Best Arena Shooters [Freeware]

3 new entrys:

2 remakes of the old school game thrust!
(no arena shooters...but hey the games are great, especially gravitron...and i dont wanted to make an extra thread for this games)

->gravitron
->thrust extreme

i prefer gravitron!

and 1 geometry wars clone.
->grid assault

Gravitron
6 MB
http://xout.blackened-interactive.com/Gravitron.html

so whats going on here. ****c gameplay and good controls combined with nice graphics. i configured it that way:
movement with left and right arrows and thrust with up arrow.
shoot with A and shield with S. but its up to you what controls you prefer.
the first levels are easy...the later levels becomes harder and harder, but not unfair.

so your mission is:
1.)collect the little people by landing carefully on the ground
2.)shoot the enemies.
3.)if you want you can fill up your fuel by thrusting carefully beside the fuel tank and activate shield. so the fuel wll be transfered to your ship. dont touch the tank.
3.)destroy the base (countdown begins) and thrust into space



Thrust Extreme
3 MB
http://wiebo.wordpress.com/my-pc-games/

this game is in the same vein but its not similar.
so...basically same as above but you have also to collect a pod by activating your shield when you are close enough. with the pod on your rope its extreme hard to control cause it swings and when it hits anything it explodes...and so you.

1.)shoot enemies
2.)maybe fill up your tank by thrusting carefully beside the fuel tank while you activate your shield. dont touch the tank.
3.)collect the pod by actating shield.
4.)destroy base. (countdown begins)
5.)escape into space

AuthenticKaizen

I would really like to try these two in particular, but I get a trojan warning with the Graviton game, and the Thrust Extreme just won't download.

I tried running the Gravitron one anyway on one of my spare machinces that I use for just such testing, and it would't run.

Has anyone had similar problems and/or fixes??

TIA!!

a trojan?

im pretty sure it is false alarm.

but i check it again and test the links...

so....
i checked gravitron again with my antivir on my pc.
found nothing.

then i uploaded the exe (packed to a rar archive cause only 1 mb files are allowed) to an online virus scanner

http://www.kaspersky.com/scanforvirus

and it discovered adware (im still sure its a false alarm cause no ads or something appear...and the developers seem not to include such things in their games....no ads appear and my firewall dont detect anything malicious ...so maybe the online scanner detected something because he misinterpretes the online hi score option?)

http://www.viruslist.com/en/find?words=not-a-virus:AdWare.Win32.AdMedia.ax

so i wrote a mail to the developer and he answered instantly and put the game down of his site to check what its about.
if you check back their constant output of quality freeware games you see that it will make no sense at all to include something bad in this game. as said im sure there isnt any spyware. its a false alarm.

Unfortunately I have taken this game down, due to online scanners detecting adware..
Now I have no idea where this has come from, and would never put anything like this is my games - hence its removal.
Its a damn shame, since I lost all src code to these games when my last pc died.

You can still play the Gravitron2 demo for free here which has been tested andclear.
Sorry.

gravitronsite

my conclusion:

you can be sure there isnt any malicious code in the game.

just a false alarm.

i also tried the thrust extreme download link again...it works.


moreover gravitron2 demo is released.
the first 5 levels are playable.

great fun.

Thanks alot AuthenticKaizen!!!

I had to shutdown my security suite to get it to work, odd, but all is well, soooo I'm gonna go play it now, oh ya, thrustextreme downloaded just fine as well:D

Graviroids

not a directly arena shooter...but a very good asteroids game with
gravity feature.very nice graphics and gameplay.

watch a gameplay clip here

http://crashtestgames.com/

Generic Arena Shmup
17 MB
Direct Download

well this is another brand new very good arena shooter which is
meant to be played with dual analog gamepad.
(but can also be playeed with keyboard + mouse of course)
i followed through the development process and tried the previous beta
versions versions...and now im proud to present the final version here.
the developer is now working on a new game. cool guy.

fluid gameplay and good nice graphics.
choose from 3 ships: average ship, fast but not so strong ship,
slow but strong ship.
you can also activate some bombs which soaks all the enemies in
with a nice graphical effect.

Protozoa
6 MB
Download Site
Screenshots and Game Info

a very well made arena shooter wit great graphics, power ups, a nice
water effect and cool 3d background.
plays best with a dual analog gamepad...cause you know,
its an arena shooter

today: a good top down shooter.

wish you all a nice weekend. :)

Theseus - Return Of The Hero
32 MB
Download Site

Review on gametunnel

the developers of the alien shooter series and zombie shooter
have released one of their games for free.
its like their other games a cool top down shooter with wasd movement
and mouse aiming.
(select weapons with 1-9 and activate fllashlight with F)

kill hordes of aliens in the survival mode or in the the campaign mode.


- 10 missions, mostly taking place in open spaces;
- lots of playing locations: forest, village, highway, city battles etc;
- 6 types of weapons;
- ability to upgrade the main character;
- inventory shop where you can buy newest equipment between missions.

Roketz

Gravity Fighting in an Arena. Real classic.

http://www.bluemoon.ee/history/roketz/index.html

Roketz

Gravity Fighting in an Arena. Real classic.

http://www.bluemoon.ee/history/roketz/index.html

chromax

thanks...they have also made the classic skyroads which is also available as freeware on their site :)

Fraxy
2 MB

Download Site
Info Site
Gameplay Video

a very good boss arena shooter.
control your ship with arrow keys, aim with mouse, shoot with left mouse button, boost with right mouse button and change your weapons with mouse wheel.
by destryoing a boss you can choose to power up you "R"= Regeneration "E"=Energy or "P" Power.

hint: before starting the game, first start the config to enable sound by unchecking "dont load sound file" and checking "play sound" and "play bgm".
moreover you can also change some graphics if you want to.

Kobo Deluxe
2 MB
Download Site

not a real arena shooter but the fact that it has multi directional
shooting plus the fact that it is great fun were enough reasons for me
to put it up here.
the game is very polished and has smooth innovative gameplay.
you have to destroy all the bases on the screen.
when you destroy the blue balls they trigger off a chain reaction
and destroy some parts of the base...but when you destroy the
yellow ball it triggers a big chain reaction and the whole base
explodes.
the difficulty levels raises progressively.
you can also choose the c.lassic mode (which is the basically
xkobo with improved graphics) or choose the new modes in
which you have a shield and a faster fire rate...

controls are arrow keys and shift for shooting. (you shoot forwards
and backwards at the same time whhich is a important strategic element)

the game is ported to pretty much other systems. check the site out for further informations.

highly recommeded! check it out...!

quake LIVE and Battle field Heroes coming soon :o i know there not the same but hey there free !1q3er5

cool...would be nice when you could inform us when they are released.

Alien Deathmatch
3 MB
http://jayenkai.socoder.net/?p=51

thanks to http://www.planetfreeplay.com i found this game today.
a well done arena shmup with hordes of enemies, many powerups and
many many maps.
smooth controls, cool action and similar graphics to alien breed makes
this a fun game and therefore it becomes the newest addition in the
arena shooters hall of fame.
(interesting:the developer mentioned on his blog that he will make a sequel)

Squid Yes! Not So Octopus!
6 MB
Download Site
Review on indiegames

SYNSO is a very fun arcade arena shooter with similarities to the great
c.lassic robotron 2084...
smooth controls, fine lovely pixel retro graphics and frantic gameplay makes
this game a must play for any shooter veteran.

alien robots are invading and disturbing you on your birthday(!).
play a mutated radioactive raging squid and show the invaders from
planet thwig what you have to offer: some serious "beams of electro death"!
fight back the alien robots for 8 minutes to communicate a clear message:
its not clever to disturb a furious atomic squid on his birthday at home while
it has a relaxing cup of tea. ever.
so whos the king of the ring? the arena is open for a squid on his awesome
revenge to fight for for his own territory!




control the squid with arrow keys and let him shoot in the direction he is currently looking by pressing z.
alternatively use your gamepad.
press TAB to enter the options menu and choose wheter you want effects
(good if your pc can handle it), a time display instead the bonus points
(you gain 1 point every minute so i recommend to choose the timer for
having more detailed info about your current progress) and some other
options like practice mode for training purposes...

Chaosspace 2
22 MB
Download Site

chaosspace 2 is a great arena shooter which i have found on topshmups.
it is is completly controlled by the mouse.
(you move into the direction your mouse is pointing and you shoot
only in the direction you are currently looking.)
in many situations its essential in the game to move your mouse only
slightly so that you not move your ship but change your shooting direction.
this game grows on you. it gets better and better...

the graphical s.tyle is very professional with the abstract glowing shapes
and the smooth movement.
the music ( electro and
c.lassical music) is great and fits perfect to the game.
(the game offers only music but no sound...anyways this alone matches the
gameplay very good)
you can collect different powerups and score multiplier.
the game has also an online score option but when i tried to upload
my score it appears an "error while connecting".

the game needs a few minutes to get into but then its really fun.
(btw it needs some skills in the later levels)

i ask myself if the game would be better with wasd movement and mouse
aiming...plus soundeffects.
hmmm...dont know but it would be a total different gameplay experience for sure....maybe this optional control scheme would be a good feature in a future release...

hint:
the game is in german but it can be changed to english in the options
menu:
go to "optionen"(options) and then click on "sprache:de"…sprache
means "language" and "de" stands for "deutsch" which means "german"…
now the menu is in english.

SUAVE- Sport-Utility Assault Vehicle Extreme!
5 MB
Download Site
(installation required)

SUAVE is a polished fast paced 3rd person tank game with
pretty graphics and smooth gameplay.
Due to the fact that it features also an optional top down view
i consider this game as some kind of an arena shooter.
moreover the different camera angles causing a total different
gameplay experience because of the different
control scheme as well as the different perspective of course.
(for example: if you press D you roll to the right...unlike the
3rd person view...when you press D you turn your tank)
it takes a few minutes to get used to the fast paced gameplay
and the controls.
but then its really fun to race and shoot your way through the arenas.



controls:
either dual analog gamepad or usual wasd for movement and mouse
to turn your weapon 360°...left mouse button to shoot and right
mouse button to pick up/change weapons. (the volcan weapon is great.
chaingun s.tyle)
moreover you can activate a limited so called time device...which is
basically a bullet time mode.
(default is that you hold down space to activate it)

i recommend to configure the controls in the menu as well as to adjust
the graphic options for more eye candy...
(hint: change the timing mode from "vertical sync" to
"smooth". that way the game can be played in full screen without
causing the game to crash)

the game comes also with a well made html manual with lots of
pictures and useful infromation (about enemies, powerups and
weapons) and an inbuilt editor.

Disasteroids
1 MB
Download Site
Gameplay Video

jayenkai (developer of the excellent alien deathmatch 1+2
(arena shooter greatness) and centipong (breakout on drugs) )
has made a new very cool fast paced asteroids clone with mouse controls.
shoot the rocks and avoid the fragments that are caused by the explosion.
collect powerups like: tripleshoot, doubleshoot, shield, freeze and bomb.

controls:
only mouse...its that simple.

it features online hi scores and abstract nice swooshy graphics.
its also pretty hard...for that reason jayenkai implemented a chill mode
if you want to have a not so frantic and more easier gameplay.
then hit TAB to start the game.
its the "chill mode" there are no exploding fragments included.
(the hiscores will be not submitted to the hiscore table in that mode...)

for fullscreen mode:
Just open the program using -full as it's parameter.
right click the icon, create shortcut, and add -full to the target...
it should look like this

Tank Domination
3 MB
Download Site (scroll down)
Direct Download Link

after stumbling over an article on the2bears.com about the very good
vertical bullet hell heli shooter Demolition Gunner(Direct Download Link)

i gave Tank Domination from the same developers a closer look...and its a
great bullet hell arena shooter in which you - obviuosly - control a tank.
the gameplay is very smooth and the bullet patterns are pretty fair.
this game is level based and there are also bosses to destroy.

controls:
shoot with Z and throw bombs with X (the longer you hold it the further
you throw it)
its also pretty important to use the bombs, especially to serve
the bigger enemies.
btw when you shoot and hold down Z you lock your shooting direction
(as usual drive in one direction and shoot in another)

(first boss appears in level 5...the 2nd in level 11...)
moreover the implemented level select function is pretty useful.
that way you can continue from every level you have already beaten.

Return To Sector 9
11 MB
Download Site


its basically a collection of 9 different (arena)shooters.
crisp graphics, nice sound effects and good gameplay...
fantastic arcade fun.
the best in my opinion are:
return, jellyfish, protection and goldrush.

when a sepcific score is reached there will be new ships,
new colours and medals.
get the bronze medal in each game to unlock the next game mode.


there are 2 control schemes:

1.) keyboard controls:
(for the games return, ambush, jellyfish, protection,
gold rush, rescue, doomball)
control your ship with cursor keys and turn your shooting
direction with Z and X (or 1 and 2)
no need for a fire button because of autofire.
but you can press space for a power shot (limited)



2.) mouse controls
(for the games windmills and last stand)



here the game modes in detail:

->return:
destroy waves of enemies and kill a boss at the end of each level.

->ambush:
destroy massive waves of enemies.

->protection:
escort motherships from the left side to the right side and destroy
the attacking aliens that want to bring the ships down.

->jellyfish:
control a jellyfish, destroy the enemies, eat spaceman to grow. when
you have eaten a few of them you will transform into a big jellyfish
and then you are invincible for a limited time. in that form try to
destroy as many enemies as possible to gain massive scores.


->rescue:
collect little spacemen and bring them back to the mothership.
watch out for enemy waves and asteroids.
you fly towards the direction which you are currently facing. look at
the bottom of the screen for coordinates.

->gold rush:
similar to rescue but better (no asteroids and better enemies)
...collect gold and bring it back to the mothership.


->doomball:
a puzzlegame in which you have to bring 2 bombs of the same color
together. when the bombs have found each other they disappear with
an explosion as usual. attach a bomb to your ship by touching one
and detach the bomb by pressing Z.

->windmills:
defend your windmills. mouse controls. (similarities to the c.lassic game
missile command)

->last stand:
defend your ship which is placed at the middle of the screen by
shooting the enemies. mouse controlled. you cannot move you ship,
only your cannnons.

Gunroar
5 MB
Download Site

gunroar (from kenta cho) is a pretty abstract vertical scrolling arena shooter
that evolves progressively into a bullet hell shooter.
as usual great visuals and smooth controls.
moreover the different control schemes providing a different gameplay
experience. (keyboard + mouse, dual analog gamepad)

also worth to check out are his other games, especially
Torus Trooper (an extremely fast third person tunnel shooter)
and Tumiki Fighters (a horizontal sticky shooter...
attach pieces of defeated enemies to your ship in order to grow to a huge
screen filling ship of destruction)

SYNSO2 - Squid Harder
17 MB
Download Site
Gameplay Video
Review on Tigsource
Review on Indiegames

SYNSO2 is an awesome, frantic, fast paced and colorful arena shooter with
lots of eye candy and effects.
It requires laser sharp attention and fast reflexes.
choose 1 of the 4 levels and try to survive 1-4 minutes.
Also check out the prequel which i have already mentioned on
best free arena shooters part 2

controls:
arrow keys - movement
z,space,shift,ctrl - shooting
(gamepad is also supported)

Grid Defender 2
12 MB
Download Site
Gameplay Video (Arcade Mode)
Gameplay Video (Asteroid Defender Mode)

Grid Defender 2 is a good looking arena shooter with neon graphics inspired by Geometry Wars.
Kill the enemies, earn money and upgrade your ship.
Very nice.

Controls:
WASD - movement
Mouse - aiming
LMB and RMB are used for different weapons

Here is a link to a ongoing list of Freeware games that is currently @ 775 games.

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=244468

m-m-m-multi necro