what commercial games have gone freeware?

All discussions regarding Board, Card, and RPG Gaming, including industry discussion, that don't belong in one of the other gaming forums.

Moderators: The Preacher, $iljanus, Zaxxon

Post Reply
User avatar
hitbyambulance
Posts: 10347
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:51 am
Location: Map Ref 47.6°N 122.35°W
Contact:

what commercial games have gone freeware?

Post by hitbyambulance »

what games have lately (by which i mean, the past couple of years) to be distributed as freeware? X-Com: UFO Defence is the newest one that i know of.
philosophist
Posts: 344
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 3:19 pm

Post by philosophist »

Ultima IV
philosophist
Posts: 344
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 3:19 pm

Post by philosophist »

Oh, and The Elder Scrolls: Arena
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20753
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: what commercial games have gone freeware?

Post by Kasey Chang »

hitbyambulance wrote:what games have lately (by which i mean, the past couple of years) to be distributed as freeware? X-Com: UFO Defence is the newest one that i know of.
XCOM is NOT freeware, unless you can show me a page on MicroProse/Atari/Infogrames website that says it is.

Just because it was released on a magazine CD does NOT mean it's freeware.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
hitbyambulance
Posts: 10347
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:51 am
Location: Map Ref 47.6°N 122.35°W
Contact:

Re: what commercial games have gone freeware?

Post by hitbyambulance »

Kasey Chang wrote:
hitbyambulance wrote:what games have lately (by which i mean, the past couple of years) to be distributed as freeware? X-Com: UFO Defence is the newest one that i know of.
XCOM is NOT freeware, unless you can show me a page on MicroProse/Atari/Infogrames website that says it is.

Just because it was released on a magazine CD does NOT mean it's freeware.
what about this link?

and hey! i just downloaded it and it has your strategy guide included with it!
User avatar
disarm
Posts: 5007
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:50 pm
Location: Hartford, CT
Contact:

Post by disarm »

Grand Theft Auto and GTA2 are now freely available from Rockstar, along with some game called Wild Metal Country that i never played... download load all three here 8)
User avatar
JayG
Posts: 1215
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 8:19 am

Post by JayG »

Beneath a Steel Sky and Lure of the Temptress are available to download from here;

http://www.revolution.co.uk/_display.php?id=10
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20753
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: what commercial games have gone freeware?

Post by Kasey Chang »

hitbyambulance wrote:
Kasey Chang wrote:
hitbyambulance wrote:what games have lately (by which i mean, the past couple of years) to be distributed as freeware? X-Com: UFO Defence is the newest one that i know of.
XCOM is NOT freeware, unless you can show me a page on MicroProse/Atari/Infogrames website that says it is.

Just because it was released on a magazine CD does NOT mean it's freeware.
what about this link?

and hey! i just downloaded it and it has your strategy guide included with it!
That would make it even LESS likely it's a legal release, since I never gave any one permission to include it with any distribution of the game.

I stand by my opinion that a Fileplanet filechecker screwed up big-time. They are supposed to kill any mention of "abandoneware" ASAP. Fileplanet can't take the legal risk (and by extension, IGN) Looks like this one got through somehow.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
warning
Posts: 1578
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:07 pm

Post by warning »

Betrayal at Krondor
The first Ground Control
User avatar
TiLT
Posts: 4435
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:01 am
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Contact:

Post by TiLT »

Star Control 2 - Now known as The Ur-Quan Masters. Hell, it's even been improved, with voiceovers, some new graphical effects, support for all kinds of operating systems, and best of all, new music for almost all the races and situations, some of these composed by yours truly. :)

Second best game ever, after X-Com.
Insert witty comment here.
Harry F. Ishnuts
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2005 11:15 am

Post by Harry F. Ishnuts »

User avatar
ChrisGwinn
Posts: 10396
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:23 pm
Location: Rake Trinket
Contact:

Post by ChrisGwinn »

Sierra did at least a limited free release of Tribes 2 when Tribes: Vengeance came out.
User avatar
Defiant
Posts: 21045
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:09 pm
Location: Tongue in cheek

Post by Defiant »

Mystery House. (released on 10th? anniv) :D
B-17 Flying Fortress (released when sequel came out)
Enemy Nations
Zork 1 (only if you get it directly from Activision - you can't give it out freely). Maybe 2 and 3?
Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy (only from the late Douglas Adams website)
Cinemaware's Games (Only from their website?)
The original battlecruiser game?


Was one of the freespaces released, or was it just the source code?
Star Control 2 - Now known as The Ur-Quan Masters.
To be strictly accurate, Star Control 2 isn't, Ur Quan Masters is.
User avatar
Spock's Brain
Posts: 237
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:51 am
Location: In a body that seems to stretch into infinity.

Post by Spock's Brain »

There's a whole site devoted to formerly commercial games re-released as freeware. Before you get your hopes up too much, in a lot of cases it's only the source code that's been "liberated."

Liberated Games
User avatar
Zitterbacke
Posts: 672
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 11:24 pm

Post by Zitterbacke »

Hidden and Dangerous I Deluxe came as free download when gathering advertised for H&D II.

http://www.gathering.com/hd2/hddeluxe.html

you still can get it there. And you should.
Gaming? Nope, I'm into Bitwig.
Post Reply