2d posts

Each week we find more and more free games that do not quite fit into the freeware mold. Games that do not require a subscription fee to play, but encourage player usage of money through microtransactions or special subscription services. This is Playing For Free, a column that showcases these games.

It's interesting to note that sometimes the knock-off can exceed the original, or change things up in ways that make the knock-off more compelling than the original. Runes of Magic did this with World Of Warcraft through a bunch of intriguing changes to the gameplay, but it's not just restricted to knock-offs of mainstream commercial games. La Tale is very similar to Nexon's incredibly popular and enduring Maple Story, but it iadds many great changes to the simple side-scrolling formula. Sure, it has an uncanny resemblance to its inspiration, but it manages to be a great game on its own and hold up to Maple Story when compared side-by-side.

For many a kid growing up, the game Kung-Fu Master on the NES was one of the hardest games available. Controllers were broken in fury over the difficulty of this arcade classic. In tribute to this excellent (and supremely hard) retro classic, some enterprising developers have expanded on the concept for the 2008 Retro Remake competition at Retro Remakes. Sure, it's a year late, but who cares? It's a great look back at the halycon days. At least what we thought were the halycon days, anyway.

Kung-Fu 2 is a simple game to control. Arrow keys move, ctrl and space perform attacks. However, what is hard is the timing. Much like the original, you must have perfect timing to eliminate enemies, or you will take significant damage. It's an exercise in frustration for those unfamiliar with the game, but it adds a level of old-school challenge not seen in many games nowadays. You can download the game from the developers website.

[Via IndieGames]

Street Fighter IV is intended to reawaken a classic franchise -- a franchise that's been dormant so long, it's hard to even picture it in today's 3D, hundred-million-dollar-budget gaming world. A 2D fighter in 2008? Can it be done?

The latest trailer from Capcom ought to sell you on the idea if you're skeptical. Let's face it, though; if you grew up playing Street Fighter in the 90s, then you're probably not all that skeptical. You're probably just plain psyched. Either way, we have the new trailer here for you. It displays several characters new and old. It's full of great artwork and impossibly epic special moves. It's also a whopping four minutes long. If you've been craving Street Fighter IV content, today's your lucky day!

When you watch it, you might even start to wonder if 2.5D is the new 3D.

Download the Street Fighter IV Gameplay Trailer from Big Download.