By now, most people have heard of the ‘Play 4 Free’ gaming model. Basically, developers and publishers will put out a game, which costs the gamer nothing. Theses games may be supported by advertisements, backing from a major publisher, or even paid for premium content or extras. Now, I wouldn’t call this approach to games new, as it seems like a new take on the old Shareware methods of the 80’s and 90’s
So, some of the big players that have put out games that I have played, and am probably still playing, include EA, Funzio, Wargaming.net and Turbine. Yes I am including a few browser based games in the mix, partially because of the portability factor with them.
Let me start with Funzio. They are responsible for the browser based game Crime City, which I bumped into on Google+. It is also available in Facebook, and through the Apple iTunes store for iOS devices.
Next up, Turbine. They gave us Lord of the Rings Online, based on the J.R.R. Tolkien series of books. The game has decent graphics, DirectX 10 support, and does require a client download. They have also recently announced an upcoming expansion, Riders of Rohan, due out later this year.
Now, we’ll get into Wargaming.net. They responsible for World of Tanks. Who doesn’t want to drive around in a selection of WWII period tanks, blowing other players up. It does require a client download, but it’s worth it. The game has a tiered based system for upgrading to newer and larger tanks, and each tank can be customized with different guns, ammo, engines, etc. Wargaming.net has also announced that they are working on another WWII game called World of Planes… say hello to my next time vampire.
Lastly, I’ll mention the biggest name in the field… EA, but I won’t detail there products quite as much, as just list the ones that I play, or have played and enjoyed. My list of games that have garnered my attention include:
– Lord of Ultima
– Battlefield Heroes
– Battlefield Play4Free
– Tiger Woods Online
– Something that I cannot name due to having signed an NDA and it is still in closed beta.
And why do I like Play 4 Free type games so much? I don’t get tied to them like I did with Warcraft… I can play when I want, and for as little or as long as I want.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to login into World of Warcraft…