Skip to main content

Old web games can still be played in 2024!

     I recently rediscovered a program I used to use a couple of years back when I was still in high school. We used to want to play games on our computers but of course, games would get removed from sites after a while or my school would find out about a site we played on cause one of our "less popular" classmates would narc on us and we'd lose our free time activities. That all changed when I found Flashpoint Infinity, probably the funest and most precious program I will always need on my computer. 

    
One of the great thing about this program is just how massive it's library actually is. Currently Flashpoint has archived and hosts 193,529 games in it's library, and that number keeps growing with every update. When you first get the program you have two options of download, you can download Flashpoint Infinity (like I did) which let's you choose and download games as you play them or if you're especially adventurous, you can download Flashpoint Ultimate which saves all 1.38 terabytes of games in the library to your computer for offline use. If you're someone who loves to archive and catalog things, Flashpoint Ultimate is the obvious choice, but for most of us average chooms Flashpoint Infinity is the way to go.

When I booted up the program, I started to browse around its library a little bit, just to get familiar with what they had. Their library includes learning, kid-friendly and casual games right off the bat, but it does also offer "adult-oriented" game titles (the NSFW option for games is disabled by default, so you will have to go into the config settings to enable them). Overall it's a very fun experience to dive deep into the library and unlock core memories of games you used to play. One of the first games I tried was a game I played in middle school called Parking Fury (not a very stimulating title these days) which is a top-down view parking game that has you park in strange places, sometimes requiring you to use the utmost care when moving. It's fun for me but if it's not your cup of tea, you will most likely find it on Flashpoint. 

Over all these old web games and many other retro games like those on legacy consoles and 90's handhelds just help give that nostalgic feeling you don't often find anymore in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Open source groups like Flashpoint or even Ruffle are both prime examples that these types of games matter just as much as the next Final Fantasy or Call of Duty games do, but these games are, or at least used to be the first exposure to games kid's could get without a console and they should be treasured and remembered for as long as possible. Flashpoint can be downloaded here for free and if you'd even like to support their team and help them continue to archive games from across the web, the link for their donation page will be right here. Happy Holidays everyone!


  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A 2022 gamer's first experience with Maniac Mansion.

Maniac Mansion is a very interesting game for someone like me, as I'm much more used to the fast-paced gameplay that comes with 2022 gaming. For me, the game started out a bit slower than I would have at first thought, but to be fair this game did come out in 1987 so it's not something that bothers me. The overall story of the game is good, although I didn't get to find out much about it since I kinda struggled with understanding the tasks. For me, I found that there was almost a bit of a learning curve since it wasn't really clear (to me at least) what you could actually do. Plus whenever you did learn what you had to accomplish there would be, 4 or five steps to it. You find the object, you walk to the object, you examine the object, and you decide whether to keep it or not. I got tedious very fast. Overall, with how the story plays out, the characters that are introduced and the level of exploration that is available to you at the start of the game, I can safely rate...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Beautiful Chaos of OpenTTD

       In the modern era where we have games like The Sims 4 and Cities: Skylines , I found it hard to find a game that made me feel like there was a true meaning behind what I was doing. That is until I discovered OpenTTD , an open-source "business simulation game" where you take on the role of a business owner in a large (or small) procedurally generated map with a simple goal. Transport stuff, and make a ton of money. While the premise of the game is very simple, the actual execution of it can be a tad difficult at times, not to any fault of the game but to my own lack of understanding of basic economics. The game itself can be played either by yourself for a very relaxed and at-your-own-pace kind of gameplay, while also featuring a multiplayer mode to play on servers and compete with other players or personal friends. It offers a unique type of gameplay that might not appeal to everyone, but what does?     When you're first thrown into the game (after ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Impossible Missions of Impossible Mission.

      Impossible Mission is the type of game that requires amazing puzzle-solving skills, fast hand-eye coordination and just a great understanding of what the heck you're supposed to do in this game. In my time playing, I played through the game 4 times each time getting further and further before ultimately losing. At the start of the game, there is a robotic voice giving one of those classic "you're doomed" kinds of messages and then nothing. Just complete silence, there's no kind of 8-bit music playing, or any sort of instruction as to how to play. They basically just throw in with nothing.      Now the actual gameplay mechanics are quite interesting, you have one speed of running, which makes sense for the era of the game, you also have a very nicely animated front flip that acts as our jump and that's pretty much it. It's nothing too fancy but it works really well for the game itself.  The one thing that got me utterly confused was the puzz...
Post a Comment
Read more