The Best Things in Life are Free(ware)

First of all, a hearty welcome from me to any freshers reading The Mancunion for the first time! I have a few words of wisdom for you to help you nurse the hangover you are currently experiencing from fresher’s week.

Firstly, Gemini Café near Whitworth Halls does a great full english breakfast. Second, the cheap paracetamol from Lidl works just as well as the fancy stuff. And third, the word “Free” is your new best friend.

That last point is very important. You can get a lot for free, bottle openers, frying pans, and even decent games. Here are some great free games that you can play while you are still recovering from freshers’ flu. I have excluded any MMO’s or anything with a large online element, as I can assure you that you do not need another time sink in first year.

Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and the Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist is actually a funny exploration driven comedy game and not just a futile attempt to pad out an article with its title. To explain this game runs the risk of spoiling it, but I will do my best.

Voiced over by Simon Amstell (the one who did Never Mind The Buzzcocks), you explore the lesser seen ‘Behind the scenes’ of video games and stumble through their inner workings when all of the backstage crew have gone on strike. I have probably said too much there alone really. While extremely short at fifteen minutes, it’s perfectly formed. You can download Dr Langeskov here

Continuing in the spirit of games that I should recommend but not really talk about in great detail, Eversion is a cutesy platformer that just reeks sickly sweet charm where you have to rescue the flower princess from the evil ghulibas of the north. The obnoxious soundtrack will gnaw at your mind like a migrane. I can assure at no point whatsoever does it take a hard left and become a much more interesting game than what I just described above. You can download Eversion here 
Nitronic Rush is deliberately retro in its stylings (at one point it lists a Sega Dreamcast mouse as an input device), but it presents a novel twist on the racing genre. With its futuristic setting and high speed action, there are lots of high octane moments to be had. This game is the result of Burnout and Wipeout having a child and then dropping the ‘Out’ surname. It’s fast paced and fun, but do yourself a favour and play it with an Xbox 360 controller. It really benefits from it. You can download Nitronic Rush here 

Finally, I would be doing you a disservice if I wrote an article on free games while omitting Cave Story. A brilliant action platformer with a great soundtrack and a touching story, and to think it was made by just one man! It’s not just one of the best free games, it’s one of the best games. There is a paid version available on steam, but the free version does the job just as well. You can download Cave Story here 
These are some of my favourite free games, and I hope you get something out of them as well. That is not to say that these are the only free games worth playing, given time, I could have gone on for days. Just remember free can be fun, and that the student finance loan will not last forever.