Got some pals over and want to engage in some retro-styled multiplayer fight-a-thons? TIGSource has your answer! The recently-concluded TIGSource Versus Competition inspired a community of game creators to craft 81 multiplayer games, each one focused on combat. Some are playable online, others are confined to meatspace multiplayer, but they're all unique in that awesome indie sort of way. Below are a few of the top games as voted on by the TIGSource community!
0Space (Windows, 5.5MB, free) - A local-only multiplayer deathmatch game for you and up to three of your pals. Control space marine-type characters who can stick to walls in the rotating world, jumping, shooting, and tossing grenades when appropriate. And you know what? It's almost always appropriate to toss grenades. A pure versus game if there ever was one, 0Space is still technically in beta, but it's very playable and will cause a riot with your pals. This little gem by teknogames took the top spot in the competition.
Masjin (Windows, 1.35MB, free) - An online-enabled team-based game by hempuli, author of a ton of great games we're still totally in love with. Masjin is a lot like Team Fortress 2 except in 2D. You take on one of the classes, each with its own special abilities, and hop in the fray, contributing to your team however you see fit. You must mine resources so items can be purchased at the shop, so, naturally, a few team members will get to the drills. At the same time, other players will become soldiers and start fighting right away. There are vehicles to pilot, game-altering items to buy, and a lot of well-balanced battles to participate in. This one looks very promising, and we hope hempuli continues development on it!
Mushrooms Hate Kaya (Windows, 8.35MB, free) - A very unconventional versus game, Mushrooms Hate Kaya pits a 'shroom-gathering soldier against an army of spore-throwing mushrooms. One player controls Kaya with the keyboard, the other player uses the mouse to plant mushrooms. As mushrooms grow, they can fire out more spores, seeding the walls with fungi galore. Kaya, on the other hand, wants to gather as many of them as she can, so each player is constantly battling the other for supremacy. And that's just one of the several game modes! Simple, enjoyable, and executed with a no-frills sort of style. Plus, you don't have to share a keyboard with your nemesis!
En-garde! (Windows, 2.6MB, free) - Probably the most basic versus game you could imagine, En-garde! pits you against a keyboard-sharing friend in a mano-a-mano duel. With swords! Step forward, step back, and thrust in three positions as you rock-paper-scissors your way to victory after victory against your friends. Everything about this game is simple, but it's great for a few rounds.
Note: All games have been confirmed to run under Windows 7 and are virus-free. Mac users should try Boot Camp, Parallels, or CrossOver Games to play Windows titles, Linux users can use Wine. If you know of a great game we should feature, use the Submit link above to send it in!
"You must mine resources to items can be purchased at the shop, so, naturally..."
?
I think something got chopped during the editing phase.
[Or, to = so. :-) Fixed. -JohnB]
In case you feel like playing Masjin but don't have the slightest idea of what to do, I'll provide a neat little manual here:
http://www.hempuli.com/manual.txt
try using
crouch,jump,shoot
that was on 0space
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