Guest Post: Top Ten Free Online Games

Donutttt brings us the definitive list.

99%G: Today we’re happy to have Oliver (A.K.A Donutttt) from Free PC Game Reviews here to impart his knowledge on the very best of free online gaming. Donutttt reviews several games a week, so make sure to check his blog out whenever you’re bored and need a game to kill time!

No 1. Meat Boy

Meat Boy is a platformer where you control a small red character called (you guessed it) Meat Boy. Meat Boy is trying to be reunited with his girlfriend; Bandage Girl. The problem is that each time you reach Bandage Girl, she is snatched away by Dr Fetus.

The levels in Meat Boy ease you into the game’s dynamics. At first the game is straightforward but it gets gradually more difficult. The later levels are extremely difficult, but are rarely frustrating.

Meat Boy is funny, well designed and fun, and it’s a perfect example of a good browser platformer. If you haven’t played it, you really should.

No 2. Continuity

In Continuity the levels are made up of sections which need to be rotated, in a similar way to a sliding puzzle. It’s this dynamic which makes Continuity a puzzle game, though the graphics and controls are more similar to a platformer.

But you shouldn’t just play Continuity because it’s original and quirky; it’s also very satisfying and of course, fun.

No 3. FlOw

FlOw is smooth and calm; everything about the game is simple and intuitive. The graphics and audio are simple and beautiful, and the controls are easy and sensible.

FlOw is addictive, though it’s sometimes difficult to see why. It might be because it’s so easy to get drawn in to FlOw; there are very few barriers between the player and the game world. FlOw is number three because it’s relaxing, simple and original.

No 4. Desktop TD

Tower Defence games are awesome, which is why the internet is full of them. There’s something pleasing about strategically setting defences in order to watch helpless minions walk through them. Desktop TD has all the ingredients of a good tower defence. It is open ended enough to allow for complex mazes, but also simple enough that the learning curve is not too steep. The difficulty is adjustable but on the standard difficulty level it never feels impossible.

There is added variety with enemies coming from both directions across the map, allowing for more interesting and varied defences. If you haven’t given Desktop TD a try, you really should.

No 5. Canabalt

Canabalt is a smooth, fast game which is controlled using only one button. In Canabalt, you control a character who is running. They need to move fast, to keep going they have to avoid obstacles such as boxes and gaps. To get past these obstacles, they need to jump. You are in control of when the character jumps, and timing is everything.

The level design in Canabalt means that the timing of your jumps needs to be precise. It is this, along with the game’s simple but interesting graphical style, that make Canabalt number 5 on this list.

No 6. Runescape

Runescape was way ahead of its time. When it was released, back in 2001, multiplayer browser games were rare. Runescape is a massively multiplayer online RPG that you can play in your browser; something which has only recently become less rare.

In Runescape you create a character who has a range of skills, which range from using magic to chopping down trees. The more you use your skills, the better they get. The reason Runescape is at number 6 is that it remains one of the most fun, popular, and unique mmo’s available in your browser.

No 7. Aether

Aether is an imaginative and original game where you control a boy riding a giant monster. The boy on the monster is wondering whether there are other creatures in space who are as lonely as he is.

Aether is number 7 on this list because it is coherent and interesting. The music and visuals of the game fit perfectly with the gameplay, where you have to try to escape the gravity of the planet you are on, and search through space for other planets by swinging from the monster’s tongue.

No 8. Coma

The most immediately noticeable thing about Coma is its graphics, which are unique and beautiful. Colour and light are used impressively, and contribute to the game’s overall darkness.

Coma is at number 8 because it is coherent and imaginative. It is similar to the popular indie game Limbo, though not nearly as deep. But Coma is a browser game; and it pushes what people should expect of games they play in their browser.

No 9. Wonderputt

It feels like mini-golf games are as old as browser games themselves. They’re still going strong, as Wonderputt demonstrates. You’ll be familiar with the way Wonderputt works; it doesn’t bring anything new gameplay-wise.

Wonderputt is at number 9 because it is the best of a very popular genre. The world is surprising, colourful, and unique, and while the gameplay may not be original, Wonderputt is addictive and fun.

No 10. QWOP

QWOP is frustrating and addictive. It is a game where you control a runner. You control the parts of the runner’s legs with the Q, W, O and P keys. Once you have played QWOP, you will be more aware of how much work a human brain does when it moves a pair of legs.

QWOP is hilarious and everyone should play it. Falling over has never been so entertaining.

-Oliver

 Free PC Game Reviews