GAMES SPECIAL - Fantastic Free PC Games and Where to Find Them

Fantastic Free PC Games and Where to Find Them

You don't have to pay big bucks to play computer games. All you need is an internet connection and a PC to access a treasure trove of titles. If you're looking for simple distractions that can be played on almost any PC, then Flash and HTML5 games are designed just for you. And if you want to drive around in tanks, lead an Armada in battle, fight intergalactic foes, or slay dragons in dungeons, well, there's something for you too. Savio D'Souza and Ashutosh Desai tell you about...

FLASH GAMES

Almost everyone plays games on their smartphones, but did you know you can enjoy many of these titles at full screen on your PC? These “casual games“ are free-to-play , and if you create an account on their respective websites you can even keep track of your progress and compete with friends on `leader boards'. Besides, you don't even have to download and install anything to your computer.

miniclip.com | After you register with this 16-year-old gaming site, you can create an avatar and compile games statistics such as high scores as well as rankings on your player page. It boasts of over 50 genres, including action, adventure, alien, destruction, motocross, Rio 2016, and winter sports. And it also has multiplayer games like Soccer Stars, Mafia Battle, Slither and Tanki Online where you can compete with other Miniclip members.

kizi.com | Similar to Miniclip in its offerings, this website is easier to browse to find what you're looking for. It displays games in a largish thumbnail grid across eight genres such as food, dress-up, bubble shooter, racing, alien, strategy , action and puzzle. Register for a free account and Kizi will remember the games you have played recently and display them at the top of the home page, so you don't waste time browsing for your favourites. The website is packed with kid-friendly games like Bob the Robber, Parking Mania and Cactus McCoy that can be accessed from a mobile browser as well.

andkon.com | It might not boast of great design, but you get over 1,000 games, crammed into three web pages only . You don't need to register here. The main objective is to play games. You can view the games by categories, most recently updated titles or simply click on the Random link and let Andkon surprise you. You also get a search field, in case you want to look for a specific game. This is one of the few websites that does not harass you with advertising pop-ups while loading a game.

ferryhalim.comorisinal | For extremely casual stuff that will also appeal to kids, head to Orisinal. Ferry Halim, the website's creator, has created over 60 Flash-based games that use child-like characters and bright, happy environments. The controls are simple too, requiring you to use the mouse or the arrow keys to manoeuvre a boat over icebergs, run atop a train or trap bees inside bubbles. Gameplay is simple, challenging, and the graphics are absolutely beautiful.

html5games.com | This website showcases over a hundred casual games that are playable on all web browsers that support HTML5. This means, all its titles ­ across genres such as shooters, cards, puzzles, and sport ­ are also playable on your tablet and smartphone browsers that support the new standard.

WARGAMING

Create a free account on this website, and you get complete access to three massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), namely World of Warplanes, World of Tanks and World of Warships.

In Warplanes, you can choose your squadrons from countries such as China, France, Germany , Great Britain, Japan, the Soviet Union and the USA ­ and fly airplanes in four main classes: fighters, multirole fighters, heavy fighters, and ground attack planes.

Each country's Air Force has its own strengths and weaknesses. For instance, a Soviet or a Japanese fighter will be more horizontally manoeuvrable than its German and American counterpart, but would have limited vertical manoeuvrability .

You begin playing in basic training mode before you're thrown into multiplayer battles where you can earn credits and experience points necessary to unlock additional game content. Gameplay involves destroying all enemy aircraft in dogfights, as well as ground objects to achieve air superiority .

In Tanks, you get access to five types of vehicles: light tanks, medium tanks, heavy tanks, tank destroyers, and self-propelled guns from the armies of Britain, China, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany , Japan, Soviet Union, Sweden and the USA. Here, you have to navigate the vehicle, aim and fire at the enemy , while strategising with team players in multiplayer battles. A match is won either by destroying all enemy tanks or capturing their team base. You will also need to complete missions for rewards.

And finally , in Warships, you can choose from over 200 vessels including destroyers, cruisers, battleships and aircraft carriers ­­ dating back to World War I and World War II -from the Commonwealth, France, Germany , Japan, Poland, USA and USSR. The game features weather changes at sea, including rain, snow and fog that can influence, and even change the course of the battle. These take place in diverse locations all over the world, each requiring different game tactics. Gameplay is team-based, and you can engage in battles against bots or real players. To win, you usually have to occupy specific locations on a map for a given period of time, or destroy all enemy players. As you progress, you grow in experience, which can be used to unlock modules on your vessel, before you progress to the next ship.

Each game requires a separate download: 16GB for World of Tanks, and up to 42GB for Warships. But before you download, we recommend you read the minimum and recommended PC specs for each game.

asia.wargaming.net

New to the World of Gaming?

If your computer runs Windows 10, then check out the Games section on the Microsoft Store for free games. Other places where you can find free and discounted games include http:www.gog.com, http:www.origin.com and store.steampowered.com.All the games are listed with their full descriptions and trailer videos. Before downloading, read user feedback and game ratings; also don't forget to check recommended hardware specs.

HUMBLE BUNDLE

This website releases fresh budget-priced game bundles ­ comprising six to seven games ­ every two weeks. For each title on offer, you get a brief description, along with the platforms for which they are available, and user-review ratings. Humble Bundle follows the pay-what-you-want model, which means you can buy the starter bundle of two-three games for just $1. As you increase your bid, you get more titles at extremely nominal rates.

But the best part of this website is that it contributes a percentage of what you pay to charity (it has thousands of charities listed, and don't worry this is not a scam).You also get to decide what portion of your money goes to the developer, how much goes to charity, and what goes to Humble as a tip.Once you make your payment via card or PayPal, you will receive an email to your registered address with a link from where you can download your games.

Humble Bundle has similar offers for ebooks and apps.

http:www.humblebundle.com

ITCH

I tch is a great place to visit for budget games from independent game developers.Create a free account on the website, and you can browse for titles by platform (Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS and web), price (free, on sale, paid, $5 and less, $15 and less), genre (action, platformer, shooter, adventure, role playing, simulation, strategy , puzzle, sports), and game length (a few minutes, about a half-hour, about an hour, a few hours, a day or more).

When you click on a title, you can watch videos of gameplay , read game description, and see recommended specs. In this way you can make an informed decision before downloading.

Many developers set their minimum price to zero, which means their games can be got for free, but you can choose to support them with contributions if you like what they're offering. Itch also has bundles, where you can buy multiple games at heavily discounted prices.

itch.io

MMOBOMB & MMOS

If war games are not your thing, you can visit MMOBomb and MMOS for a listing of all the free-to-play MMOGs across multiple genres such as shooters, strategy , fighting, racing, sports, sci-fi, card games, fantasy, and more. Each title promises months of free gaming, with regular updates and packs.

Each game is listed with a brief description, key features, a direct link to its web page, recommended PC hardware specifications, player reviews and ratings out of five. Both websites have news and game preview sections, as well as regular in-game giveaways that include loot packs, product keys to unlock games and features, and even beta access codes.

MMOS also lists paid games; has a regular podcast, and a section from where you can listen to music soundtracks from nearly 200 titles.

The advantage of browsing for MMOGs to play on these websites is that you can interact with fellow gamers via comments, forums and even read their views to help you decide which titles are worth your while. Additionally , you can find games that you can play on almost all PC hardware configurations.

mmobomb.com | mmos.com

TOI 22APR17