Well, this list saves me a lot of trouble. Gamasutra, a gaming site tailored for developers and nit-pickers, posted a grab-bag list of its 99 favorite free games of 2009 last week. Ninety-nine! It’s not a perfect list—particularly a few “arty” duds. But most of the games are smart and accessible—not to mention playable through any web browser—so bookmark the link for the best in free, indie games while you kill time in ’10.
My ’09 freebie favorites below.
Spelunky: An 8-bit hunt through caverns. This has shades of the old Lode Runner arcade/NES game of the ’80s, only Spelunky randomly generates its levels and has a boatload of surprises. Basement game-makers are gaga over this game as much for its fun as for its ingenuity.
Canabalt: Another sleeper smash of the year, and it has only one button: jump. But there’s something about being dropped into this simple game’s weird, action-movie world that proves captivating. The music, the unexplained panic, the monotone art style … You’ll play this for 1.5 minutes and remember it for far longer. Now available for iPhone, as well.
Closure: A member of this year’s Penny Arcade Expo game competition, this little side-scroller has an amazing gimmick that is better discovered than spoiled. Try it.
RunMan: If you enjoyed the original Sonic The Hedgehog games, then try this deceptively tricky, “run really fast” game. Also, if you love listening to public domain soul and blues songs, you’re in luck.
Guardian Rock: Imagine controlling a Tetris block that kills prying, insensitive anthropologists. Good puzzles here.
