Gifts for Gamers: Some End-of-Year Recommendations, Part 1
Christmas is a time for rest and contemplation. To intersperse the period with some distraction on long winter evenings, a number of Linux games can prove some diversion, as this article will show.
The sports event of the weekend will be going into winter break, and to while away the time, we assembled a short list of interesting but little known games that have been brought to our attention over the last few months. The recommendations cover lots of different game genres, so there should be something for everyone.
Skill
Dstroy
GPL, 2D graphics, http://narroin.free.fr/dstroy
Dstroy is a small Bomberman clone where multiple players lay mines in a labyrinth with the object of blowing up opponents. A few bonus objects provide some variety.
Xut
GPL, activiated 3D graphics, http://xut.dnteam.org/cgi-bin/about.py
Xut is a game in the button football style popular in Brazil and works somewhat like Subbuteo: small plastic buttons represent the players. Snapping the buttons propels the ball. The Xut homepage shows a sample video.
XMoto
GPL, 2D graphics, http://xmoto.tuxfamily.org
The idea is to drive the motorcycle over numerous obstacle-studded moguls to master as quickly as possible, although realistic physics is hard to reproduce. You can create your own course and make it available to others on the project homepage.
Neverball
GPL, activated 3D graphics, http://neverball.org
In Neverball, you tilt a labyrinth into one of many directions, which sets the ball that needs to find the exit into motion. Many chasms and fatal obstacles lurk along the way.
Neverputt
GPL, activated 3D graphics, http://neverball.org
From the same makers as Neverball, except minigolf for multiple players.
LBreakout2
Free, 2D graphics, http://lgames.sourceforge.net/index.php?project=LBreakout2
Like Breakout, you try to destroy a wall stone by stone, with over 50 more levels to conquer.
Aviation
GPL, activated 3D graphics, http://www.nongnu.org/aviation
The Aviation flight simulator tries to bridge the gap between the realism yet complication of competitors such as Flight Simulator with their simple and uncomplicated counterparts. The current flight zone is 600 square kilometers of the Columbia River.
Critterding
GPL, activated 3D graphics, http://critterding.sourceforge.net
The playing field is one of synthetic life beings, or critters, that demonstrate survival skills. The design possibilities of the critters are still quite minimalist.
Stellarium
Free, activated 3D graphics, http://www.stellarium.org
The planetarium for local computers recognizes 600,000 stars by default, draws constellations for twelve different cultures and can be used in planetarium projectors.
