds.com features somewhat similar content with a certain social networking bend to it, Kongregate has simply nailed it. After signing up to the site, players can earn badges (see trophies/achievements) from thousands of games, all of which add to your total points and can eventually "level up" your profile, giving you access to a myriad of bonus features. Not the ocd gamer, trophy-whore type? Well, Kongregate goes beyond simply giving badges to show off on your profile. Due to a recent partnership with Gamestop, those points can also be linked and transferred to a Gamestop Power Up Rewards card and redeemed for real life credit towards games bought at Gamestop. If you've got some time to kill on some simple web games, this is my number one recommendation. 5/5
I recently stumbled across this little slice of web based crack in board game form while scouring the web for a PC based Monopoly game that I could illegally download. Finding this was oh, so much better. After a quick sign up to Pogo.com (it takes about all of one minute), all you have to do is find a room, sit down at a table with some actual human players and you're off. With each game capped at 35 turns, it never becomes overly long or drawn out (each game lasts around 45 minutes) and unlike the Monopoly I remember, it's actually rather fast paced. The game is essentially the same as the one we all grew up with, notwithstanding minor adjustments like real world cities in place of the classic properties and adjusted monetary values in keeping with modern times. If you've got a hankering for some hardcore capitalism, but have no actual money to throw around, Pogo Monopoly certainly won't let you down. 4/5
What we've got here is one in a series of strangely beautiful flash games that mesh real world images with simple, yet elegant animations. Samarost is certainly short, but is one of those rare gaming experiences that manages to actually have some kind of impact on the player. From the atmospheric soundtrack to the bizzare puzzles, it left me feeling a kind of zen pleasantness even after I had finished. It is games like this that make me so happy that independent developers now have the ability to actually get their stuff out there, without any kind of intervention that would surely ruin such unique explorations from Czech-based Amanita Design. Do yourself a favor the next time you've got about 20 minutes to kill and go experience what they have to offer. 4/5
Cluesweeper is a fun little time killer that is probably the best twist on minesweeper I've ever seen (and yes, I've actually seen several). The game essentially plays by the same rules as minesweeper, except in this case, the number represents clues instead of bombs (though you will run across the odd red herring that garners you a time penalty). After acquiring enough to clues to have either ruled out all innocent parties, or simply enough to know for certain, who the guilty bastard is, you click solve, select your number one subject, and assuming you have chosen correctly, move on to the next crime. Yes, it is simple, yes, it is short, but after you've played a couple boards, you'll find it rather difficult to stop until all the cases are closed. 3/5
Many, many flash games out there are either homages to classic atari games or poorly attempt to recreate the experience. Surprisingly, LSQM succeeds winningly on both counts. The game truly has the feel and musty smell of an early 80's arcade experience. From the somewhat (intentionally) clunky controls to the 4 color graphical scheme, to the giddy exploitation that some games from the time exhibited, LSQM hits the mark so well that it's almost kind of creepy. The way the game becomes so insanely difficult later on and so blatantly goads you into continuing just one more time, that I was nearly looking for a slot to insert quarters into my laptop. If you happen to be old enough to remember those games, or are just looking for a crazy retro challenge, this will definitely be worth your hard earned nothing. 4/5
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