I have been lucky enough with my Windows 7 install to never have a problem with a game download. This one was no exception - installed easily. Unlike many who review these games, I am a fan of time management games, and this is a good one. Its elements are challenging without being discouraging, and I'm enjoying making my way through the levels. Backtracking to retry a level doesn't always allow me to keep the upgrades I've chosen, which is a minor annoyance; in addition, the game is not always 100% with the mouse clicks. But it's a game I'm enjoying and I'm very glad to have it in my collection.

Thanks, GOTD and Alawar!

I'm not time-management fan*, especially when it comes to serving customers, but I took a chance on this one after reading the comments. Hey! eye-candy graphics, slightly quirky story, clear tutorial -- not bad at all: I'll try it, and it seems to be easy enough for the kiddies. I wouldn't be still smiling after having to hand-wash all that dirty laundry from the guests, but at least our girl doesn't have to wash dishes, too.

I agree with Melika in not liking dragging the guests into rooms -- why not just click?

*I'm not a TM fan except for the Rescue Team series, The Ballad of Solar, and Dragon Crossing -- love those! See how you people have broadened my horizons? ;-)

Thanks to GGOTD and Alawar for the game, and Whiterabbit and all the commentors for the valuable information!

............................Moderator Comment................................

Hi Mac, sorry for the very late moderation. I had a late morning. Thank you for your feedback. :)

Downloaded super fast to my Win 10, less than 15 seconds. Don't have time to play at the moment, but look forward to giving it a try at a better time.

Thank you Whiterabbit and GGAOTD for your work each weekend. I always appreciate seeing what is in store when the weekend comes, even if it is a game that is not to my liking.

............................Moderator Comment................................

Hi Susan, please excuse the late moderation. Had a late morning. Thank you for your feedback. :)

Hi,

It downloaded quite fast on 8.1! It has a cartoon look and was easy to set up and begin
play. Didn't remember all right after the tutorial, but it also does not give you enough
time to get use to the play or routine! And if that is basically all you do, checkin out
and feed, laundry and collect, then I would not enjoy it. Definitely need a little more
adjustment time!
Was disappointed because enjoyed the previous Alawar games!

Thanks and have a good week,
Lee and Happy Thanksgiving!

............................Moderator Comment............................

Thank you for your feedback Lee. :)

Happy Thanksgiving to you too

TBH, part of the problem is I get too many time-management challenges from my real life.

............................Moderator Comment............................

:)

This seems like a nice time-magement game, looks intriguing, but I know I wouldn't play it - I just can'r do time-management games any more and they were never really my thing. Thanks tho!

I don't normally like Time Management games like this one but after reading the comments, I thought I would try it. Not a bad game. I didn't like having to drag the guests to their room. Seems improper, LOL. I think a click, click would be better to keep in with the rest of the game. Win10 Home 64bit, loaded and played perfect. Thank you.

............................Moderator Comment............................

:)

A little confused WR. Don't see any numbers in your scoring list. You obviously played and reviewed it. Didn't it lend itself to scoring for you? I suppose some don't. Or is that just a glitch? You mentioned it's a clone of Hotel Dash. That's probably literally, as it opens with a statement that it's distributed by rights granted under the Hotel Dash license. So probably the same developers. I tend to agree with you that straight cloning with just a change of theme is shortsighted by developers. Every game should have any unique elements it can be granted. Competing against yourself - in terms of game development - is actually a good thing, IMHO. Raises the bar and can increase encouraging impressions of the development team and their products by the player even more.
This seems to be a little more challenging than Jane's Hotel: Family Hero, the only one that I have of that series. I enjoyed that game a lot. Though, I see your point about potential boredom factor. As I've said before, there's always a fine line between challenge and rat race in time management games. I, at least, play this particular type of game as a relief from the rat race. :P I'll have to put this one through it's paces and see what side it falls on. Thanks Alawar, GGOTD, and Whiterabbit.

................................Moderator comment...............................

Hi Watcher, I have a lot on my mind at the moment so totally forgot to add my scoring.

I spent most of this morning and afternoon cleaning up the telescope I purchased a few weeks ago (A Celetron C10-N; i.e. a Newtonian 10 inch reflector). Unfortunately the tube was badly damaged in transit so I had to strip everything off the tube then took it to a panel beater, who knocked out the crushed end. That was returned yesterday evening, so I was keen to get started on it today. Then I had to spray the interior matt black due to the interior of the tube being marked by the panel beaters tools. Where he'd used his tools the coating had become shiny or removed completely. It has to be matt black inside to stop reflections. I wanted to get the scope rebuilt today, with a view to using it this evening as Uranus is in view from my back garden at the moment. I totally forgot I needed to buy a battery pack to power the equatorial mount, so I haven't been able to use the scope yet. It is a perfect evening as well :(

I've just ordered a battery pack, but will have to wait till Tuesday now. In the mean time I've spent half the day polishing everything and cleaning the mirrors and lenses. It came with loads of accessories such as a starfinder, software for finding 10 thousand objects in the northern sky, polar scopes (both manual and laser finder), lenses and filters for various observations ( a couple of barlow lenses and several different lenses, a moon filter, and filters to look at gas giants and filters to look at various gas clouds and nebula. The only thing missing was a T-Mount for attaching a camera to the scope. I'm going to contact Celetron to see if they have one that will fir my camera as I want to take some images of Saturn and Jupiter as well as the moon. Virtually everything was very dusty, and dirty, having been stored in a room with cats. The tube was full of cob webs and the main mirror had spider droppings all over it. Also everything smelled strongly of ammonia and cat, so I've given the whole thing a total make over. Apart from the repaired crush damage which can still be seen as minor marks on the tube, it now looks almost new. :)

Fast download, installed with no issue on dell vista, similar style as Hotel Dash.
Thank you for the free game, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

I like TM games and after playing a few levels, I think I might persist with this one to see if I can get to the end. There is a bit of a challenge as I did not get all gold starts and need to replay those levels. (With yesterdays' shmups, try as I might, I could not get past level 4 !) The tutorial was helpful, as is the capability to upgrade items to earn more stars. All in all a decent amusement for this week. Thank you to GGOTD, Alawar and Stephen for the informative review.

...........................Moderator comment......................................

:)

Great game! Just the game to play when I want to clear my head of other things! And my seven year old daughter loves it too!

...........................Moderator comment......................................

:)

Merci de proposer une version française !

Whiterabbit, THANKS A LOT! I've found and seen your posted shmups list (in yesterday's giveaway). Thank you very much for taking the time to reply and provide a list in such a detailled way! I really appreciate this!

M.

...........................Moderator comment...............................

I posted it really late, so wasn't sure you'd see it. There are some superb shmups amongst the list i porvided. There are lots more, but i'm still categorising my Steam library. (It'll take me a few years at the rate i'm going as it's a tedious job).

I did not vote or download as I do not like time management games but I did still want to thank White Rabbit and the team for all the effort they put in for us regular visitors every week. I'll be back on Saturday.

Never played this game or any similar. Downloaded game, checked tutorial, went to play game and the tutorial did not pop up to instruct how to play. I have no idea what I am doing, so I am not having fun. Developers, if you can provide a copy with working tutorial I would be glad to provide positive feedback.

Thanks.

I can actually comment on this game early in the day as I got the previous give-away and play this game fairly regularly.

I'm not a huge fan of TM games. I have to credit GGAOTD with introducing them to me properly. It was either this one or one of the Rescue series that I got on this site and played and ended up enjoying far more than I thought I would. I've played a few others that I didn't like, either because of the story or the game play, but I have to say that this is one I keep on my computer and have re-played a few times.

I really enjoy the theme of this game. It's got a scary Halloween theme, but it isn't dark/gloomy, nor is it overly bright and cheerful. I think they got the design just right for adults who enjoy the fun part of Halloween (not the 'zombie apocalypse everyone is gruesomely dead' stuff). It's fun and playful and none of the characters are offensive, except maybe Dracula who is a pain in the rear where ever he goes. I do enjoy the dead Elvis character a lot.

I played this through the first time I got it, then I replayed the levels to get the gold cup. I found it just challenging enough for me, but not too challenging. I think there were only a few levels wherein I actually failed, but I think it was because I didn't do well on the previous levels so I didn't earn enough to get the needed upgrade.

If memory serves, you go through 6 hotels, each one with different levels. One thing I recall not liking was finally getting all the upgrades (or almost getting them) and then, whoosh, off to the next hotel where you have to start all over again. I was a little frustrated with this aspect, as I thought once I had the upgrades the speed/time would get more difficult for a few levels as a challenge and then I'd move on. Replaying the levels after all the upgrades reveal that the game is easily beat with all the upgrades, so this moving on and starting over isn't such a bad idea. Replaying the levels where I didn't reach the "gold" standard was enjoyable with all the upgrades and fairly easy to attain.

Other than making in-game improvements to your hotel, there is a garden section that you can decorate and it serves no purpose in the game play itself. These are the most frustrating and pointless features that are in a lot of these casual games. I know people like them, but I absolutely hate these things. I HATE being forced out of the game to purchase some useless, pointless junk for a screen that has NOTHING to do with the game play. And I really hate some of these games that make you click "No" to the screen saver every. single. time. you exit the game (I'm looking right at you Fishdom series). I don't mind that they are included in the game, I just want to be excluded from "playing" them or being nagged incessantly to switch my screen saver. I don't think this particular installment nags to switch your screen saver, but you will be shunted over to this stupid garden to buy crap for it. And as with all this extraneous junk, you HAVE to buy something. You can exit out and continue on, but then the nagging starts. I don't think this game is nearly as bad about this as the Fishdom series, but you are still expected to "buy" things. Apparently the developers feel that because they made this annoying crap, you have to participate in it.

This is a fun TM game with just enough challenge for me. Speaking as someone who doesn't play TM games much, this is one that is good to play and is a good introduction to the genre for those who haven't played it before. It starts out easy enough and the game walks you through the various tasks/guests/improvements whenever they are first introduced so you never feel lost or confused as to what is going on. It's definitely worth playing.

.................................Moderator comment..................................

Thank you for your excellent feedback Melika, appreciated. :)

SIGH! IT IS NOT HALLOWEEN ANYMORE!

Hello,

Pour ceux qui veulent jouer en français :
1- télécharger la demo gratuite
http://www.bigfishgames.fr/jeux-a-telecharger/14704/haunted-domains/download.html
2-Installer
3-copier le fichier de la demo "C:\Program Files (x86)\Haunted Domains\Game_FR.pak"
4-Coller ce fichier dans le répertoire de jeux "HauntedDomains_Game\Game_FR.pak"
5-Jouer ...en français


Hi,

For those who want to play in French:
1- download the free demo
http://www.bigfishgames.fr/jeux-a-telecharger/14704/haunted-domains/download.html
2-Install
3-copy the file "C: \ Program Files (x86) \ Haunted Domains \ Game_FR.pak"
4 Paste the file in the game folder "HauntedDomains_Game \ Game_FR.pak"
5-Playing in French ...

................................Moderator Comment...........................................

Nice one.

I love, Love, LOVE this game! I bought it the year it came out and STILL play it.

First out of the gate, installed fine and runs on Win10.

To start, Alawar, 'nuff said there when you're talking a good, quality game. It's one of their better ones!

This is a typical game of this sort in you have to tend to tasks and run around, the kind I like. The premise is haunted hotels and tending to weird guests. There are the classic ghosts, vampires, yetis, witches, mad scientists, and others. Really cute, actually, since you can guess what or who they're based on. There are also some oddball bits you get to do, like comb out the yeti, silence the impersonator werewolf, chase and retrieve a black cat, deal with a flasher invisible man and fend off cane wielding grannies intent on beating your guests. It's rather humorous, honestly. Better than most as it's not the typical.

Onto the game play. Like most, I do fine on the lower levels and can easily work with them to max out. However, when you get to the upper levels, it gets a tad harder. In fact, I've not maxed out the last level in the whole time I've had it. I actually keep having to replay the last couple levels to get through them and just win to move on. Which is good! Challenging is fun. :D It keeps you going with so much to do. It also allows you to buy powerups to improve whatever. However, those powerups don't carry over from level to level, so you have to start anew when you move onto the next location and buy them again. It's frustrating, yes, but makes it challenging as you get to the guests who want more and it's more involved to work with. You also get to decorate your garden, which is fun as well.

The music is good and not super annoying like so many and the sound effects are good as well. It has a smooth game play and is simple enough you don't need a tutorial. The graphics are more cartoonish than real, which fits well with the game itself and the satirical nature of it. The play is fast moving, though can be frustrating at times because it gets complex. You can cue up tasks, a MUST for these games. It hits all the buttons, in a good way, for this kind of game.

The downside here is only one character, Dracula, doesn't have a set pattern of what they want at what time and in what order. The rest, other than one on the last level, you can predict just what they want and when then gather it ahead of time. This does diminish enjoyment, though eases frustration LOL. Rather a quandary, that. And if you play it more than once, you can actually tell who's going to show up in what order. It's not a random play, which does get a bit boring since you can remember who is coming and what to do. Just switching it up a bit would aid in making this better.

All in all, a HUGE thumbs up from me :D And Alawar? We want a part two of this! We NEED a part two of this! :D :D :D Please? LOL

Thanks for a great giveaway, I’m going to be lost for hours today. Not a bad thing on a very cold, blustery night.

.................................Moderator Comment...............................

Thank you for your excellenmt feedback DD Myst, appreciated. :)

Excellent game the first time I downloaded it... if you like hotel dash you'll like this one

Michael, check your comment from yesterday, I posted a list of Shmups for you. :)

......................................Moderator comment..........................................

For those of you who are getting hits by your anti malware suites; it's because they are picking up the Themida based protection, which was put in place to protect the game from unscrupulous community members that were hacking the giveaway wrapper which then gave them unlimited access to a registered copy of the game, which was being put on peer to peer sites. Some community members were even uploading video tutorials on You tube telling you how to do it yourself.

Themida based applications are sometimes seen as a thread by anti-malware. I can assure you this game and hundreds before, that have given community members cause for concern have been totally safe. The game giveaway team have managed to secure well over a thousand games for us since they first started giving away games back in late 2006 (firstly via the main site back in Oct 2006, then via the game giveaway site early December 2006). There has never been an infected game given away.

If you are able to configure your anti-malware suite to allow the 'offendiong' file through security, the game should then install normally. if you can't, or don't know how to, then the other way would be to temporarily turn off your protection. You do so at your own risk, but please do take into account what i've already said above; in a nut shell, every malware occurance reported here since the game giveaway went live in Dec 2006 have been false positives due to overly sensitive anti-malware suites.

It would be against the teams best interest to allow such an occurance as it would destroy their good standing with the big search engines and I'm sure many who have frequented this site for a long time would leave. The giveaway team use several antimalware suites to test every game given away here.


Another thing to consider when you think the game is infected, if it really was, there would be hundreds of community members posting about the infection; we rarely more than a few posts for any particular game; though, since the gcd file that contains the Themida code was introduced in 2012 I have seen many more community members reporting infections due to the Themida based code found in the giveaways wrapper protection. However, out of the thousands of downloads each week, those numbers are insignificant and supports the fact that the results they are getting are actually false positives. They have always been proven to be so.

Haunted Domains:

Installation:

Haunted domains downloads as a 46.4MB zip file that unpacks to a read me document that contains the terms and conditions and a wrapped dual activation and set up module and a security set up file (setup.gcd). Just for the newcomers amongst today’s users that means the game will be registered once it’s gone through the set up process, so there’s no registering the game with an activation code. The instal path is:

C:\Games\HauntedDomains_Game

There is no desktop or Start menu shortcut installed. To install a desktop shortcut right click on the games executable and select Send to then, from the drop down menu select Desktop (select shortcut). Sometimes I've found the installation path shows the previous game I installed from this site, so to be sure you don't install the game inside a previous game, check the installation path when you start the installation. You can usually find where it's supposed to go by looking in the read me file that comes with the download. To stop this happening, clear your cache. The installed game is 44.9 MB in size






If you have any problems installing or registering Haunted Domains, check the problems section below and if none of the fixes work, it is available free from MyPlayCity (MPC) 24/7 HERE >. Do take care when installing from such sites as you may install toolbars or have your home page or browser provider changed. Make sure you uncheck all check boxes during installation. :)

Introduction:

As the manager of Haunted Domains, you're in charge of tending to the needs of an assortment of amusing creatures of the night. Guide Sheila Sullivan as she checks in guests, serves dinner, cleans rooms, and performs special tasks in an effort to keep her ghoulish guests happy. Purchase magical upgrades that make Sheila work faster, decorate your hotels to suit the macabre tastes of your guests, and enlist the help of Igor when things get out of hand in this fun Time Management game!

Reference accessed HERE Nov 22nd 2015

The Game:

In the time management genre we’ve had our fair share of trendy themes: fashion games, farming games and building simulations to name a few. Alawar’s Haunted Domains shares a lot in common with a title like PlayFirst’s Hotel Dash with a spooky twist.

The game’s heroine, Sheila, runs into trouble when her dog is turned into a chest by Dracula. Sheila agrees to help Drac by running a few hotels and revamping an old boarding house to get her beloved dog back.

The game offers 50 levels in two grades of difficulty, as well as the usual endless shift mode. It’s worth noting that even the more challenging level of difficulty will not exactly overwhelm veterans of this genre, and the endless shift provides no additional features, surprises or guests. It still astounds me that most developers do not put any thought into these secondary modes, because they could offer so much more gameplay by just a few additional features.

Haunted Domain features a lot of quirky customers, all with their very own traits which you have to consider. The headless man comes with a second luggage; the witch bring along a cute kitten that Sheila has to catch on a regular basis; the invisible man likes to prove his exhibitionist habits to other customers (although there is not much to see, thankfully), and Dracula might be one of the most demanding guests ever, overwhelming Sheila with a large number of impatient orders.

Your basic task each day is to earn money, which can be done by serving guests, chaining similar actions, and color-matching guests and rooms. The demands of your guests are quite varied: sometimes they might order meals, wine, perfume, or books, while Sheila also has to deliver luggage and cash out guests, too.

It’s worth noting that every customer has a set order of demands, so that you can plan chaining in advance, if your memory serves you well. This money can be invested in various upgrades after each level, such as more slots for the chest, faster elevators, a number of decorations that increase the patience of your guests, and stars for each room.

Those stars play an important role in renovating the boarding house. For each guest that stays in a room upgraded with stars, you earn that same amount of stars. Those can then be used to add various decorations to the boarding times, such as a gazebo, a pool, or a new entrance. For each of those parts you have three choices, which improves customization, but the feature is hardly new (having been used in both Hotel Dash and Hospital Haste).

Theme aside, Haunted Domains lacks originality. In fact I could have simply copied the review for Hotel Dash and it would have been spot on. Neither the upgrades, the tasks, nor the design of the game bring anything new to the table, only the guests offer some sort of variation. This is clearly a pity, because there would be a lot of possibilities to spice up and change a hotel-themed time management game.

In the end, Haunted Domains is without a doubt entertaining and will really satisfy fans of time management titles, but just don’t expect it to reinvent the wheel. The gameplay is smooth, standard expectations are met, and two modes provide a decent playtime, assumed that you are not already bored by the end of the story mode. The personalities of the guests is definitely the most charming feature of Haunted Domains and contrasts with run-of-the-mill time management titles, but even here some comparisons can be made (Frankenstein blocking the way of other guests until served strongly resembles the bodyguards in Hotel Dash, for example). Still, avid fans of this genre who are in the mood for a spooky, tongue-in-cheek title, will be surely pleased with this game.

Reference accessed HERE Nov 22nd 2015

Video:

You can see several videos of game play HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.














System Requirements:

OS: Windows XP/Vista/8
CPU: 1.4 GHz
RAM: 256 MB
DirectX: 8.0
Hard Drive: 51 MB



Conclusion:

Scoring:




Gameplay ------
Graphics -------
Audio -------
Replayability -------
Originality -------
Fun Factor -------


Total = out of 60 which equals out of 10



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Problems:


If you have any problems installing or getting today's game working, please go HERE for help. I've posted most of the common problems and solutions in a FAQ thread, which you can find in the sticky section of the forums by following the above link.








If you are posting late in the day I would also suggest posting in the main giveaway forums; in the game discussion section, because I cannot moderate 24hrs a day over the weekend. I've created a thread HERE for that purpose. If you've installed the game but it doesn’t work for some reason, it should still be registered, so someone may be able to help at a later date. Unfortunately if your problem is actually downloading it, once the giveaway deadline is reached you will no longer be able to download the game unless you've already started downloading it before the cut-off. Sometimes you can still register the game after the giveaway has ended so long as you managed to start the download before the giveaway ends. I've tested this and the grace period lasts for up to 1 hour. Apart from the above instances; i.e. already installed, but having problems running the game, (with the possibility of receiving help from the community via the giveawayoftheday game discussion forum); or still downloading after the cut off period, but within the 1 hour grace period, or registering within an hour of the cut-off period. Once the giveaway period is over there’s nothing that can be done to get the game (unless its available from one of the free game sites) until the game is given away again (though that isn't always guaranteed).






It's worth checking the giveaway game discussion forums the day before the giveaways go live to see if we are getting a large sized file (I usually post a comment about approximately how large a file is, though if I'm particularily busy I may neglect to do this). It is especially important for those who have slow connections and even more so if the game is popular. We can have up to forty thousand (40 000) community members downloading over the 24 hour period, with the bulk of community members downloading in the first 12 hours of the giveaway going live, there is always a massive strain on the giveaway servers. The bigger the file size, the more community members will be downloading at any one time. Because the bandwidth is shared equally amongst all community members, downloads can become excruciatingly slow, so if you do have a slow connection, its important to start your download as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Because these games are free, the giveaway owners cannot invest in more bandwidth without compromising the whole project, so we have to be satisfied with what we have at present.

A download manager can help speed the download up and also protect the download in case of an interrpution. There's nothing as frustrating for those with really slow connections to have the connection break after an hour or so, then have to start from the beginning again. I would ask community members if you do have decent bandwidth please avoid using a manager as it does add to the number of downloads occuring at any one time, for example some download managers will download your requested file in up to 32 packets simultaneously, that will take 32 download spots, thus slowing down everyone else's download speeds. For those with slow downloads (due to having a slow connection e.g. a 2MB Broadband connection or less) I would advise using a download manager if the file is larger than around 200MB. My broadband connection is 100MBs, so I don't need to use a download manager, (I do have one called Internet Download Manager, but don't use it when downloading files from the giveaway site). For me a 1GB file usually downloads in about 1.5 minutes or less. My connection is quite a long way from the provider so it is slowed a little, but is still quite good at a download speed of around 12 to 14 MB's per second.

I hope the above goes some way in expalining why we sometimes have really slow downloads.


It’s always worth checking out the free games sites because sometimes the games we get here are also available for free from them. MyPlayCity (MPC) has the most with over 1000 games to choose from. Today's game is available from MyPlayCity (MPC) 24/7 HERE I've not checked the other free game sites.



If you do download any games from MyPlayCity, Gametop or the other free game sites please 'do' watch out for toolbars etc. Make sure you un-check the check-boxes during installation, and, in the case of MyPlayCity, every time you boot the game up, (this may have changed now as these free game sites tend to change the format frequently)....... I've posted links to all of the common free game sites below in the games, games games section. If you do download a game from any of these sites you do so at your own risk. We cannot be held responsible for problems arising from an installation recommended here. :)


For now I won't be recommending you download games from Jenkat Games. They have changed the way you get games from their site. Diane has posted information about this over in the game discussion forums. If I have time or remember, I'll link to it. TooMyk Games are now safe to download from. They have removed the games that were suspect and have cleaned up their act. As always, you download from those free game sites at your own risk. The giveaway site is the safest site I know of where you can get free software and games. The only disadvantages with downloading from here is you have to download and install within the day of the giveaway (apart from the instances mentioned above and if and when you upgrade or buy a new computer legally you aren't allowed to transfer games given away previously, unless they are being given away on the day you upgrade, or if you've purchased a licence. :)

You just have to look at the sites track record since the game giveaway site was created back in December 2006. Zero games given away have been infected with malware, there are no toolbars installed, nor home pages hijacked or browsers changed. There is one slght annoyance, but that only occurs if a community member isn't paying attention when the final window pops up after installing a giveaway. That is the Software Informer installation. Some community members have complained that they were given no choice in its installation. That is not true; when the final window pops up, there are two buttons, one asking if you want Software Informer installed and the button to close the giveaway window down. Some community members have clicked on the wrong button, probably because they weren't paying attention. Thankfully Software Informer is a genuine application, that can easily be uninstalled by the usual means. It's actually a useful piece of software, especially if you have a lot of applications running on your computer. Basically the program will list the programs that need updating, or programs that have available updates. They wont be automatically installed (thus cancelling many giveaway registrations); you have to click on individual buttons to update each program/application. :D

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other Shmup's:

You'll find loads of shmups posted in the free games project. Check the Space Shoot 'Em Ups thread for a great list of Shmups such as Forbidden Galaxy, Galaxy strike, Alien Arena, Allegiance, Fraxy, Orbiter, Noxis, Parsec 47, and Universal Combat to name just a few , also you'll find many more in the Game Discussion forums, just look for threads entitled Week……. . Then there's the Free Games Synopsis where you'll find most of the previously named free games mentioned, though I've not updated the synopsis since week 100 (it's in week 145 at the moment). You'll also find over 30 space orientated games over at MyPlayCity, where you'll find Astro Avenger available 24/7 and Gametop.


Games, Games, and yet more Games:




There are 356 games on sale over on Steam this week, ranging from 10% to 90% off. The weekend deals include 50% off the excellent zombie apocalypse game Dying Light and 50% off Space Engineers a sandbox game about engineering, construction, exploration and survival in space and on planets. Players build space ships, space stations, planetary outposts of various sizes and uses, pilot ships and travel through space to explore planets and gather resources to survive.

There are too many other great deals to mention here, just check out the specials section for all 650 plus titles on sale HERE.

There's loads more in the weekly sales and the 48 hours sales to choose from; and almost certainly something for everyone. The next set of weekly sales starts on Monday with usually a few hundred titles added. :)





You'll also find some excellent deals over on the following Game sites.

GreenManGaming They usually have coupons to the value of 23% and sometimes more off pre ordered games. I've just pre ordered Just Cause 3 XL and XCOM 2 using a voucher and saved £22 on the price paid in the Steam store
Gamersgate Summer Sale
GOG (DRM free games)
Gamestop
GameFly (soon to be sold off)

I've removed the Desura link because the owners are bankrupt and there has been no activity on the site in months. The servers are still live (at least until Bad JoJo's subscription to the servers has ended, Bad JoJo are the owners of Desura and Indie Royale, or were until filing for bankruptcy). If you own any games via Desura I advise downloading all of the drm free games you have on that platform and on the Indie Royale site before the sites are taken down.




Free Game Sites:


MyPlayCity (over a 1000 games to choose from)
Gametop
FreeGamePick



To be honest there are too many game deals around too list them all. Just visit the sites I recommend above and I'm sure you'll find something that suits you for a very decent price. If like me you prefer Steamworks games, many of the above sites also sell steamwork games.

If that's not enough, check out the Game Discussion forums HERE for details of other games either free or on deals such as the Indie Game bundles (there's over 20 of them - If you purchased all of them you'd be paying around $80 for around a thousand dollars worth of games); or check out the four day sales at IndieGameStand. you'll find the indie bundles thread HERE. The thread is outdated, but all of the links will still take you to the latest bundles.






The latest IndieGameStand game is Super Trench Attack 2, a survival turn-based squad game set in a fictional world war setting.

You are Ada Frost, a lieutenant of the blue army. You find yourself deep behind enemy lines, with the stolen black army plans in your hands, you can end the war. That is, if you and your squad can make it home alive!

Of course the Black army won't let you escape that easily, They have dispatched their top general the evil Helmut, to stop you in your tracks. Fight through the desert sands, traverse the icy peaks, and battle through the muddy trenches, get those plans to H.Q before the evil general catches you!

Game Features
- Tense survival gameplay,
- Procedural generated levels, and missions
- Over 2000 random events, no play through is the same
- Play blackjack and hunt for food
- Four different C.O's to choose from
- Recruit four different character classes to your squad
- Upgrade your troops with the flexible 'weapon pack' system
- Goofball humor throughout
- Enemy commanders have different tactics and A.I
- Fight through snow, deserts, beaches, cities and forests


You can get the game for $1; pay over the average to get the soundtrack. (The price at the time of writing was £1.78 and rarely goes above $2 unless the bonus content includes a second or third game).
The deal ends Sunday 22nd Oct 2015 5am (GMT)



The latest DIG game is War in a Box: Paper Tanks:

Finally the war of paper tanks comes into your room!

How long can you hold the defences against paper tanks.

Build your towers of paper before they get out of the box and make a big mess in the room. Manage the turrets, upgrade and be careful where you put them... every decision can be fatal! Watch out for the air units, they have a different route!

Take out your toy box and get ready for some of the most intense battles in a tower defence game that will make you reconsider the entire genre. As peaceful and simple War In A Box may seem for the casual player as fierce and thrilling the action will be once you get your hands on this paper battle madness!

Shred your enemies into pieces with different turret models - from simple guns to Tesla towers in a battle against both land and airborne units that will do everything to get behind your lines of defence. Featuring real 3D environment and delivering a large number of original levels, War In A Box: Paper Tanks is as addictive as it is simple to play.

Features:

- True 3D environment in each level
- Turret and air view with different zoom options
- Different game modes for different types of players
- Game speed controls for adjusting the intensity of action

Pay £0.99 for the game or you can get two keys if you pay more than the average of $1.07 (at the time of writing ). One Steam key to share with a friend or family member perhaps? You'll find that deal HERE. They also have five bundles of several games that'll cost you less than $1.50 each HERE (DIG Bundles 45,46, 47 & 48 and Greenlight 3). You get Steam keys for all of these games except the Greenlight bundle, however, if a game is Greenlit, you will get a Steam key.
The single game deal ends just after Midnight Monday 23rd Nov 2015 and will be replaced with Alter Worlds a 2D platformer with an interesting gameplay mechanics

Most of the bundles available retail for around $5 give or take a few dollars (apart from the Daily Indie bundles that only cost $1.49 for six games), but you can pay as little as a dollar for some. There are some excellent bundles out at the moment. Check out the following:

Groupees (5 bundles)
Indie Gala (? bundles)
Humble bundle (2 Bundles)
Indie Royale (this bundle is no longer live)
Bundle Bandits (0 bundles)
Blink Bundle (0 bundles)
Play Injector (0 bundle)
Get Loaded (0 bundles)
Games Rage (0 bundles)
Flying bundle (0 bundles)

The free game from Origin is one of Command & Conquers later games Red Alert 2 plus you get the expansion Yuri's Revenge. This is another AAA game, well worth having if you are into strategy war games.

The world erupts in conflict as Soviet forces invade American soil in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2. Time travel has helped to eliminate the German threat, and now the Soviets are expanding into the West unchecked. You are the Supreme Commander. Arm yourself to the teeth with top-secret technologies and lead the Soviet or Allied troops to victory.
Plus, defeat an army of mind-controlled Soviet forces in the expansion Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge.

Game Features:

Many ways to play. Lead Soviet or Allied forces in a gripping single-player game or a Skirmish game, where there's no particular objective other than destroying everything else on-screen. Who will win the war for world domination?
No need to play nice. You'll need to pull out all the stops if you're going to win this war. Thankfully, you've got a well-stocked arsenal of legitimate and illicit technologies from Prism Tanks and Terror Drones, to Psychic Mind Control devices and Soviet Cloning Vats. Use them.
Deliver the fury. Dominate land, air, and sea battles with the help of over 80 units and structures. Plus, you'll benefit from a enhanced veterancy system that turns newbie forces into battle-hardened war machines -- and brings you closer to victory.

Check it out HERE.


You do need a free Origin account and install the Origin client to get these free games. Once you've installed the Origin client and signed into your account select 'On the house' from the 'Free Games' drop down menu. Then select download now. The game will then be registered to your Origin account permanently.

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A Request for help:

Developers rely on good feedback to improve their games. If you download this game please take some time once you’ve played it a while to leave some constructive feedback either positive or negative. The more constructive feedback we get, the more likely developers are going to give more games away. The giveaway site already has a very good standing with the search engines. Developers want their products out there on the WWW, this site has the potential to do that. The game giveaway project gives away on average between 9 to 17 thousand downloads for each game depending upon what genre and how obscure the game is. That’s a lot of homes these games are being downloaded into and a lot of 'potential' cash that’s being lost by the developers. If we get better games because of better feedback, the community are likely to continue to benefit from the generosity of the developers. Satisfied community members are then more likely to visit the home sites of those developers and purchase games that they may not have bothered with before they discovered the developer via the game giveaway site, thus giving the developers more incentives to give away even more decent games.

Please leave some feedback once you’ve checked the game out. It can be positive or negative, but please explain what your reasons were for the feedback you post. You could also leave suggestions for improving the game, for example, this game could do with more block types for the levels editor, add more power-ups, describing the ones you think would be suitable, add some mini games (which seem all the rage in some arcade games now) or enable the user to be able to change the in game music easily.

Thank you in advance to all those who take the time to post a constructive comment, and a big thank you to immanitas games for sharing and to the game giveaway team for getting these games.

Regards

Whiterabbit aka Stephen