Driven by nostalgia, I went on a search to look for Worms-like games for Mac on the Internet. It sure took me a while but I did find three clones of the game I used to love. In my article “16 Free, Fun, Simple & Addictive Games to Take the Edge Off“, I touched on Wormux – but since then, there have been quite a few updates so I’ll tell you all about it again.

If you don’t know what Worms is, it’s a turn-based 2D shooting game. Each team comprises of several players and everyone takes turns to select their weapon of choice to eliminate the opposing team. For more information on the Worms lineup, visit the developer’s webpage.

So, here are the three Worms clones that I found and they’re all cross-platform!

Wormux

The latest version of Wormux was released in September 2009 and to be quite honest, I found it to be probably the most refined Worms clone available. Instead of earthworms, the characters in the game have been replaced by avatars of popular free apps like GIMP, Pidgin and a few other random cartoon characters.

The selection of weapons is slightly modified from the original and tweaked to be different but the general gameplay feels about the same.

The game is still turn-based, no changes there. Network gameplay through LAN is an option, and so is playing online via the Wormux server. However, the server isn’t accessible if you connect via a proxy or if you don’t have the port 3826 forwarded to your computer.

Hedgewars

I’m actually very surprised at how much this clone resembles Worms 2. The map design, weapons selection, voiceovers, as well as the overall feel of the game is uncannily similar to the original game, it’s hard to believe until you actually play it. The only real noticeable change is in the characters.

In Hedgewars, you play a pink hedgehog dressed up in all sorts of different costumes. It may look weird, but once you’re over it, you’ll be absorbed by the game itself. If I am allowed one complaint, it’ll be about playing online. They didn’t really put much effort (I think) into designing the GUI and as a result, searching for an available game online is such a pain. But as I mentioned earlier, once you’re in a game and start to play, you’ll be totally immersed and eventually forget about its shortcomings entirely.

By comparison, Hedgewars isn’t as refined as Wormux. However, it does offer more original “Worms” gameplay.

Teeworlds

I have to state for the record that Teeworlds is a little different from the original Worms game in the sense that it’s not turn-based — it’s real time. This means that instead of one player controlling a character at any given time, everyone is allowed to play at the very same time! It’s chaos!

The motif is still the same — eliminate the opposing team. However, the gameplay and weapons are modified. There are three types of game modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture The Flag. It takes a little getting used to because again, gameplay isn’t classic Worms but to be brutally honest, I have to say that I prefer Teeworlds when I’m feeling like a bit of fast-paced action — I don’t have to wait my turn, I respawn after being shot dead, and I just play until the timer runs out or a team wins. Then the game starts again.

Worms purist may not enjoy it though. But who cares? These games are just for fun.

Wormux – Download
Hedgewars – Download
Teeworlds – Download

I hope that you find these games entertaining and a bit of fun on a dull, autumn evening. Are you a Worms fan? Which clone did you enjoy the most? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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This new world rests on the shoulders of a new network, allowing interstellar communication. But a mysterious techno-biological plague rides this network, infecting anyone connected, and creating ravenous cannibals.

As an android, you’re not infected by the plague. Uninfected, it’s your task to set things right, whatever the cost.

Blood Frontier

Blood Frontier has been in development for the past two years. It’s a complete remake of the Cube 2 engine, also known and previously mentioned as Sauerbraten. For the production of this free first person shooter MMO, the developers have tried working closely with both the gaming- and the rest of the open-source community alike.

Still in the first Beta, one mustn’t expect any graphical wonders from the game. Visuals are sufficient, but not mind-blowing. Our main point of interest is – especially in this phase – gameplay.

Although there’s still a long way ahead, Blood Frontier has great ambition. The experience available today is just a fraction of the total envisioned picture. In the future, Blood Frontier has also planned on deepening out other playing modes, as well as a complete single-player campaign.

That’s something for a future review though, for now we’ll focus on what’s already here – an already awesome multi-player campaign.

Gameplay

As it is today, Blood Frontier can be best described as an MMOFPS – otherwise Mass Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter. Even though there is a third-person mode available, this is sadly still to be perfected. Instead of hitting the currently popular road of upgrade-overload and micropayments, Blood Frontier goes more in the direction of Unreal Tournament-like arena shooting. Most traditional game modes, such as deathmatches and capture the flag are covered.

Blood Frontier’s gameplay is characterised by the overload of weapons spread around the level and a mixture of new features. The very low gravity is not extremely original, but makes for great shoot-outs. Add a redesign of the double jump to the mix – jump once, and hit space a second time to get a horizontal jet pack boost – and you’ll understand my enthusiasm.

The developers have also made game environments extraordinarily flexible – and plan on keeping to do so in future releases. Map-makers have the ability to tweak game-settings (e.g. player vulnerability) to the finest detail, to create a unique experience in every map.

Gore is Optional

If you like in-game gore, and need your daily dose of overkill, you’ve just come to the right place (not entirely surprising for a game with that name). With great bullets, and overpowered grenade simulations, you won’t be given short. If you’ve got gore turned on, you may occasionally see pieces of your adversaries fly by. How do you like your steak?

That doesn’t mean that the game is unsuitable for and can’t be enjoyed by a younger, or weaker-stomached audience though. Blood frontier comes with a kid-mode, which allows you to turn off all blood and gore. You’ll have as much fun, but won’t be bothered with any obscenities.

All Platforms

The Blood Frontier beta is now available on Windows, Mac and Linux. No-one will have to miss this one out because of OS-incompatibility! Doesn’t that say something about open source? You can download the game here.

If you’ve got any remarks, or questions related to this, or other free games – please direct to the comments section below. We’d love to hear about the free games you enjoy playing!

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You’d be surprised, but there are quite a few zombie games available for free. Of course the majority of them just drop you in a crowd with a big gun, but there are a few games that stand out from the mass.

It’s time you find yourself a laptop and a deserted house, because today we’ve rounded up the very best zombie games for you. In no particular order, here they are.

Zombpocalypse

The situation is pretty simple. The world has been flooded by a zombie virus and someone will have to take care of all the mess. You’ve been chosen because of your experience with arms and the fact you’ve still got brains. Help clean up the cities and save the world – in aid of that goal, you’ll receive top-notch weaponry and loads of cash.

Zombpocalypse has the top-down view and classic fun of 8 bit games, but that’s as far as similarities go. Loaded with great graphics and swift, fluent gameplay, Zombpocalypse makes it one of my favourite zombie games.

To survive this threat, you’ll need sharp reflexes and vast amounts of ammunition. When you’ve got hordes of zombies closing in on you, you’re definitely happy for the weapons arsenal at your disposal, ranging from semi-automatics to rocket launchers, flame-throwers and shock-guns.

I can’t say Zombpocalypse has an intriguing story-line, but it’s nothing you’ll miss when you get caught up in the action. Zombpocalypse is a great game, with the quality level of a lightweight retail game and lots of shooting fun.

Download it at Zombpocalypse – at the moment only the “demo” is available. The file includes all environments, but just hasn’t reached the final release yet.

Zombiepox

Zombies eat brains, a well-known fact. What most people don’t know is that they’ll actually return to normal if they get to enjoy a good meal. That’s where you get in. Your red PJ’s make you stand out from other people – that, and your bag full of brains.

Feed brains to the zombies before they infect other humans, and help them return to normal. Your bag of brains is endless – no problems there – but you mustn’t get infected yourself.

Zombiepox won’t reach the quality level of Zombpocalypse (the developer claims to have created the game in a 48 hour run), but it’s still a fun game. With a ton of increasingly difficult levels and the introduction of brain bombs, you won’t be bored quickly.

Download Zombiepox at freelunchdesign

The Last Stand 2 (flash)

When apocalypse hit, you armed yourself and found a safe place. Safe meaning you had a gun in your hand and a few crates between you and the zombies. Your life had become a lot more simple – spill your bullets and live another day.

As an outline, The Last Stand 2 (you might want to check out the first installment as well) sounds pretty simple, but the game focuses on the daylight as well as on the nightly shootouts.

Between nights, you can search the neighbouring houses for food, guns and ammunition – and, if you’re feeling very lucky, other survivors. You only have so many hours of daylight to spare, so be sure to use them good – they’ll be back tonight.

As a flash survival game, The Last Stand 2 swallows you whole. It’s one of those games where your eyes dry out and you keep saying ‘just one more’ to yourself, only to be reminded about the fact when the end sneaks up on you and the sun has long disappeared from the horizon.

This is where we round up this article. It’s time to close your curtains and dim the lights, put your top on a steady drip and fire up some zombie games. If you know any other great (zombie) games, don’t hesitate to share them with us in the comments!

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This is the world in which we find a robot shooter game Exteel. A chaotic fight for survival, where people struggle for control of the planet. They’re trying to control the resources, and perhaps ultimately, ensure their further existence.

In this future world, battles get fought on a more personal level than today, but the influences of time and technology are obvious.

Exteel

Soldiers mount statuesque Mechanaughts robots, and face each other head on. Equipped with a wide variety of plasma and conventional weapons, swords and guns, they engage in a fast-paced, adrenaline-powered battle.

Exteel is one of the best games of its kind, and free as well. It’s hard not to lose yourself in the rush of gameplay. With its fast pace and fluent controls, how could a robot-fighting game not be cool? Fly, or boost yourself around the level, and frag some of those Cylons mech warriors to hell.

You can play with up to 16 players in online deathmatches, capture-the-flag, and other traditional game modes. As far as comparisons go, this game plays pretty similar to the popular S4 League game.

Expandability and Customizability

However, one of the biggest standout features of the game, is its expandability. Players can customize their robots by choosing from a multitude of weapons, armor parts and skills. Once you get started, no two mech warriors are the same. Parts can be bought in all-in-packages, called ’sets’, or separately.

Skills can be purchased with in-game credits earned while working your way through the game, or real-money deposits, but we’ll get back on that later on. Skills are weapon-specific, and will give you an extra advantage in battle.

On the Downside

On the downside, Exteel doesn’t feature a particularly extensive storyline, like you’d expect from such a big MMORPG. Instead of offering a lot of depth, the game just manages to keep you entertained. Well entertained, if I might say so – which is good enough for me. Although a story is often preferred, it’s pretty superfluous and shouldn’t really interfere with the actual gameplay.

Nevertheless, a substantial downside comes from the importance of NCcoins. People can make micro-transactions to raise their credits in-game. For those willing to spend, buying better armour and skills becomes increasingly easier, and although they might not be as skilled as many opponents, they’ve got an obvious advantage.

Like it or hate it? Let us know what you think about the game, or direct any possible questions to the comments section below. If you have played other robot shooter games share your thoughts as well.

Minimum System Requirements

AMD Athlon or Intel Pentium III 800 MHz
GeForce Series 4 video card
256 MB RAM
1 GB available HDD space
Windows 2000/XP

Recommended System Requirements

AMD Athlon 64 2800+ or Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz
GeForce 5700 or ATI Radeon 9200 Series video card
512 MB RAM

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This is one of the reasons we never let go of those classic retro gaming classics like Pong and Space Invaders. The fact that I’ve got an eleven year old sister who knows all about Pacman (way before her time) just confirms my theory.

But even more interesting than solely reflecting on the past is to compare it with the future. I’m not talking about a Zelda versus inFamous comparison here, but about a comparison with the modern remakes of those classics we all hold so dear in our hearts. If you’re curious what people did with Pong (amateur acts of love, not corporate franchise milking) in the last 35 years, or with Breakout in the last 30, read on.

(1) Pong

Starting chronologically, Pong was released in 1975 and was considered one of the first real computer games available to the public. In that time, people would gather around an arcade machine the size of a decent fridge to steer your bar across the screen. This was before artificial intelligence, so it was a social experience, and one that gamers could keep up for hours. Pong was the prelude to all we have today, and it’s interesting to see what it has become.

Pwong 2

Pwong 2 is a flash game, created by JGames. You can play with a friend, or against the computer on several difficulty levels. And believe me, it gets difficult.

This Pong adaptation takes a different turn (pun intended) by putting multiple balls in the game, allowing you to shoot paddles sky high and introducing special upgrades like curved, bigger and sticky paddles. This classic game gives you everything, except a moment to catch your breath.

(2) Breakout

Breakout is similar to a one-sided Pong game, trying to hit and break away all up-lying blocks. This game was the first game in color, even while they were still using black and white screens, as they’d overlayed the screens with colored strips of cellophane.

The game was considered to be one of the most influential arcade games ever, and rightly so. Even these days, it’s a game you’ll find on nearly every cellphone, and sometimes even on iPods.

Uber Breakout II

What would you get when you bring Breakout back to the drawing table. Twice. Uber Breakout II! This game literally takes a whole other turn with the franchise. You control two dependant paddles on the edge of a circle, while trying to hit all of the bubbles inside.

This classic game not only asks you to be agile, but also requires you to have the reflexes of a cyborg. Because of the shape of the bubbles, the ball can fly nearly everywhere, so you better be ready. And then they introduce special bubbles.

(3) Space Invaders

Space Invaders was a forerunner of modern day shooters. That’s right, next time you play Counter Strike or Crysis, you can think back to these blocky guys.

The concept was rather simple. Shoot down all the descending aliens, but don’t let them shoot you. It was one of the first games involving a computated enemy, and although there was no real artificial intelligence, those blocky alien guys were deemed creepy as hell.

Space Mutants – From Space

Space Mutants – From Space keeps most of the original gameplay intact. When looking at the imaginary changelog, most notable are the increased fluency and the updated graphics of the game.

However, this Space Mutants game also comes with an upgrading system to customize your little tank. With the points earned by shooting our alien friends out of the sky, you can reinforce your armor, increase your speed, and so on.

If you enjoyed Space Invaders back in the old days, you should certainly give this one a try. Even ported to current-day technology and with an integrated upgrading system, it’s still more than obvious whose grandson you’re playing with.

(4) Asteroids

In Asteroids, you need to score as many points as possible by destroying the rocks that would otherwise hit and crash your ship. Shooting big rocks, result in slightly smaller rocks, and before you know it you’re flying through an asteroid minefield.

This highly entertaining game was released on arcade machines in the late seventies and was an instant hit. You can play the classic version of the game here.

Asteroids Revenge III

In Asteroids Revenge III, you play with an asteroid who was living the quiet life – the interstellar dream – when spaceships arrived and started shooting down his friends and family. Powered by revenge, this asteroid will try to serve justice, and crash these evil spaceships.

Asteroids Revenge III certainly is an entertaining game, not the least because of the concept. When you proceed in the game, you’ll receive speed upgrades and will be able to control a whole bunch of asteroids.

Good remakes, or do you prefer the originals? Tell us what you think in the comments. Also, to find out how to download flash games and how to play Kongregate games offline.

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It was a really crappy computer, one of the crappiest I’ve ever seen. After two or three turns, it always crashed. And we kept rebooting, and kept trying, because even if you couldn’t finish any of those sessions, it was just such a darn fun game!

Times have changed now. My quad core system boots in under a minute, and crashes only occur when I’m working on something really important — Murphy’s law, anybody?

However, some things don’t change. We still play chess like we did decades ago (even longer than that, really), and in the electronic gaming industry some elements keep popping up as well. First person shooters remain much the same, though perfected, and turn-based artillery shooters are as fun as they were before – even more so, perhaps.

GunBound

Welcome to Lond, the place where eight moons rise, a place of anarchy. There’s ravaging of a constant war, everyone is involved, fighting to survive.

Welcome to GunBound, a multiplayer worms like game, an MMO artillery shooter, brought to us by softnyx. You might know softnyx as the fellows behind Rakion MMORPG (as seen on MakeUseOf), who have now released another free pearl.

General Gameplay

Although the well-known concept remains intact for the major part, several adjustments have been made to create a more extended and intensive experience.

The most significant change is probably the introduction of mobiles. Like in modern warfare, wars are no longer fought with your hands, nor solely with personal weaponry. Mobiles are combat vehicles, that will move you around the level, and destroy your adversaries. There are sixteen unique mobiles in the game, ranging from warhorses to tanks, and all have varying speed, strengths and weaknesses. They’re an important part of the gameplay, and you’ll need to choose one that fits your tactics.

Next thing you’ll learn – with your eyes, or in the massive nine part tutorial – is a more advanced interface. Shooting comes pretty easy, but you’ll need to mind not only your shooting angle, but also the wind direction, speed, and the moon disk order.

This last one will need you to keep a close eye on the moon icons at the bottom of the interface, because the number of shots the player manages to fire before the next transition, will determine the number of turns.

Items and Forces

Before each session, the player gets to fill up his slots with items. These items can be offensive or defensive, ranging from health boosts to lightning strikes, and take up one or two of six slots. Getting your items right is an essential key to victory, both to smite down your opponents, as to keep your own skin intact.

While helping you in battle, items also exercise a negative force, as using items adds up to the time until your next turn.

There are also 11 force icons in the game, that could affect the path or damage of a shot.

Players start with few items, initially only gaining you dual wielding ability. By doing good in-game, you can earn money to extend your collection. Like with most of these games, it’s also possible to purchase in-game money, but that tends to take away the fun, doesn’t it?

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Most shooter fans know these games by name, and have played at least one, and possibly even several of them. The Battlefield games have always been popular, and enjoyed by masses, but the latest game, Battlefield Heroes, heads in another direction.

Not only does DICE abandon the more serious looks of the franchise with a more comical approach, this latest instalment of the series is the very first one to be released for free. It now seems that even the bigger players are starting to play around with the possibilities of the free, ad-supported world.

The game is still in Beta, but has recently begun accepting applications. View how to obtain your beta-key here. Read on to discover more about the game.

Battlefield Heroes

It becomes apparent quickly that DICE means business differently this time, with the game adapting a brand new look. The comical visuals differ widely from the high realism we know from the past. The looks manage to bring a much lighter air about the game, making an easier match for the less powerful systems, and creating a loose and at times ‘funny’ experience.

Factions

In this multiplayer First Person Shooter, you look through the eyes of a Hero, belonging to either the Royal, or the National Army. Though not in letter, the factions can’t help to resemble the Allies and Axis of World War II.

You can create up to four different heroes, with different factions, classes and appearances. Mind your choice though, as deleting heroes is not possible for the time being.

Classes

There are three available classes, the same three for both factions;  Soldier, Gunner and Commando.

Which of these classes you choose depends on your way of playing. As I said before, you can create four different heroes, so you can go for a test drive with each one.

The Soldier is the most basic character type. He has an average strength and inflicts damage with rifles, SMGs, shotguns or grenades.

The Gunner is of a heavier class. He is stronger, but also slower. He resorts to weapons of the biggest caliber, like machine guns or bazookas.

The Commando is the sneaky bastard. He becomes invisible and sneaks up to the enemy. His attacks are much more weighed and very specific, often stalking and kniving opponents. He must strike at once, or lose his advantage.

Gameplay

The Game automatically pairs you with an available game, suiting your current skills. Alternatively, you can also join a friend if you know his username.

The game revolves around one major play type, node capturing. Several nodes are spread over the map. By entering and remaining in the near vicinity of the a node’s flag, you can both disown an enemy’s area, and name it your own. The ultimate objective is to hold all nodes in your team’s possession.

There are several maps, aimed primarily at vehicle or infantry battles, or both. This aim largely determines the rest of the map as well. As you can imagine, a map with planes will be much bigger than one with nothing but infantry.

Missions and Abilities

Missions spices up your gameplay, and can gain you Hero Points or Valor Points (more on the latter one below). These missions are specific achievements, like reaching a certain number of kills in one play, and can be activated three at a time.

Using your Hero Points, you can obtain and upgrade certain Abilities. These range from healing yourself to blasting back all nearby enemies and vehicles with a makeshift forcefield. Training these abilities makes you stronger in battle, and allows you to take part in the harder games.

Valor Points, Battle Funds and The Store

Valor Points and Battle Funds are both currencies used in the game’s store. The difference lies in how they’re obtained and where they can be spent.

Valor Points (VP) are obtained while playing the game and can buy you new and advanced weaponry, emotes and widgets.

Battle Funds (BF) are bought with your credit card. They’re not a necessity, but you’ll need them to buy clothing, and certain emotes and widgets.

In Short

In short, Battlefield Heroes is a new, comical instalment of the popular Battlefield series. The game entertains you with its comical looks and the node capturing gameplay. Fun to play, hard to let go. Get your beta key now!. Normally, beta keys are handed out within a day or two so you don’t have long to wait.

What do you think of the game? A change for the good or one leg in the grave? Tell us in the comments.

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Global Risk confronts Black List. Another organisation, though not quite so noble. These international mercenaries commit terror, focusing solely on the profit. This independent group frequently sponsors and participates in terrorist actions.

A ruthless battle emerges at a meeting of the front. Blood reigns high, and it’s impossible to say who’s winning.

Cross Fire

These are the two teams of Cross Fire, a completely free online multiplayer First Person Shooting game, that recently started its Open Beta.

The first thing you probably want to know is what makes it that special, the new unseen features, and such.

Well, if that is what you’re looking for, I’ll have to disappoint you. Cross Fire follows the shooter principles to the letter. Nearly none of the game’s aspects deviate from the shooter standards.

And that’s leads us to why it’s such a great game.

Gameplay

These days are filled – over the top sometimes – with gaming experiments. It’s nice to be able take a break from that, and play a normal game from time to time. The makers made their choice very clear, as they declared: “No photon lasers. No energy fields. Just blood, and guts”

Because of this ’simple’ direction the developers took the project, they were able to spend a lot more time in fine tweaking it.

I must say, there are few free online shooters that feel as complete and finished as Cross Fire, and the latter has just started Beta phase.

The game runs as smooth as an gelatine eel. You shouldn’t expect Crysis graphics, with a maximum resolution of 1024, but the gameplay ought to get you licking your fingers. After merely a few minutes, you’ll be hopping along with the rest, feeling like you’ve played this game for years – and want to keep playing, for that matter.

Game Modes

Cross Fire hosts four game modes for intensive online play; ‘Search & Destroy’, ‘Team Deathmatch’, ‘Elimination’ and the all new ‘Ghost Mode’.

Search & Destroy

You win by either eliminating all members of the oposing team, or by completing set objectives (e.g. defusing or planting a bomb)

This game mode is usually played in multiple rounds. The team with the most rounds won being the victor.

Team Deathmatch

An explanation shouldn’t be needed here. Eliminating as many members of the enemy party as possible is your sole mission.

There’s only one round, with instant respawns for whoever is killed. The victor is the team that reaches the kill limit first.

Elimination

Similar to Team Deathmatch, only without instant respawn.

The team that manages to eliminate all members of the enemy party wins a round. A set number of rounds needs to be won to win the game.

Ghost Mode

This is an innovating and unique game mode, newly introduced by Cross Fire.

The Black List members are invisible, but have only a knife and C4. They need to blow up a target, but can be heard by the Global Risk members, who are visible, but have access to all weapons.

Download it now

Cross Fire is a free 268 MB download. It’s intensive action, but light graphics ensure great fun on both the stronger and weaker computer systems.

You can register here, download it here, and please write down your opinion in the comments section below.

Those of you who are new to MakeUseOf, might be also interested in following articles about shooter games that were published on the site before:

- Top Five Free Online Shooter Games.
- Top 5 Free Cross-Platform FPS Games

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

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More and more do we see an evolution of some kind, and do we meet a world where installing stuff becomes a thing of the past.

Installing software is passé; out-of-browser software is the new black, as a figure of speech.

An even deeper black are out-of-browser games. Not the crappy, eye-hurting kind of games, but games a gamer can be proud of. Games like Quake Live.

Quake Live – Are You Ready?

Quake Live is id Software’s newborn child. It’s an energetical and fast-paced Massive Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter. The project is funded by means of in-game advertising, and released as a free download.

The game works through a Quake browser plugin, so it still needs you to download something, but a 3.78 MB download can hardly be called a bother.

The Game

Quake Live is based on the Quake III engine, and feels incredibly smooth. When you boot the game up in full screen, you’ll forget you’re playing out of a browser.

The game hosts 30 arenas of varying sizes, and over 250,000 players.

Like in all Quake games, the weapons are something to be proud of; ranging from good old shotguns to plasma and lightning guns, overkills can be expected.

The graphics are of a slightly lesser quality, especially if you’re used to Crysis, or Far Cry 2 style graphics. Those of you with graphics card monsters will not be able to put them to use. In Quake Live we’ll go back to the graphics we know from a few years ago and gameplay that’s simply timeless.

Currently the game is limited to Firefox and Internet Explorer on Windows, but developers are seriously focusing on bringing the game to Mac and Linux platforms as well.

Game Types

The available game types are:

• Free for All (FFA) – also known as plain old deathmatch. You score points by killing or fragging other players. There are no teams, every individual for itself.
• Duel (1v1) – the name says most of it. It’s a ten minute face-off between two players. Other players spectate the game, and can challenge the last duel winner.
• Team Deathmatch (TDM) – like FFA, only in teams. Two teams face each other, and points can be earned by killing or fragging members of the other team. What’s special about this gametype is that you can earn negative points for teamkills.
• Clan Arena (CA) – two teams face each other in a last man standing match. There are no instant respawns, and the team that manages to eliminate the other gets awarded the points for that round.
• Capture the Flag (CTF) – two teams in the classic capture the flag mode. Each team tries to steal the other teams flag from its base, while protecting its own flag in the process. To get the other team’s flag to your base – with your flag present – awards you one point.

Portability

Perhaps the most unique part about this game – as a result of it being a browser game – is the portability.

Instant Play is pushed to its limits when you can go fragging at any computer with an internet connection. You can instantly play on your Quake Live account when you’re at a friend’s place – or at Joe’s Interwebz Pub for that matter.

All that needs downloading is an incredibly tiny browser plugin that works in both Firefox and Internet Explorer.

The Queue

One of the biggest irritations of Quake Live – and a slight cutback on the instant play – is the game’s queue.

Due to massive response – heavier than the developers expected – the Quake Live Team was obliged to introduce the queue. This queue puts you in line, to keep the server from overloading; mainly to assure that those playing don’t end up on an infinite laggy server.

The Quake Live Team is currently working on this problem. They’ve already slimmed the line down from tens of thousands of players to a few thousand of them.

While in the queue, always keep in mind that Quake Live is a completely free game, and the developers aren’t charging you a dime to address the overload problem.

Start playing Quake Live now!

Are you ready to start playing Quake Live? Register right away and hook into the action.

Not so long ago MakeUseOf also did an article on free online shooters, you might want to check it out as well.

Tell us what you think of Quake Live in the comments!

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New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

• Cross Fire – Online Fastpaced Multiplayer Shooting Game (32)
• GunBound – Multiplayer Worms-like Shooting Game (7)
• Battlefield Heroes Beta – Free Cartoon Shooter Game (24)
• Exteel : Third-Person Online Robot Shooter Game (4)
• Blood Frontier- Exciting New Free First Person Shooter Game (7)

One of the things that worries me about gaming though, is the money part.

Although game developers still aren’t earning too much money, games are expensive. Or they were.

True, a lot of the games are still heavy premiums (as a matter of fact, the companies behind current-gen consoles nearly only gain money from the games they sell), but more and more parties and corporations are adapting the FREE business model.

There have been several experiments with this model in the gaming industry, where developers don’t get their money from the consumers, but from a third-party source, like ad-funded free games.

Kuma Episodic Games

Kuma Games is one of those advergames developers. Ever since 2004 they’ve been developing episodic multiplayer shooters (and other games), based on the ever so famous Steam engine. At this time, they’ve developed over a hundred free episodes.

All of these games are ad-supported, meaning you can enjoy premium quality gameplay and entertainment, without ever having to pay a dime.

The games can be divided into several higher branches or programs; Killpoint, Dinohunters, KumaWar, KumaWar WWII-Vietnam and Dogfights. Each of these games host a number of episodes with a specific theme.

The Kill Point

The game is based on The Kill Point television series by Spike TV. Every game matches one of the television episodes. After viewing it on TV, you can now really dive into the action.

These exciting single and multiplayer episodes always depict a dramatic confrontation between cops and robbers. Pick a team and try to claim the streets – or save them.

To land this one, you’ll need a big dose of tactics, co-operation and some guts.

Dinohunters

These episodes are based on a television series as well; Dinohunters on Total Hunting Channel.

It’s a fictitious show, about celebrities going on a dinosaur hunt. The cast consists of an actor, a country singer, a New York city guy, and their sexy female producer. The fictional part of the game is taken pretty far, as you’ll even find yourself aboard space-ships and the like.

This action-packed mix of past, present and even future, will keep you on the edge of your seats. There are currently about 8 episodes available, next to a wide variety of multiplayer maps and game modes.

Kuma\War

The Kuma\War games are – contrary to the previously mentioned games – known as very truth obedient.

Kuma\War bases its episodes on real-world events, trying to recreate them as truth obedient and realistic as possible, using reports and strategical data. The game has received both a lot of praise and criticism because of this.

There are about a hundred Kuma\War episodes as of today, and even more of them if you count WWII and Vietnam, which you’ll find in a separate program.

Besides this, you’re also able to play various multi-player maps, with games like capture the egg and team deathmatch.

Dogfights

This World War II flight simulator is based on History Channel’s Dogfight series.

The episodes put you in the cockpits of some of WWII’s most (in)famous airplanes. Especially fun are the multiplayer maps, where players gather to test each other.

All of these games can be accessed directly from the Kuma Games client.

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

• Quake Live – Free Online Shooting Game in Your Browser (22)
• High-End Gaming From Your Browser Via InstantAction (7)
• GunBound – Multiplayer Worms-like Shooting Game (7)
• Cross Fire – Online Fastpaced Multiplayer Shooting Game (32)
• Battlefield Heroes Beta – Free Cartoon Shooter Game (24)

So here are my top 5 free FPS games that work on multiple operating systems. From the top…

OpenArena

OpenArena is “an open-source content package for Quake III Arena licensed under the GPL, effectively creating a free stand-alone game”. What does that mean to you? It’s free, and you don’t need Quake III Arena to play it. OpenArena supports a slew of different game types, including: Deathmatch, Tournament, Single Player Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture The Flag, Elimination, CTF Elimination, Last Man Standing and Double Domination. The hardware requirements are pretty minimal – with a PII 233MHz processor and at least 96MB of RAM being the suggested minimum system requirements.

Supported Platforms: Linux, OS X and Windows 9x/2000/XP/Vista

Nexuiz

Though Nexuiz has slightly higher hardware requirements than most of the games in this list, once you start playing you’ll know why. The graphics really are better. From their information page:

“Nexuiz is a 3d deathmatch game that has been in development since the summer of 2002. The goal of the project is to create a high quality first person shooter that can be played freely across all platforms in one package: PC, Mac, and can be even included in Linux distributions. The game is entirely open source, with the sources of the engine, gamecode, map files, and compiling tools, all included with the download, all under the GPL license.

The gameplay is deathmatch with the most excessive possible speeds and weapons, giving incredibly intense fast paced action. Along with deathmatch, there are multiple gamemodes such as team deathmatch, capture the flag, domination, and many mutators and weapon options like rocket arena and instagib. The user can fight through the single player campaign, going through over 20 levels, or play online with our server browser.”

Nexuiz has a very active and helpful community, and has recently started tournaments in Europe and North America.

Supported Platforms: Linux, OS X and Windows

Urban Terror

Urban Terror describes itself as a “Hollywood tactical shooter” with an emphasis on “fun over realism”. I’d agree with them on the descriptions. It uses the same engine as OpenArena (ioquake3), but has more of a “counter-strike” feel than OpenArena. Urban Terror comes with a thoroughly detailed manual that explains every aspect of the game. Check out the video below for an idea of gameplay.

Supported Platforms: Linux, OS X and Windows

Cube 2: Sauerbraten

Sauerbraten is a single and multiplayer FPS freeware “game project”. Though the aim of Sauerbraten is “to allow map/geometry editing to be done dynamically in-game” – don’t let that fool you – it’s a heck of a lot of fun. There are monthly championship games on the first Sunday of the month (where I regularly get schooled) and a Cube Server Lister app that makes finding games (and your friends) a snap.

Supported Platforms: Linux, OS X and Windows

Alien Arena

Sci-Fi lovers will enjoy this one. From its initial release in October of 2004, Alien Arena has come a long, long way. Over a million downloads, and dozens (hundreds?) of community created maps, models, and various accessories add to the game experience. It also features a very fun “Team Core Assault” mode, in which players must work together to disable their enemy teams central metal spider. Though OS X isn’t officially supported, yet, you can download the Linux version and then apply this patch to get it working (runs perfectly on my MacBook Pro).

Supported Platforms: Linux and Windows (OS X support is unofficial, see above)

You might also want to check out Top 5 Free Online Shooter Games by Simon.

So what about you? What are YOUR favourite free ‘first person shooter’ games? Do you agree with my choices? Let it rip in the comments!

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

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Actually, there are a lot of free games available. When we’re talking about shooters (read: games in which you shoot stuff and/or living things) these are nearly always multiplayer games.

Read on for the top five free online shooters.

5. War Rock – 550 MB

War Rock has been released as a free game from the very start, and extras can be purchased additionally. You can choose between 5 basic classes: engineer, medic, sniper, assault and heavy trooper. You have three main game types and three more additional ones. The three main game types are ‘Close Quarters Combat’, ‘Urban Ops’ and ‘Free for All’. In ‘Close Quarters Combat’ you’ll play in relatively small maps, thus entering more direct combat. ‘Urban Ops’ involves two teams, deploying bigger maps and more additional machinery like cars and mounted guns. ‘Free for All’ is like a standard ‘Deathmatch’ in most games; kill everyone you see, or be killed.

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4. Nexuiz – 380 MB

I’m sure everyone who plays this will notice major similarities with Unreal Tournament. The gameplay shares a lot of things as well. It’s very fast paced, uses a wide range of unique weapons and the same rush of adrenaline. I don’t think anyone would mind me calling this the free Unreal Tournament alternative.

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3. Warsow – 180 MB

Very fast paced and also very acrobatic. When I say acrobatic, I really mean acrobatic. I’m talking about bunny hopping (a strange way of jumping, allowing you to move really fast), known in other games, but implemented and thoroughly elaborated , about rolling, leaping and running up against the walls. Warsow is as much about shooting as about the acrobatics. To get the hang of the whole ‘acrobatic system’, it has cooked you a few tutorials – which you better try out before facing the real deal.

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2. Gunz The Duel – 440 MB

Gunz isn’t just any shooter. Not just any Shooter or Hack ’n Slasher to be honest, as you have both guns and a sword. The games are often set in relatively small levels. It features very extended acrobatics as well, thus creating a very entertaining and addictive gameplay. The more you play, the better you’ll get. The better you get, the higher your level will be. You can also buy yourself new armor and weapons, either by playing a lot of games and receiving points, or by using real money. One of the downsides of Gunz is the necessity to start the game using your web browser, but you’ll get used to it.

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1. F.E.A.R. COMBAT – 1800 MB

F.E.A.R. (‘fear’ for the friends) is an acronym meaning First Encounter Assault Recon; ‘Fear’ fits the game, though. Most people know or have played the game (perhaps even one of the expansions), but not a lot of people know that the included multiplayer mode has been released on the internet by its makers, giving you the opportunity to download it for free! In the game you can play as a member of the Special Forces or as one of the cloned soldiers.

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Games That Didn’t Make The Top 5

Of course these aren’t the only good online shooters. The next few games didn’t make it into the top 5, but are also worth a play:

• America’s Army (a very realistic game. This figures because it was developed by the US Army itself)
• Return To Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory (an online WW2 shooter)
• Mono (very simple and abstract game – very addictive)

Do you think you know any games that should’ve been included in this list? Have your say in the comments, and tell us why it’s better than one (or some) of these featured games.

(By) Simon is a student from Belgium who wastes his time relaxing, watching anime and surfing the net. He would tell you to check out his blog, only he doesn’t have one yet!

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

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