Low-End games

[Eloel]

Ok, I'm hours away from being stuck with a low-end laptop for a couple of weeks. It's also running Vista, so it's double low-end.

Any suggestions on games? (particularly single-player, I don't know how my net access will be)

[Dogmantra]

The Battle for Wesnoth (http://www.wesnoth.org/) is pretty good, free and doesn't require high specs. It's a turn based strategy game.

I'd also recommend Morrowind, if you're a fan of RPGs. It's pretty darn old, so it should run.

[Thane of Fife]

The Fabled Lands App (http://flapp.sourceforge.net/) takes some great old adventure gamebooks, and puts them into an easy to use java application (legally).

And God of Thunder (http://www.adeptsoftware.com/got/) is a top-down adventure game which puts you in the shoes of Thor, though you'll probably need DOSbox (http://www.dosbox.com/) to play it.

Both are free and a lot of fun, and I would think they should be easily runnable.

[WarBrute]

Urban Dead (http://www.urbandead.com/) is very low-end and free. It's quite fun if you once get into it. Although it is a online game, but if you do end up with internet access then you should try it out.

[chiasaur11]

X-Com: UFO Defense.

[warty goblin]

Jagged Alliance 2, which is available from gog.com and so re-packaged to work on Vista. Plus it'll run on absolutely anything, I've played it on a computer without any working graphics card at all and it ran fine.

Actually, just look around gog.com and see what strikes your fancy, as pretty much none of their titles really require a high end computer since the vast majority of them are quite old.

[factotum]

Agree with warty_goblin--the stuff from gog.com should work fine on an old laptop.

[Mx.Silver]

Escape Velocity: Nova (http://www.ambrosiasw.com/games/evn/) is a surprisingly addictive game as well.

GoG.com should probably be your first port of call though.

[Eldan]

Star Control 2: The Ur-Quan Masters (http://sc2.sourceforge.net/) is a pretty old space exploration game remade for newer systems (though it still runs pretty much anywhere). Great story as well.

[Cespenar]

Google Cave Story and Iji for two of the best free indie games out there in the tubes.

Also; The Way, Sunset over Imdahl and A Blurred Line made with the RPG Maker 2k are pretty solid games.

[psilontech]

Master of Orion II
Civilization II
Alpha Centauri
Master of Magic
Deus-Ex
X-COM: UFO DEFENSE
Fallout
Arcanum
Baldur's Gate II
System Shock 2
Total Annihilation
DOOM I/II
Heretic
Hexen II
Quake II
Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup
ADOM
Nethack
Dungeon Keeper
Morrowind

If You feel like Emulating:
Final Fantasy III/VI (Same Game)
Super Metroid


That ought to keep you busy for... Well, a few years? :smallbiggrin:

[Kris Strife]

Starcraft and Brood Wars. You can even manage battlenet on dial up.

[Cespenar]

@^^: Meh, barely a three month's work. :smalltongue:

Except for the roguelikes, of course.

Very fine list, by the way. Except for Doom, Heretic, Hexen, etc. which don't offer much aside their historical value, IMHO.

[psilontech]

Starcraft and Brood Wars. You can even manage battlenet on dial up.

Ah the Good Old Days...

All right, moving shuttle into position to siege tank the frak out of his drones aaaaaand---
"Waiting for players -
All of them."

"MOOOOOOM!!! Hang up the phone!!!"

:smallbiggrin:





Very fine list, by the way. Except for Doom, Heretic, Hexen, etc. which don't offer much aside their historical value, IMHO.

My nostalgia goggles may be a little heavily tinted in these cases, but if you can't have a blast firing that sexy, sexy double-barrel shotgun you just picked up into a Pinky's ugly face... I dunno. I have problems imagining it.:smalltongue:

[Cespenar]

My nostalgia goggles may be a little heavily tinted in these cases, but if you can't have a blast firing that sexy, sexy double-barrel shotgun you just picked up into a Pinky's ugly face... I dunno. I have problems imagining it.:smalltongue:

Doing that exact same thing in roguelike format appeals much more to me, in an ironic way. Cue DoomRL (http://doom.chaosforge.org/downloads).

[Lord Seth]

NetHack (http://www.nethack.org/). It's free also!

[Vorpalbob]

If you like realistic strategy, for a low-end computer I have found nothing better than Combat Mission (http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=60&Itemid=100).

It's "We Go" system of turn-based combat is a refreshing change from the "I go, you go" of most turn based games. With massive unit lists, all historically accurate, you can create exactly the force you want. However, to change the location of the battles and factions involved, you do need to get the expansions.

I speak specifically of the WWII games, as Shock Force (set in the middle east) isn't as good.

Even with its low system requirements, the game still manages to look nice.

[Cogwheel]

ADOM


How COULD you, psilon? How could anyone be that cruel?

[chiasaur11]

Oh, almost forgot.

The Marathon series is free (google Aleph one) these days.

Pretty good if you like old FPSs.

Good plot, drop dead gorgeous chapter art for 2-infinity, and dual sawed off shotguns.

What more could you want?

[Jahkaivah]

N (http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/n_downloads.html) (free)
Spelunky (http://www.spelunkyworld.com/) (free)
DEATH WORM DEATH WORM DEATH WORM (http://gmc.yoyogames.com/index.php?showtopic=279075) (free)
John (http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/5days/) Defoe (http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/7days/) / Chzo (http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/notes/) Mythos (http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/6days/) series (free)
World of Goo (http://2dboy.com/games.php) (not free, there is a demo)
VVVVVV (http://thelettervsixtim.es/) (not free, there is a demo)
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (http://store.steampowered.com/app/15700/) / Exodus (http://store.steampowered.com/app/15710/) (not free, there is a demo)

[Dubious Pie]

Nethack and/or SLASH'EM.

[Kane]

Star Control 2: The Ur-Quan Masters (http://sc2.sourceforge.net/) is a pretty old space exploration game remade for newer systems (though it still runs pretty much anywhere). Great story as well.

It warms my heart to see that somebody other than me has played this.

Seconded. I cannot recommend this enough.


Alternately, Age of Wonders, 1, or possibly 2. (2 would, obviously, be a bit more graphics-intensive.). Strategic and tactical fanatasy warfare, campaigns, (for good, or evil,), branching campaign trees (and some pretty decent writing, in my opinion.)

Very, Very good.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

You may want to check out some of PopCap's stuff like Plants vs Zombies.

[drakir_nosslin]

Heroes of Might and Magic III (Just. One. More. Turn)

[Terazul]

Here's a bunch of games that are almost all low end. (http://www.pixelprospector.com/2010/06/235-free-indie-games-in-10-minutes/) Pick what you like. And there's still 190 more.

[Kane]

Heroes of Might and Magic III (Just. One. More. Turn)

**** yes! How did I forget?

Possibly with WoG, too, but that's a bit iffy. Anyway, consider that recommendation seconded. Every word. Especially the last three.

[Triaxx]

Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds is a good one, not to intense on resources, but it's tons of fun. (Based on Age of Empires 2 engine.)

Age of Empires 2 for that matter.

Icewind Dale series. The second might not run as well, but the first is awesome.

Deus Ex, seriously.

The original Sacred, with it's Underworld expansion is suprisingly low end friendly.

Call of Duty 1 is still tons of fun, but needs a mouse to be really enjoyed.

[Drascin]

Here's a bunch of games that are almost all low end. (http://www.pixelprospector.com/2010/06/235-free-indie-games-in-10-minutes/) Pick what you like. And there's still 190 more.

You have killed me with this. Do you realize just how many games you just made me download? I can't possibly have time for all this! :smallsigh:

[Dmatix]

The Diablo games
The Age of Wonders games (turn-based strategy)
Maybe the Baldur's Gate series, if the games aren't too memory heavy.