How to Beat the High Cost of Gaming, Part Two


After a week of enticing releases, and an approaching holiday gaming deluge, gamers may not have the funds to fuel their gaming habits. Currently, the quality of browser-based titles now rivals (and frequently, bests) some of the filler found on the Xbox Live Arcade and Wiiware venues. Why spend $10 on Screwjumper!, when you can play a much better game on nearly any computer for free? So in our effort to bring inexpensive gaming to the masses, we proudly present four games that cost nothing.

Puttbase

Developer Jayc Santos synergistically combines miniature golf with the physics puzzles of The Incredible Machine. Against the clock, players use various pieces such as springs, curves, and blocks to guide a golf ball into a hole. Levels have multiple solutions, and gamers are graded on time taken, amount of distance the ball travels, and unused pieces. Puttbase has the addictive quality that can keep gamers focused on their monitors for hours.

Rose and Camellia
With a beautiful hand-drawn look and baroque soundtrack, stand far above the typical trappings of a flash game. Calling Rose and Camellia a slapping game would be a great injustice- it nearly rivals a fighting game in timing and complexity. Utilizing a time bar, players initiate a ‘slap’ against the opposition player with a mouse click, before sweeping the mouse across your opponent’s face. Player then must quickly prepare to evade a retaliatory swing, but making another similar mouse gesture. Enemies have weak spots that can induce a ‘Critical Slap’.

Coign of Vantage
Wonderfully named CoV puts your spatial and hand-eye coordination skills to the test in this uniquely challenging game. Players move the mouse to rotate a starfield of pixels into a 2D piece of pixel art. Players start with thirty seconds, and are given additional time for every correct solution. Coign of Vantage manages to be both engaging and surprisingly relaxing.

The Last Stand 2
Players are pitted against an infinite assault of marauding zombies in this bloody title. Players gun down the approaching undead, and between rounds scavenge the city for weapons, traps, and survivors. Few games can match the thrill of goring zombies with bullets while they are ensnarled in a bear trap. We couldn’t imagine a better recreation of Romero-inspired action in a browser game.

About Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

31 comments

  1. Well done; that slapping game is art.

  2. Great feature; keep this going, please.

  3. Two thumbs up for free games. That Puttbase game is great.

  4. Puttbase is better than 90% of the shit on the 360 arcade.

  5. Not so crazy about the vantage one. Too wierd.

  6. Rose and Camellia need the Prodigy playing in the background!

  7. Well done, guys.

  8. I love the look of the game. Very impressive.

  9. Free games? What kind of evil, Commie site is this?

    Just kidding, great games there!

  10. Better than free drinks!

  11. I liked Puttbase the best.

  12. Free is always better, that’s my motto. Women, games, etc.

  13. Ok, here’s my take:

    Puttbase: Great game, I wish it had more parts though

    Rose and Camellia: Great graphics and sound, but I didn’t like the controls

    Coign of Vantage: different, but boring after a few minutes.

    The Last Stand 2: I wish there was some strategy. Randomly looking for places isn’t enough for me.

  14. Some solid picks there.

  15. Smack my Bitch up?

  16. Solid browser games there.

  17. Indie game FTW!

  18. Cheap is sweet, but free is better

  19. Nice info.

  20. Why buy the cow, when you get the milk for free. Nice article. I’d like to see more.

  21. The Last Stand is too dark on my computer.

  22. I didn’t know clicking on the pics takes you to the game, nice!

  23. Oh-la-la, thats my game! thanks for the write up DesertEagle…

  24. JayC, thanks for making such a great game. Deagle should contact you for an interview.

  25. and thanks for supporting indie casual games like mine! =D

  26. Hey, JayC, I just want to say that Puttbase is an awesome game. I’ve spent at least a dozen hours playing it, which it something because I have a stack on opened retail games that I payed good money for!

    Please let us know if you’re making another game? 🙂

  27. Hey JayC,

    Great game. I usually come here for the review, but every once in a while they have flash games that are good.

    Yours is great. Ever consider putting that on XBox live arcade or Wiiware?

  28. Thanks really glad you like the game.

    Yeah, I can probably drop the author or the site’s people a line or two if I have something new & great, although you can also grab my site’s feeds.

  29. Thanks,
    I want to produce games for consoles too but I have to get that console to test it first. I’ll surely make some for the future for now its browser/flash games. There are actually a lot of developers like me, a lot even better, its not a big industry of casual gaming.

  30. I have to say It’s obviously what I am looking for , thank you for information , 徵信社 cheer!