Your favourite freeware game

[mireko]

Another vote for Nethack, wasted a lot of time on that game in school.

Yume Nikki is another good one, kind of like LSD for the PS1. It's a horror game, but it doesn't try to startle you. All it does is put you in a world of vaguely absurd, surreal rooms and lets you explore.

Embric of Wulfhammer's Castle is a favorite of mine as well. While it was made in RPG maker and looks/sounds like a classic SNES game, it's more like a visual novel where you can actually control your character. Specifically, you play as the princess of the kingdom, and pretty much every female character is more than a little gay for you. Features multiple endings, tons of branching plot paths, some good writing and humor, etc. Also slightly NSFW, but absolutely not porn.

 

[Delta2501]

I came across a fantastic video containing snippets of 100 freeware games of 2010:
http://gamemakerblog.com/2011/01/06/2010-100-game-maker-games-in-10-minutes/

Through that I came across Dust Force, a beautiful Parkour Platformer with wonderful animation and flowing gameplay. Here is a trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Uz6Qc98ZDc

The game isn't finished and the demo release has some significant performance issues (lots of slowdown when there are too many particles/afterimages) but it is still really enjoyable. It also has a level editor so you can make your own parkour challenges. I love the way the dust guides you along the right path through a level, I think that's a great way of fusing gameplay and premise.

This is how I think Sonic games should be: not super-fast but smooth, flowing parkour controls as you move around levels. If you replaced the dust with rings I think this would be my perfect Sonic game. The fact one level takes place in a forest and sees you freeing animals re-enforces that analogy.

 

[Euhan01]

Alien Swarm. Free game on steam, top down shooter were you shoot aliens with 3 other players online.

 

[Extraintrovert]

Well, as much as my pride objects to it, it's good to see others have already recommended what I intended to. Seconding the recommendations for Eversion, Yume Nikki, Dear Ester, and Embric of Wulfhammer's Castle.

 

[Aeshi]

Alien Swarm
N
Battleships Forever
Warning Forever

4 Great games,all free.

 

[Dyme]

LoL.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

Stuff I still remember:
Dwarf Fortress
Warzone 2100