Spill it: Your favorite downloadable games

[Ridah]

Downloadable games on platforms like XBLA, PSN, and Steam are quickly becoming my new gaming trend, no puns intended there  Seriously though, the downloadable game scene is a wonderful facilitator of creativity and their shorter lengths make them viable for me these days when I'm stretched for time. Console games have mostly become cookie-cutter, watered-down experiences for me and I'm sure many of you, with the high cost of developing a full retail release causing publishers to avert risk more than ever before. AAA console games still have a place in my heart, but downloadables are where I've found my new stride.

So what's your list of favorite downloadable games? What games do your urge others to check out? The list can include older games (like Shadow Complex) and PC-only games.

My list:

1. 'Splosion Man - XBLA (awesome platform/puzzle game, fun sense of humor. cake song!)

2. Super Meat Boy - XBLA (another excellent, although merciless, platform/puzzle game. more than anything it's the music that has stayed with me, this one really takes you back)

3. Swarm - Steam (first of all, it's free. second of all, it's a really good top-down action game that can be played coop. to quote my Diablo 2 fanatic friend (who played D3 at Blizzcon): "Diablo 3 would be better if it played like this")

4. Tales of Monkey Island episodes - Steam (i was a huge fan of Monkey Island back in the day and Telltale does a fantastic job bringing the series back. colorful and humorous)

5. Stacked - XBLA (Double Fine finally found their calling, their DLC games are fun and highly creative. i love the setting of this game)

6. Tomb Raider and the Guardian of Light - PSN (one of the best coop experience i've had in a long time. the action is a bit dull, but the puzzle solving is a blast)

7. Section 8: Prejudice - Steam (really, really cool Tribes-style shooter. the graphics and overall art direction are top-notch, the shooting feels good, and the net code is solid. easily my favorite shooter since Bad Company 2)

[spigot]

Shadow Complex

Outland

[Purge]

Flower- The only game I've played on PS3 to get SixAxis controls right.
Castle Crashers- Fantastic fun, lots of replayability esp. in coop.

I second Guardian of Light - that was fantastic.
Uno is also great, as is Geometry Wars (the latest one - evolved? with splitscreen coop?)

I found Stacked to just be OK for me, and same with Braid. Limbo was pretty cool though.

[metallicorphan]

i have had some favourites like Shadow Complex or Monkey Island


but my uppermost toppermost favourite downloadable game has to be Battlefield 1943

if they had some DLC for that game it could of been even better

[Captain Caveman]

1. 'Splosion Man - XBLA (awesome platform/puzzle game, fun sense of humor. cake song!)

I'm totally with you on this one. I loved every second of this game, but what really pushed it over the top was its sense of humor and, of course, the unforgettable and hilarious ending.

[Ridah]

I almost forgot to mention Torchlight!

[EngineNo9]

Honorable Mentions:
Limbo
World of Goo
Gish
Max and the Magic Marker

The goods:
Monday Night Combat
Torchlight
Beyond Good & Evil HD
Trials HD
Bionic Commando: Rearmed

and the winner...
MINECRAFT 

[sgoldj]

Rage of the Gladitor

[Isgrimnur]

Dwarf Fortress.

[leo8877]

I second Battlefield 1943, I loved that game.

Also, the first PixelJunk Shooter is a favorite of mine.

[Caine]

Shadow Complex is probably my favorite so far.
I really like Outland so far
TR: GoL is a great action game
Torchlight
Pixeljunk shooter 1 and 2
Castle Crashers
Scott Pilgrim vs the World
Super Meat Boy
Nimbus

[EngineNo9]

Oh yeah, I forgot Pixeljunk Shooter and Pixeljunk Monsters, I enjoyed both of those quite a bit.  And speaking of tower defense, Defense Grid also got a lot of playtime from me.

[USMC Kato]

Monday Night Combat
Section 8
Vandal Hearts

[CeeKay]

so many to pick out of the 400 or so I have from Steam and elsewhere.  I guess I'll go with:

The Witcher
Mass Effect 1
Dragon Age: Origins


I'd toss a XBLA game on there if I ddin't always forget that I bought them.

[latinobreed212]

Yeah, battlefield 1942 is probably the best downloadable fps out. Superstardust and pixeljunk monsters are very good too. If there was a downloadable gta game-ala, Chinatown wars, that'd take the cake

[Ralph-Wiggum]

but my uppermost toppermost favourite downloadable game has to be Battlefield 1943

if they had some DLC for that game it could of been even better

I'm amazed that they never released any additional maps. With as well as the game sold, you would think that would be a no brainer.

[Ridah]

CK we're talking about downloadable games, not games that are downloadable 

[CeeKay]

CK we're talking about downloadable games, not games that are downloadable 

ah, gotcha.  You might want to drop Torchlight then, cause they went retail 

I change my list to:

Minecraft

[Purge]

CK we're talking about downloadable games, not games that are downloadable 

ah, gotcha.  You might want to drop Torchlight then, cause they went retail 

I change my list to:

Minecraft

As was Vandal Hearts.

[Cragmyre]

My guilty pleasure was Costume Quest on the XBLA - I loved that game, and its DLC.

[kronovan]

I like many that have already been mentioned, especially TR:GoL, Splosion Man and Shadowlands. A few off the beaten path I've really enjoyed are: Hydro Thunder Hurricane, Rocket Riots and Aces of the Galaxy.

[KC]

Uno
Puzzle Quest
Torchlight

[mytocles]

My guilty pleasure was Costume Quest on the XBLA - I loved that game, and its DLC.

Huh, I was just looking at that yesterday and wondering if it was fun (as if I don't have too many games to play already.)

Dr. Mario and Limbo are my favorites.  I haven't gotten very far in Limbo, because we keep showing it to people who drop by; I've probably seen the first hour of the game about a dozen times.  With Dr. Mario, despite owning it for the NES and the SNES, we also DL'ed it to the Wii so we'd have it on three consoles.   

[Isgrimnur]

What, no Dr. Mario arcade machine in the corner?

[Hrothgar]

Let's see:

Shadow Complex -- it out metroided most of the recent metroids for me.

Geometry Wars 2 -- the different modes play so well as variations on a theme.

Supersonic Atomic Powered Battle Cars -- my son and I play this.  He loves smashing opposing cars.

Pinball FX2 / Zen Pinball  -- Love that silver ball.

Converted board games like Carcassone and Catan.

Snoopy Flying Ace  -- Crimson Skies plus Peanuts

Toy Soldiers -- The gameplay may be a step away from greatness, but the imagination is there.

Lost Winds -- Pretty, fun and magical.  Short though.

My Life as a King -- This was surprisingly addictive.  I think it was related to FF:CC, but I just enjoyed as a fun kingdom builder.  The Dark Lord sequel was different, but fun in it's own way.

Super Puzzle Fighter -- I get headaches just thinking about the noise, but it's a fun game.

Clash of Heroes --  Ok, I played this on the DS and loved it.  I downloaded the trial for the HD version.  It looked great, but I don't have time to play it again.

Critter Crunch --  Good puzzle diversion from the makers of Clash of Heroes

[Gratch]

CK we're talking about downloadable games, not games that are downloadable 

ah, gotcha.  You might want to drop Torchlight then, cause they went retail 

I change my list to:

Minecraft

As was Vandal Hearts.

I'm guessing he was referring to the XBLA Vandal Hearts game, which did not go retail (as far as I heard, anyways)

[mytocles]

What, no Dr. Mario arcade machine in the corner?

I do have to leave a little space for the DS and a few iterations of Dr.M for that... but, yeah - that could work!

[Caine]

even though i haven't finished it yet, i am going to pencil in Outland as a favorite.  great visuals, great 2d side-scroller with a decent combat mechanic and nice take on light/dark worlds.