What PC freeware/PD games are there that you'd recommend people to try out? Please, keep abandonware out.

I'll start with Dwarf Fortress, a rather massive single-player game in randomly-generated worlds. Even if the game is still in free alpha, it's got a lot more features than many commercial games. It's been a while since I last played it, but for me the main beef was the Fortress mode, in which you started building a dwarf colony, e.g., in the face of a mountain. You'd tell the dwarves where to mine, cut trees, build different workshops, grow dogs to help your hunters, grow cats to take care of pests, build irrigation systems (and be careful not to flood and drown your entire colony in the process), build traps for invaders and trading posts for more friendly visitors and much more. The other mode into which I never got is the Adventurer mode, which is more like an RPG (I never tried that out).

The graphics are, as you might've already expected, character-based, but there are some unofficial graphic updates to the game that replace the characters with icons. There are some OGG files playing on the background, but no sound effects.

The learning curve is steep, even more so now that the game added 3rd dimension and more variance to the environment. Thankfully, there are tutorials on YouTube and a Wiki dedicated to the game.

I don't know if this counts, but there's a very addicting and amazing MMORPG call Asda Story. I had downloaded that for a few weeks and played endlessly, but, for some reason, I'm just not a computer gamer, so I eventually stopped playing it.

Commander Keen and Wolfenstein 3D. My two favorite computer games, and both freeware. (well, the first part of Wolfenstein 3D is, anyway, which is about 25% of the game)

The indie scene on PC is hot. I can name a ton, and I'm sure Kim Jong-Il could come and add to this. I'll try to be comprehensive (ignoring the obvious Cave Story and La Mulana, which everyone should get on WiiWare this year):

1) Everything made by Cactus. The man is a genius. It's hard to pick out particular games, but download Cactus Arcade (first game on the page) which has a bunch of his games if you want to try it. If you like that, download the rest. I was particularly impressed by Mondo Medicals and Psychosomnium for their bizarre worlds, but even his most ordinary game, Ping Pong, is super good.

2) Rogue, the game that all Roguelikes call daddy. Also, here are some Rogue-likes based on Castlevania, Zelda, and other video games that are surprisingly very, very good.

3) Most of the games at Matt Makes Games. An Untitled Story is particularly awesome, a minimalistic Metroidvania that focuses more on platforming than combat (though there are bosses and some minor enemies you have to jump on or shoot). AUS is probably my favorite indie game on PC. MoneySeize and the Jumper games are awesome, too. Jumper 2 has a level editor where you can make sets of levels, which I've spent a lot of time in making something like 15 complete games.

4) Party Boat by Messhof. Pretty cool and simple score-based Flash game.

5) Paroxysm, one of the best platformers I've played on PC. Note, if you think it's too hard, there is an infinite life (read: wuss) mode, but stick with it and it'll only take a few tries on the easiest mode.

Other games I'm too lazy to link: Eternal Daughter (tough as nails Metroidvania), Continuum (massive online 2D shooter -- not technically abandonware, I don't think), and a bunch of shoot em ups:

Butterfly, Intercept, Warning Forever, Cho Ren Sha 68K, and a bunch of others I forgot.

Oh, also, Knytt (same guy making Night Game for Wii) and Seiklus... Um, I'm probably forgetting a lot, actually.

EDIT: This was just posted to TIG Source today: When Pigs Fly, a super frustrating platformer. Aside from the occasional screen that will have you cursing your computer, it's very fun! I finished in 18.22 with 213 accidents. I guess 18.2 is my time in minutes? Accidents is a funny way of being family friendly instead of saying deaths.

It's a Flash game, no download, so check it out, even if just briefly.

Cave Story is easily my fave, and there is also the free World of Goo demo on their website

I also play Super Smash Flash if I want to play a quick game

I've got a bunch (if you're interested in them, just google them):
-Cave Story (obviously)
-Anything from Matt Makes Games, Jumper 3, and F(L)aiL are my favorites.
-Ragdoll Masters, pictures a fighting game, but with ragdolls. It's great =D
-Within a Deep Forest, a wonderful nonlinear platformer. Go download it.
-N game. Platforming in it's purest.
-Chalk, a unique 'shooter' game.

-And my favorite: Gang Garrison 2. It's Team Fortress 2, but in 2-D. It is a blast. Everyone should download this TF2 pixelated de-make. I've had it for at least a month now, and still play it.

Matt Makes Games is a favorite of mine, too, though I wouldn't pick those two games as prime examples (despite J3 having amazing art and sound). Are you a member on the forum there by chance? If so, I'm Adam there, also.

I'm not actually. But the main reason why I liked Jumper 3 the most out of the Jumper's was because I could not get used to pressing up to jump. It was just too weird doing everything with one hand.

And Flail, I just love. Concept, music, levels, level editor, multiplayer. My friend and I beat almost the whole game together. It was so much fun. Plus I love the name, since the friend that I beat it with and I figured out a while ago that when someone fails, they leave behind an invisible substance called flail. So flail is the essence of failing =D

Moneywise was fun, but too easy. Plus I didn't like the fact that you could actually download it, or save.

And it was hard for me to get into an Untitled Story. It looked awesome, and I wanted to like it, but it just got too boring. I'm not a big fan of linear games where the gameplay doesn't change much. Like Knytt, it was a good linear platformer, but just got boring. That's why I liked Within a Deep Forest. It was linear, but all the areas were so different, and the different forms you could get always changed it up.

whats a PC freeware game?

osu! is a awesome rhythm game based on Ouendan/EBA and Taiko no Tatsujin. All the songs are free to download. osu.ppy.sh
TrackMania Nations Forever is a great racing game. trackmanianations.com

http://www.download-free-games.com/freeware_games/cave_story.htm
That's one. Go download it.

EPIC FAIL!!!
Freeware is a type of software that's free to use by anyone. look it up on google for more info.

A PC game that you can download for free legally. Unlike abandonware, freeware was and is always free.

Now, my list:
-Cave Story (derr)
-Anything made by Kenta Cho (mostly shmups)
-Cho Ren Sa 68K
-Rockman 7 FC
-N
-ROM Check Fail!

Starcross, perhaps you have a unique vision of what linear means, but I think you actually mean nonlinear in those examples, no? AUS is pretty open to different sequences. I know many games boast pseudo-linear game play where you have an open world but are basically shepherded in one specific direction the whole time, but AUS never feels that way except for the first ten minutes or so, which, even if I would consider that an offense, would be pardonable.

Also, I believe Moneyseize is downloadable. If it isn't, Matt has stated before that he intends for it to be eventually. If it's not available on the site, check the forum.

I agree about the jump button though. Playing one-handedly takes some getting used to, but I love Jumper 1's level design so much, and I love J2's level editor even more.

Flail was enjoyable, but a bit too hard for me after a certain point (I forget how far I got). I'm really not particularly good at MMG's games, but I love them nonetheless. 2D open world games are my favorite type of video game, so it's no wonder that I like AUS the most, but I can see how it'd be boring for some, especially if it's not particularly challenging to you (though there are difficulty options for AUS, fortunately).

I'm sort of in the same position for J3, actually, that you are for AUS. I absolutely want to love it, but I just can't get into it. The controls just don't obey me at all. I like the physics for MoneySeize much better. They're still slippery, but not to the extent that I have about as much control over the character as a dog does over his tail.

Oh, and Nifflas's Knytt certainly did get boring after awhile, but it was very enjoyable for the first few item collections, just for the atmosphere. I think Seiklus does that kind of atmospheric, collection-oriented platforming significantly better, but I still enjoyed it enough to look forward to his next game, Night Game.

Haven't played one for long but here's a few.

Dink Smallwood
Gta 1&2

Woops, sorry, I did mean nonlinear. On the Knytt subject, I found Knytt stories a lot more fun, since it changed it up frequently, while still retaining the nonlinearity. I think Nifflas and Matt are platforming geniuses. Plus most of the games I want on WiiWare are from Nifflas' company Nicalis. Cave Story, Night Game, La Mulana, and the recently announced 'Project Q'. Which seems like Knytt, except you control an actual person in a post-apocalyptic world.

Lol, I would have to say Cave Story. Im making a Freeware game, look at my sig if you want to try it. I know its not as innovative as a lot of other freeware games, but I plan to make lots and lots of levels. Its also really hard. Please dont get mad at me for the self promotion, but it does fit the topic But seriously, Cave Story is really good. N is really good too

Couldn't agree more. I'd love to see one of Matt's games published by Nicalis. I suppose I'll just have to hope Super Meat Boy can scratch the Jumper itch, though I didn't like the Flash version.

Ya, the jumping seemed too off for me. But they said that they fixed the jumping. And who knows, maybe we could see Ogmo as an unlockable character. Even if so far the ublockable characters have just been from IP's that actually cost money. But they did say they'd have around 20 characters, so you never know.

Matt did mention he'd have something in Super Meat Boy, I think. Ogmo seems the obvious choice, but he looks too similar to Meat Boy, I think. I'd like to see the AUS or MoneySeize character, or maybe one of the other Ogmo-like characters from J2 / J3.

-N
-Anything from MMG
-Anything from Cactus
-Knytt and Within a Deep Forest
-Iji
-La Mulana and Cave Story