24 Peachy Free Linux Games (Part 1 of 4)
Linux has finally come of age and is now a legitimate gaming
platform. The release of quality commercial titles such as Left 4 Dead
2, Portal, and Day of Defeat bring
real credibility to Linux as a first-class gaming platform. The bid to
lure
gamers away from Microsoft's platform has also been strengthened, in
part, due to the official launch of Steam for the Linux operating
system back on February 14. The fact that the Steam entertainment
platform
is available for Linux is testament to the demand for open systems from
gamers and
game developers. At the time of writing, the Steam Store lists 113
Linux gaming titles, with all but two requiring
payment to download. A small selection compared with Windows, but
still there are are some truly fantastic Linux
games to purchase on Steam. Prices are quite reasonable, with
the majority of the Linux games on Steam costing under 10
pounds.
Computer games grow larger, more sophisticated and
increasingly complex. Traditional blockbusters continue to
dominate the commercial gaming market. However, for many people who
have time and budget constraints, small open source or freeware
computer games still offer an attractive alternative.
The purpose of this article is to focus on free Linux games
that garner very little attention, certainly far less than any of the
commercial counterparts on Steam. All of the games featured here
are worth trying out. Whilst many of them lack some of the polish and
finesse of their commercial brethren, they are still good fun to play.
This
article is not restricted to any particular genre, so
hopefully there will be something of interest here for any type of
gamer.
To be eligible for inclusion in this list each game
needed to meet the following requirements:
Free to play (no download charge, no monthly charge)
Does not require Wine to run. Wine is a compatibility layer
for running Windows software
Must be playable and great fun
This article is the first in a four part series. Parts 2, 3
and 4 will be available shortly.
Now, let's scrutinize the 6 games at hand. For each game we
have compiled its own portal page, providing screenshots of the game in
action, a full description of the game, with an in-depth analysis of
the features of the game, together with links to relevant resources and
reviews.
Return to our complete collection of Group
Tests, identifying the finest Linux software.
Last Updated Friday, May 10 2013 @ 08:03 PM EDT
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