Free Indie Games!
This section provides links to some cool games. For writer purists out there who are wondering what games are doing on a literary site, I’ll have you know these games play out in 15 minutes or so and are great when you are stumped for that perfect word.
GridSims
My friend Jesse Markowitz and I love gaming, and for the past few years, I’ve been writing games in Excel. All these games are free to a good home. Rules included inside each zip – just dump them into a directory and you’re good to go!) Get them HERE.
Spelunky
I don’t like platform games much, but Spelunky is an exception. You are a cute little Indiana Jones character who needs to run, whip, jump, rappel and bomb-toss his way through this amazing underground complex. The cool thing is – it’s random! Each game is different. And the dozens of items, monsters and discoveries all fit together in amazing ways – no two games are alike. Wait until the first time you accidentally crack open a sacrificial alter or get too close to those big red plants. Get it for free HERE. BTW, out of 2000+ deaths, my top cash score is $140,000, and I’ve gotten (once) all the way down to the end boss.
Kennedy Approach
It’s a TSA patdown for your brain! KA is a remake of a great old air traffic control simulation from the 80’s. Originally five locations were provided (three more have been added, two designed by your humble administrator (Orlando and Roanoke)). See if you can deal with a string of planes coming in from all angles, more planes on the ground desperate to depart, a squall line and an in-flight emergency. The download is HERE, and the site even has the manual. And dig that groovy voice synthesizer!
Attack of the Paper Zombies
This was a strange one with a stiff learning curve. You are on a planet with a five-man marine team and some build points. The thing is, hive generators kicking out waves of alien zombies! You gotta figure the choke points, what to build and where to put it, and how to take out each of the hives and stop the flood. I just won my first beginner game tonight and it was a real struggle. Get it HERE – and I suggest you play the tutorial a couple of times before trying it for real!