By: Kevin VanOrd and Aaron Sampson - Posted on November 18, 2008

Action!

Economy got you down? See if any of these twelve free action games strikes your fancy.

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In this new age of economic recession, getting something for nothing is as appealing as ever, and GameSpot is here to help you navigate the free-game terrain. In our last installment of Cheaper by the Dozen, we pointed the spotlight at 12 free online role-playing games to help you decide if those games were for you or were a waste of time and bandwidth. For part two, we decided it was time our trigger fingers got a workout, so we jumped into the world of free online action games.

As before, we applied certain criteria to determine whether a game was eligible for our list. 1) It has to be free to download and cannot charge a periodic fee. The game may offer pay options (for extra weapons, for example), but they cannot be required. 2) It must not require a retail game to be installed in order to play. This eliminates any modification that requires the original game to be installed, though some of these games started their lives as mods for popular games. 3) It must be a multiplayer action game played in a stand-alone client. Web-based games are ineligible.

In other words, if you like shooting missiles, bullets, and lasers at other players but your wallet is missing the plastic or paper you need to grab the big guns, these are some of the games you will want to consider. It's not a comprehensive list; there are other free online action games out there if you know where to look. However, we wanted to give you a good sample of the options available, so we focused on offering a varied list of games that cover a spectrum of gameplay styles.

So here are 12 free online action games that won't make your pocket lighter and may be worth spending a moment or two on. And check the video on this page to see these games in action!

Part 1: Back to Basics

There's a reason most online shooters have a Deathmatch mode: shooting other players in a virtual environment never gets old. Sure, you could get all fancy and tactical, or get all funky with cover mechanics and acrobatic moves. But why bother, when you grab a simple laser rifle and point it at your enemies? None of the following games put on airs; they don't pretend to offer any groundbreaking mechanics or push the limits of modern technology. Instead, they just let you shoot guns, and they let you do it without forcing you to spend a cent.

Official Website: http://icculus.org/alienarena/rpa/
Who Should Play: Extraterrestrial ranchers.

There's deathmatch--and then there's deathmatch with cattle. And not just any cattle, but cattle wearing astronaut gear. If you've ever felt that faced-paced shooters could use a good dose of '60s-style kitsch, Alien Arena delivers plenty of it, between big-brained extraterrestrials and a good selection of futuristic weapons to mow down your opponents with. Take, for example, the rocket launcher, which doesn't propel its ammo forward with blazing speed but flings it out with enough thoughtfulness to let you enjoy how expertly you've aimed it.

While Alien Arena has its feet firmly planted in the traditional realm of fast-paced sci-fi shooters, it's got an attitude all its own. It's that cheesy '60s vibe that does it, and each player avatar is a tiny-framed, huge-headed alien with a glint in its eye and a shotgun in its hand. While all the standard modes, like Deathmatch and Capture the Flag, are covered, it's the Cattle Prod mode that's most intriguing. In this mode, a herd of robotic-limbed cattle donning head bubbles awkwardly trample about a central arena, and you and your teammates must escort them to an escape point. If you want, you can shoot any cattle your enemies are leading, but it's better to shoot your enemy instead and lead the android bovines to your own destination. It's weird, and it's a little clumsy, but it's absolutely hysterical.

Not that humor is enough to get you through, but in a game that cribs so much from the big boys of sci-fi shooters, it goes a long way in keeping things fresh. Fortunately, the time-tested gameplay is solid, there are a ton of cool maps to play on, and the community is healthy and active, so if you want to jump right in and start fragging, this is a good place to start. Oh, and did we mention that there are bionic cattle in this game?

Just checking.

Official Website: http://alientrap.org/nexuiz/
Who Should Play: Sci-fi shooter fans who know that the old school is the only school.

Few of the games on this list are real lookers, at least not in the modern sense. They are, after all, free, and none are based on the kind of technology that powers Crysis or Far Cry 2. Don't worry, this isn't setting you up to tell you that Nexuiz looks ugly. Rather, Nexuiz manages to keep up with similar free games like Alien Arena rather well, and it does so using the DarkPlaces engine, which in turn is based on ancient Quake I technology. Who knew that such old tech could power a game with such a strong modern community? But Nexuiz owes another debt to Quake, which firmly established that while teamwork and strategy are all fine and dandy in other games, sometimes all you want to do is shoot aliens in the face.

Therefore, you could say that Nexuiz is derivative--and you'd be right. This deathmatch-focused first-person shooter squashes the most familiar aspects of Quake and Unreal Tournament together, going so far as to include revamped versions of some old Quake maps. If you get into the high-velocity action, you should be aware that Nexuiz supports all sorts of Quake mods; also be sure to download the community map pack, which gives you a single-player campaign to explore and a bunch of maps. And if you really get into things, perhaps a clan will welcome you into its ranks, or maybe you'll feel confident enough to join one of the frequently hosted tournaments.

If you just want to play for the fun of it, you'll find that Nexuiz is easy to jump into, and if you're a Quake or Unreal Tournament veteran, it will fit like a rocket-powered glove. There are always a bunch of players online, and automated map downloads make it easy to join almost any match. Just be careful: That shotgun packs a wallop in the hands of a bunny-hopping extraterrestrial.

Official Website: http://combatarms.nexon.net/
Who Should Play: Soldiers who love lead salads but hate consequences.

Combat Arms is a light and entertaining military shooter with a seasoning of arcade elements, so if you've played a first-person shooter before, you should be able to pick this one up without too much difficulty. It comes with a number of well-designed maps and a variety of weapons, so whether you like picking off your enemies from a distance or getting up close and personal, your play style should fit right in. Nevertheless, sniper rifles reign supreme, since almost any weapon you acquire can be turned into one with the simple addition of a scope. Fortunately, it's easy to land long-range headshots, and sniping ledges are abundant. To make this action even more compelling, fun pop-up bubbles reward you for multi-kills, revenge kills, and more, or you can check the game's official Web site to see how your stats fare against others.

Matches move along smoothly thanks to small- and medium-sized maps and quick respawn times. Another helpful feature is the three seconds of invulnerability granted upon respawn, which helps stave off spawn campers. The most useful element, however, is the death camera, which closes in on who shot you, helping you avoid falling for the same trick twice (and letting you discover the best shooting spots in the process). As you speed through matches, you'll gain ranks, which unlock new helmets, supply cases, flash grenades, and extended magazines. Ranks also unlock new servers where you can take on players of similar ranks and graduate from the newbie servers you're initially limited to.

Combat Arms is free, but there's a catch: You start off with a stock avatar and stock weaponry. As you play, you earn points that can then be spent on weapons and items like land mines and silencers--but you don't get to keep them. Instead, you rent them for a certain period of time, and when the rental period is up, they disappear from your inventory, no matter how often you've played during that time. Fortunately, maintaining an optimal loadout is simple, and many upgrades are purely cosmetic, so you won't find yourself spending more points than you're capable of earning.