Gog.com ~ Finally

I think I've mentioned Gog.com a couple of times and if I haven't, I probably should have.  Well, by the looks of it, both DRPOTTS and I have mentioned this video game consignment store (aka Take My Money) site before, but only in a rudimentary passing type of way, meaning that aside from links and little blurb, neither of us have seem to have brought this site up as extensively as it deserves.

So gog.com (Good Old Games) has been around since 2008 although I only became aware of the site since, maybe, the middle of 2012, who can say?  The point is, gog.com offers a lot of older PC games at frequently ridiculously low prices, which I won't specifically mention as I still sort of hold that stigma since our KDVS 90.3FM Freeform Radio days; non-profit radio cannot mention prices on air, at least we were told never to do mention prices.  They've also started offering newer games, possibly to compete with both Humble Bundle, Steam and Amazon's Indie Gaming Store.

I only bring up gog.com now, because a short while back, I picked up a game that I had heard about sometime last summer.  I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream is a psychological horror point-and-click game from 1995 that was based on a science fiction book of the same name and published in 1967 by Harlan Ellison.  While not available on Steam, gog.com had this game for, we'll just say exceedingly cheap.  Science fiction point-and-click psychological horror are three genres that I love, so it was really just a matter of not caring about spending less than $5.

After purchasing the game, I looked at my games shelf and was horrified at what I saw.  There were eight games on my shelf.  All said "New" in the upper right corner.  I immediately checked my credit card statement online as well as my email to see if I had accidentally purchase seven other games.  Now, if I had taken the time to actually look at the games, all my fears would have been alleviated.

These seven other games were free.  That's what the green banner across the upper left of the box art that spelled out "FREE" meant.  I didn't buy them, they just. . . came with my purchase?  These seven games are simply free from gog.com and you don't even have to sign up for an account, although by signing up, they are automatically added to your library.

Below will be a brief rundown of the games that were included with my purchase, because I want to find out about these games (and proclaim my ignorance publically) at the same time you find out, then feel free to shun me in whatever way you feel appropriate.

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar.

Now, I'm familiar with this game, but only by name and the cover art.  I recall seeing this game as an NES cartridge at DRPOTTS' house.  I never tried playing it, knowing his family's penchant for not playing someone elses save files, and by the time I knew of this game, I had already developed a fairly decent etiquette when it came to video game save files.  If this game is anything like the only Ultima game that I've played, Ultima: Exodus, then I probably won't make it too far.

Tyrian 2000.

This is a top down spaceship shooter that came out back in 1999 from Eclipse Productions.  It basically looks like a mash up between 1942 and Gradius, which is a good thing.  I had fun playing both games although I was never a wiz at them, but this still sounds like a lot of fun.

Dragonsphere.

Dragonsphere came out on the PC back in 1994 from MicroProse.  The game is a point-and-click fantasy adventure game that looks like it was ripped straight out of a Dungeons & Dragons module from the same era.  And hell no that's not a bad thing.  For me, that's pure nostalgic fun.  And apparently it's a cult classic, which is a sign that I think always bodes well.

Warsow.

Warsow, released in 2012 by Chausser De Bots, by only looking at it, sounds like a Team Fortress 2 type multiplayer battle royale with a sense for camp.  I'll probably give the game a go, being free and all, but this genre really isn't my pint-of-stout mainly because I don't want/like to deal with online rage douches, but it's worth a try.  And, I don't think the same mean spirited 12 year old boys will be playing Warsow instead of Battlefield 4: Co-op Enemy Massacre Revenge: The Return of the Camped Out Revenge Killing Part IIa

Treasure Adventure Game.

Treasure Adventure Game, released in 2011 by Robit Studios  looks exactly like it's title proclaims: a retro style 2D platformer with a less violent Super Meat Boy thrown in because that seems to be a thing now-a-days.  I'll give the game a spin, but if it's as frustrating as Super Meat Boy, I may have to just pass after, say, 30 minutes.

Beneath a Steel Sky.
Beneath a Steel Sky was released in 1994 by Revolution Software.  It is a point-and-click science fiction adventure game.  I know absolutely nothing about this game (as opposed to the other six games that I know nothing about) and, I'm going to take a stab in the dark here, looks a bit like the film Dark City and Brazil with something else thrown in that I can't quite pin down (Shadowgate meets Who Framed Roger Rabbit maybe??).  Either way, whatever this game is, it looks like something that I will end up loving or never finishing because it's too avant garde.  As long as Eraserhead's babby doesn't show up, I might be alright. We'll wait and see.

Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire.
Released in 1990 by Origin Systems.  I'm not even sure about this game.  I mean, the T-Rex's posture isn't correct and the flying reptile looks like it's a mix between Rhamphorhynchus and a Pteranodon.  Oh, and I guess the scantily clad savage woman next to the safari game-hunter seems out of place too.  So maybe an Ultima style game, but instead of high fantasy, it's high colonial steam-punk meats Journey to the Center of the Earth?  I am of course making some of this up.  I will of course try out the game.







One additional thing that I want to let shine on gog.com, is that even the free games often come with their own special features of sorts.  Ultima IV comes with an audio interview with Lord British, maps, manual and spell book; Warsow and Treasure Adventure Game both come with the soundtrack; I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream comes with a manual, soundtrack and a making of documentary pdf file.  This is a great place and I am sad that I only recently discovered how amazing it is, this land of the lost pc games.


~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Learning To Live