Abandonware Gems

[jrrtoken]

I've been spelunking the Internets for any sort of wonderful, free games that have been recently been made available due to legal loopholes, i.e., abandonware. Fortunately, I've come across several titles that don't relatively suck.

 

DreamWeb

DreamWeb is a top-down, cyberpunk adventure game. By cyberpunk, I mean that it contains themes of a technological dystopia, almost like the movie Blade Runner. Like Blade Runner, it includes mechanical scenery, in an often dreary and depressing environment. The plot is often confusing, but there's a plot device known as the DreamWeb, which is a sort of well for people's dreams, or something like that. You, the protagonist, is assigned by the keepers of the DreamWeb to vanquish the seven forces of evil which threaten to destroy the Dreamweb, and eventually, the world. This basically means killing people, violently.

 

The game is presented in a bird's eye view perspective, which means that it can be somewhat difficult to maneuver, especially when it is heavily pixelated. There are many different items for you to pick up, however, 95% of them are utterly useless. The music is great and atmospheric, and the game also includes voice acting, however, I was playing the CD-ROM version which I already own; the download above is the floppy copy. I should also mention that the game stirred a bit of controversy when it was first released, as it included a sex scene. I have seen it, and I find it to be nothing at all, since the scant amount of pixels leave much to the imagination, and it's more or less an embarrassment than anything. Nonetheless, if you like an entertaining adventure game, then this is for you.

 

 

Albion

Albion is essentially a sci-fi RPG. Nonetheless, it is one hell of an RPG. More or less, it's almost a sort of ancestor to Mass Effect, i.e., you're in space, and your ship crashes on a strange planet. The game is more focused on the exploration factor of RPGs than combat, as I've been playing for around an hour, and have yet been able to fight anyone. No matter, the game is quite inventive; although it primary shows most of the gameplay in a top-down perspective, certain rooms are in the first person, for some reason. The music is extremely ambient, even though it is entirely MIDI based. The graphics are colorful and neat, with plenty of detail. Basically, this is a must play RPG, for anyone.

 

 

Monty Python's Flying Circus

Most of you are probably staring blankly at the screen right now, trying to process the title. I know, it's shocking, but there really is a Monty Python video game. it's not really much of a good video game, but it is extremely Pythonesque. I won't spoil any details, but consider it to be a game based on Terry Gilliam's animation form the series, including all of its utter randomness. Honestly, just download it for the laughs.