So it’s another Sunday in the world, so today’s another day that I cover some more open source games. If you have any objections to this, by all means, that’s fine, but I just feel Sundays are the best day to kick back, relax, and if there’s never an objection, game to your hearts content.
Since these games are open source and since there are found on many many sites, I can assure you, these are free games for all, and can be run on at least Windows and Linux. If you’d like to kick back and relax, try a few of the games out, I’m all for it. Working all the time with no breaks, that’s never fun to do. These “end of the week” posts are meant to help us lay back and relax while perhaps trying out a new game or two.
LinCity-NG is a remake of a remake. It is a remake of the LinCity game, which in itself is a remake of the SimCity games. It shares the same basic principals, that you are a mayor of a city and you are trying to make your city grow in size while making money at the same time. There has to be a balance of taxes and essential services, and try to protect yourself and your city from natural disasters. It’s a lot of work but some people find the SimCity series fun, so here’s your chance to play a remake that isn’t half bad.
Continuing the remakes as an open source project, Simutrans is the closest thing to Transport Tycoon since it is no longer being released or updated. You take control of a transportation company and basically are trying to make sure not to run it into the ground. It used to be a closed source game until recently, when it was released as Open Source software, but is still a very mature piece of gaming. Much like LinCity-NG, it’s a lot of work, but if you enjoy working for your games to play off, these two are prime examples.
I’ll be honest, the last two games I find dry and boring myself, not much of a Sim fan. But for those of us that grew up playing Mario Kart on the SNES will love this. It’s pretty much a complete remake of MarioKart for the PC and supports all the zany add-ons and additions that made MarioKart so successful in the first place. It’s one of those that I play time and time again, I love it to death. If you need any more reason to install the game, it has a multiplayer option as well that can have you playing over the internet. If you ever see Tux speeding past you in one of those games… well, let’s just say it might be yours truly.
Last but certainly not least, I’m going to include SuperTux. For those of us that grew up with Mario, this game requires no introduction: it’s a perfect port for the PC. You’re trying to save your girlfriend, Penny, from the evil Nolok who stole Penny away from you. Aside from the fact it’s a perfect clone of Super Mario, I’d highly recommend it for all old school gamers and for those new to Mario. It’s hard, it’s frustrating, but when you finally get past a spot where you got stuck… there’s nothing sweeter.
Finally, to finish this post off, I’d just like to say that presently, with two days left, there’s a cross-platform sell-off by developers of some independent games. It’s called “The Humble Indie Bundle” and the causes are just: you’re donating to the EFF and Child’s Play, as well as supporting some of the best indie developers out there. I’m hoping to donate a little bit myself directly to the charities, but you may split it however you wish and pay however much you wish (so long as it’s over a penny). All the games work for Mac, Windows, and Linux, so you won’t have to worry about games for a while. Now, if you’ll excuse me… it’s time to stir up some dust!