Feb 3 -- Free like beer

The best things in life are free. Well, maybe the best things in life come with a little cash sort of stapled on there, but I'm not one to nitpick. I think $60 for a game is pretty crazy--never mind the (gulp) $100 prices commanded for some recent boardgame releases. You can get some awesome game on for free. Between freely provided demos and open sourced classics, there are plenty of chances to play quality games for free without shady nonsense like piracy or "cracked" games.

Game of the Day: QUAKELIVE

Quake was a solid entry in the first person shooter genre back in 1996. The single player experience was pretty good, but the game really shined when played against (or with) other humans. The setup was easy, the game reacted quickly, and you could do crazy stuff. Fourteen years on, and the game is still fun, and now you can play it in a browser. I heard about this a few months ago and blew it off, I mean, that is an old game. But something inspired me to try it out and I was just stunned. Macs, Windows PCs, Linux--doesn't matter. If you have a decent enough browser--you can play. And it's great:the stats are all tracked online, the site remembers whom you played, how often you killed them, your best weapon, your accuracy, it's a statistical orgy and it's all free.

That's me in the picture there--I went with the Classic "Doom" Space Marine look. The gameplay is Quake--you pick up weapons and armor and try not to die while maximizing the number of dudes falling before you. If you have an account, look me up--I am heinous and will generously pad your stats in any game you play against me.