Linux has always been a very powerful operating system for everyone. It’s lightweight, fast, open-source and secured – suitable for every platform. However, Linux users suffer a lot from the lack of proper games on the platform. There are many games available on Linux today and you can play Windows games via Wine, PlayOnLinux etc. But the fun of native games is on another level. For strategy lovers, there are 2 really awesome games – Dota 2 and Zero-K.
Dota 2
Dota 2 has always been one of the top MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games around the world. Developed and published by Valve Corporation, Dota 2 is a sequel to DotA (Defense of the Ancients). This game features heroes from the Warcraft universe.
The game is played between 2 teams with 5 teammates each. They start their fighting in an arena with a powerful character, known as “hero”. All have their unique abilities and different styles of playing. Different heroes serve different purposes – carry, jungler, durable, pusher, escape etc. They have different attack types – melee or ranged.
The gameplay is from 3rd-person view in a 3D format. You have to use your mouse to navigate and attack opponents whereas use keyboard to perform the special abilities. Each ability requires manna or energy that regenerates automatically. Upgrade your heroes with different in-game materials and using the XP gained from killing other heroes and minions.
The game is also available for Windows and OS X. For playing Dota 2, you have to have Steam. Get Dota 2.
Zero-K
Get ready to dominate the world of machines, folks! Zero-K is an intense multiplayer game where your target is to dominate the entire continent (map) with a ton of gears and powers. The game’s developed using the Spring game engine. The game also uses Lua scripting heavily for interface, gameplay changes and enhancements.
Your soldiers are marvelous, highly enhanced robots where you control from small sized to massive robots and lead them into action. The world is full of various land types and you can take advantage of that. Moreover, using robots, you can even modify the landscape to your advantage.
At the starting, you’re on your own – only a bipedal mech known as the Commander. Using this bot, you can construct a base of operation and expand to the most powerful stronghold. You’ll be collecting valuable resources into 2 forms – Metal and Energy. Energy is the most used element here, where metal is used only when build projects.
There are two basic modes – PvP and Chicken (tower defense mode). In PvP, you continue building your army of robots to perform a head-to-head attack or sneak attack using mini, sneaky drones. In Chicken, you defend against semi-sentinel aliens and survive until the “Queen” attacks. The mode ends with 2 possible results – either you die, or you defeat the Chicken Queen.
Ready to dominate the arena? Get Zero-K now!
Linux is an awesome OS for having fun. Besides every day’s normal usage, a few more challenges will help you cheer up. Looking for a challenging Linux distro? Check out Anarchy Linux – an Arch-based distro.
