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5 free to play games you need to check out
If you are like me you like free things. What’s better than free video games? (Don’t answer that, wiseguys, there’s plenty of things if you get creative enough)
Regardless, free video games are awesome. Thanks to a little business model called free-to-play we can play computer games all day for free. No borrowing games from your friends required.
What is free to play?
You can play the game for free but not everything is unlocked at first. You can (usually) unlock everything by playing long enough, but you can unlock things faster with micro-transactions of real money.
Free to Play: No theft required.
Here are some of the hottest free to play games out on the market that you need to check out! (Yes, I am a noob at most of these games, but it doesn’t take an expert to know a good thing when he sees it.)
1. League of Legends
This is the roster of every fantasy sport team I imagined when I was 12.
League of Legends is the first on my list because it is the one that I am currently most addicted to. The game lets you choose from 97 different characters and duke it out in an arena in team-based matches against another team.
The point of the game to take out the opposing teams base using teamwork and maximizing your character’s unique skills. No two characters play the same and their is a great deal of strategy to the game. Even so, the game does a great job of matching you with players your skill level and I’ve had tons of fun as a noob.
The community has been quite nice so far, the graphics are nice, and the stories surrounding the characters are surprisingly fascinating. It’s nice that, with enough time, you can unlock everything without money.
Check out Legaue of Legends. It’s definitely worth the $0 I paid.
2. Team Fortress 2
Do I really have to tell you what game this is?
Team Fortress 2 has aged well with time and is now free. Awesome! One of the top class based shooting games in existence (that’ll we’ll ever be able to afford) is a delight to play.
There is the perfect amount of skill required and just plain fun to be had in TF2 to keep you busy for a long time. As a new player you will be wowed by the fun art and hilarious deaths, and as an experienced player you will enjoy the deep class balances and powers and the coordinated strategy required by any winning team.
Sure, some people gripe about the hats and the ridiculous amount of weapons that have been released in the game. But they’re missing the point: TF2 is fun and well worth what we paid.
3. TrackMania Nations Forever
I wanna go fast! …on walls.
If high-octane races against a community of registered players that nearly rivals that of World of Warcraft, then TrackMania Forever is for you. The free-to-play game isn’t as robust as the full game, but it is free and still a heck of a lot of fun.
TrackMania Forever is the most popular PC racing game for a reason.
- The graphics and music are very slick for a free game
- You can design your own car
- You can play on and offline (solo)
- 65 awesome tracks
- An editor to make your own tracks
That’s pretty. Now blow it up.
Shooters can be incredibly fun, but they can just as easily be a stale genre. Tribes takes the shooter formula and spices it up a notch. The player has the ability to rocket quickly across the map and everyone is fitted with jetpacks. This makes fire fights furiously fast and unpredictable.
The maps are large and the graphics are great, especially for a free game. The real star of the game are the capture the flag matches that can take some incredible skill but dish out equal amounts of fun regardless of your skill level.
The last time I played a Tribes game was on Playstation 2. I’m glad to see the awesome series back and better than ever. Tribes Ascend positions itself as the fastest shooter ever. See if you agree.
5. Tie: Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, DC Universe Online, Age of Conan
Pictured: a Hobbit slays a dark foe with acoustic music.
Like MMORPGs but hate the costly monthly fees. Me too. Then hop right into one of these huge online titles that used to have monthly fees, but are now completely free to play. You don’t even have to buy the game!
Which game you choose is really up to your interests. Like Lord of the Rings best? Play Lord of the Rings Online. Want to fight alongside Batman? Play DC Universe Online. Are you rolling a D20 right now to see which game to play? Then Dungeons and Dragons Online is clearly for you.
Heck, if you really wanted to, you could play them all; they’re all free!
Each of these titles has a massive community for you to join and enjoy and spent years in development and updating. These are quality titles that just couldn’t compete on a normal pay model with giants like World of Warcraft. The good news is that we get to enjoy them for free!
Check out Lord of the Rings Online.
Check out Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Note: Minecraft Free-to-play servers just ended late last month (April 2012)
Rule #83 if it exists it is in Minecraft.
This is sad, but Minecraft can still be purchased for just $20 and is now available on Xbox! Xbox users can also play with PC users at the same time. It’s not free anymore but you should try it out! Fill that cube sized hole in your heart. Build a shrine to your favorite fantasy character today!
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Just these games alone could keep you busy for a long LONG time (seriously, who has time for things like jobs and eating?), but there are so many other great free to play games. Rant about your favorite free to play games below so that we can all check them out!
The Gamer Guy Rants 