It’s been a while since I rehashed this idea as a sad attempt to drive eyeballs to my blog, which these days mainly serves to shill for my Open Source webmail project Cypht (pronounced “sift”). Not, sure, you, have, heard, of, it. You should go check it out, download it, install it, send me questions because the install is hard, really dig it once you get it working, then give me money for a security audit. Or whatever it’s no big.

I haven’t played a lot of these games extensively, many just for a few minutes to test compatibility. Mainly because one of the games in this group is consuming all my “free” time. I’m going to make you read the whole list to find out which. Just kidding, it’s called Rocket League. You should stop reading this post now and play it. Come back later and thank me.

Back already? You’re welcome! Let’s get on with the list

Wasteland 2 Directors cut

https://wasteland2.inxile-entertainment.com/
Steam tells me I have played 4 hours of this game. Having just dusted it off after a year I’m a bit concerned about my memory, because I have no idea what’s going on. It is cool though. Pretty standard point and click RPG to move your group of weirdos, examine stuff, and pick up strange I-don’t-know-how-I-will-use-that items. Fights are turned based on a hex grid with the ability to move/attack within some limitations I don’t remember.

Universe Sandbox

http://universesandbox.com/
Not a game really, but works on my rig and is included for the following reasons:

1. It’s called Universe Sandbox, which is rad.
2. Science is awesome, astronomy especially so.
3. You can do really neat stuff most of which I have only seen on the menus but I did zoom into Saturn and check out the ring rotation.

Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball

http://www.82apps.com/DiscoDodgeball/
Retro first person “shooter” except it’s dodgeball. The roller derby part basically means you can’t stop moving when you want. I think there are power-ups and leveling up and you can even catch a ball thrown at you. The court has ramps and platforms, and one time I made it to the upper level before a bot nailed me instantly. I have not played it much but it’s pretty fun as far as retro disco dodgeball games go.

Niche

http://niche-game.com/
Everyone knows you have to get up to get down. This game is all about getting down. Seriously. It’s a sim where you have to furiously procreate to survive, hopefully passing on some worthwhile chromosomes. My crude description not withstanding, this is actually a really interesting (and educational) turn based game. It’s also safe for work so to speak, but you really should not be playing games at work.

Martial Law

http://store.steampowered.com/app/346150/Martial_Law/
You are alone in a seemingly abandoned and desolate photo-realistic landscape. Minutes after venturing out into a field, you are near starving. When you approach any potential resources, you are gunned down from unseen locations. This basically sums up my experience.

Madout

http://store.steampowered.com/app/352170/MadOut/
Sort of like Twisted Metal meets Mario Cart. Flashy graphics, simple physics, and easy controls. Like many others on the list, I downloaded, I configured, I played – but then moved on. I’m not sure if it’s because the game itself was lackluster or if I just did not give it a chance because I rushed through it to play Rocket League.

Distance

http://survivethedistance.com/
Another racer with nice graphics and a futuristic beat-the-track/clock type of game play. Like Madout the driving physics are pretty easy to get the hang of, on early levels anyway. Probably has lots of other features I could not be bothered to dig into during my short revisit. I did notice giant pumpkins strewn about the level that slow you down when you plow through them, so there is that.

Divinity Original Sin Advanced Edition

http://www.divinityoriginalsin.com/
Another point-click-to-move RPG with nice graphics and sort of a Diablo feel to it. I have a vague recollection that I enjoyed the 30 minutes I played months ago. I’m putting this one on the get back to it later list for sure.

Besiege

http://www.besiege.spiderlinggames.co.uk/
This is a unique game. Each level requires you to build a war machine that you let loose to destroy enemies or fortresses. There is a huge variety of components to build your machine with. Watching my creation fall apart in seconds because of my comically poor structural engineering skills is hilarious. 100% recommend this one, it’s a gem.

Rocket League

https://www.rocketleague.com/
Many of the games I like tend to be complicated, and increase in complexity as you level up and gain new abilities. Rocket League is one of those rare games with a simple concept, simple controls, playable right away, with endless room to improve. The premise is soccer (as well as other game modes) with a giant ball that you smash into with a car to move down the field. Calling it demolition derby soccer doesn’t really do it justice, but it’s accurate.

The real fun (and frustration), is combining the simple controls to blast your car into the air for “arial” hits. Trying to accurately hit the ball in the air is like trying to get 10 meters in QWOP – surprisingly difficult. You can play with bots offline, or against human opponents online (as well couch co-op with split screen). Be warned – the online community can be iffy (but you can mute the chat thank god). Another online warning – a surprising number of players are seriously good, like stupid good. Of course It’s also possible I’m just stupid bad.