Game prices have been on the rise as of late, though that doesn’t mean the quality is on par with what you have to cough up. More often than not, they can be a buggy, unplayable mess that can just leave you clamouring for a refund. It’s these instances that make you wish for the good old days when you actually had a complete game and didn’t have to spend an additional RM200 on microtransactions.
Well, worry no more, as CD Projekt is giving away 70 classic games from various publishers. GOG.com (formerly known as Good Old Games) is a digital storefront owned by the Cyberpunk 2077 developer that sells games in a manner similar to Steam. The games available on this platform range from early RPGs like Ultima IV to arcade shooters like Stargunner. If the massive number of choices makes it difficult to decide what to play next, here are five games you should definitely check out.
Flight Of The Amazon Queen (1994/2016/2021)
What’s more old-school than point-and-click games? In this game, you play as Joe King, pilot of the plane called the Amazon Queen, who is charged with the task of rescuing a kidnapped princess. From there, the wacky story spirals out of control, leading you down a path where you must thwart the plan of the evil Doctor Frank Ironstein.
Though showing its age in some aspects, the game still holds up against the test of time with interesting puzzles and witty, fully-voiced dialogue that gets better as you explore various locales. Additionally, for its 20th anniversary (2016), the game received a mobile port, while PC players rejoiced during the 25th anniversary (2021), as it received a remaster for PC.
Quake II RTX (1997/2019)
Shooter games have come and gone over the decades like an itch that keeps coming back; it’s annoying, but scratching it is still quite satisfying. However, there is one shooter that is loved for its gripping action. Quake II is a game classified as a “Boomer shooter” where you blast your way through hordes of enemies with over-the-top weapons at extreme speeds with heavy metal to back you up.
What makes this game so different from the rest is the fact that it just got a massive remaster with updated visuals, so you can enjoy the game with your souped-up PC.
Betrayer (2014)
Betratyer is a first-person action-adventure game with horror-esque elements where you traverse an abandoned Fort Henry during the Spanish colonisation of America. Something has affected the Spanish Conquistadors and Native American warriors in the area, resulting in both groups seemingly devolving into an almost animalistic-like state and attacking the player relentlessly, among other things.
Sound plays a big role in the game, as you have to kill the enemies by creeping through tall grass and timing your movements with strong gusts of wind to mask your steps. It also has no defined sense of direction or proper markers for objective quests. Again, players must listen for sound cues to discover points of interest in order to progress.
Unfortunately, the game was delisted from Steam back in 2021 at the developer’s [Blackpowder Games] request. The game received a quiet re-release on GOG.com in July of this year, so those interested are welcome to try it.
The Elder Scrolls: Arena (1994)
Before there was The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, there was Arena. Explore the classic that introduces the world to Tamriel and its entirety with this piece of gaming history that has become the benchmark of many RPGs we see today. What makes this game stunningly unique from other games is the massive map size, where you get to explore the entire continent of Tamriel. Yes, all 9,656,064 km, the second-largest map in the Elder Scrolls franchise next to Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (which is also free on GOG.com, by the way).
Samorost 1 (2003/2021)
What if Pikmin was a point-and-click game and not a strategy game? You get Samorost 1, a critically-acclaimed 2D, side-scrolling puzzle game. You explore an avant-garde rendition of a world as a small humanoid in a white suit, who is simply known as “gnome.” Each puzzle is sequentially linked and tells an amazing adventure story. There’s no inventory or dialogue; it is a simple and casual puzzle-solving game, so you can forget about backtracking and intense memorization.
Though originally released in 2003, Samorost has received two more sequels, one in 2005 and the other in 2016. Furthermore, the original received a remaster back in 2021 and was released for Windows and macOS for free. Additionally, the game was also given iOS and Android ports, so you can play it on the go.
