Ubuntu is Dead

Ubuntu is (and soon to become was) the distro that I have been using on/off/then on again for the last 10+ years. I have switched to Peppermint OS in the past couple of years, but that too is based on Ubuntu.

I am a normal user with normal needs and that includes gaming. I am a Steam user and also use Wine to install and play the games that are not directly available for the Linux system. Steam has done a fantastic job of bridging the gaming divide that existed between Windows and Linux. And, recently they have also integrated a version of Wine directly into the Steam app to play Windows only games in Linux. This has helped me and several like me to make a complete switch to Linux.

If you would see the articles on the problems that most normal users used to face when using Linux was the lack of games and some other proprietary software. GOG, and Steam (and others) have finally managed to overcome this gap.

The once great Linux distro, Ubuntu, was the chosen one used by Steam to open up gaming in Linux. Well, now the same Ubuntu wants to destroy gaming on Linux. Why? because Microsoft Loves Linux. Microsoft has adopted Ubuntu in Windows and may be (IMHO) have chided Ubuntu to give them something back. This may be a pure business decision to have a common system for Windows and pure Linux, and that means to loose normal Linux users.

So, the great Ubuntu has now decided to cripple its gaming support and relegate gaming to "containers". For me, this is the end of Ubuntu. Come 2020, I will be switching to a distro that has first class support for GOG and Steam.

What are my options :)
This is the advantage of the Linux ecosystem, we have a lot of options. Currently I can think of MX Linux, Linux Mint Debian Edition, PCLinuxOS, Funtoo Linux, Slackware Linux, Manjaro, deepin, CentOS, and many more.

Free Games from Locomalito.com for Linux

The person behind the Locomalito.com website has self made video games that are sort of remakes and re-imagined takes on classic video games. Some of the games are freeware and some are available on proprietary gaming hardware.

Although most of the games present on the website are for the Windows environment, some are available for Linux too.

At the time of writing this post, the games that are available for free on Linux from the Locomalito website are:

GAURODAN (2013)

Game Info (from the website):

About the Game: Fly around the Canary Islands and destroy cities, armies and colossal creatures in your path through a precision shmup. Controlling Gaurodan requires skill, since its movement is unstoppable and its attack can be oriented to hit ground or air targets.

Links: https://locomalito.com/gaurodan.php || https://locomalito.com/juegos/Gaurodan_linux.zip

MALDITA CASTILLA (2012)

Game Info (from the Website):

About the Game: Maldita Castilla (Cursed/damn Castile) is an action platformer full of actual myths from Spain and some regions of the medieval Europe. The player must run, jump and throw weapons along 6 chapters, divided into sections filled with dangers and bosses. It takes the visual style of 80s arcades, with no more than raw pixel art and a dark palette displayed through a dirty old monitor.

Links: https://locomalito.com/maldita_castilla.php || https://locomalito.com/juegos/Maldita_Castilla_linux.tgz

EFMB (2012)

Game Info (from the Website):

About the Game: EFMB is the remake of the brilliant ZX Spectrum game created by Dave Hughes in 2012. The game includes bizarre mechanics that force players to concentrate and use all their mental power. The remake has new elements and game modes for cooperative and versus plays.

Links: https://locomalito.com/efmb.php || https://locomalito.com/juegos/EFMB_linux.tar.gz

L'ABBAYE DES MORTS (2010)

Game Info (from the Website):

About the Game: Faith will be your only weapon in this platformer styled like a ZX Spectrum game. Black backgrounds, 1 color sprites and 1 bit sounds are a proper fit for a raw story. The lack of details turn on the player's imagination, creating a unique experience for each player.

Links: https://locomalito.com/abbaye_des_morts.php || https://github.com/nevat/abbayedesmorts-gpl

'Magic: The Gathering' like/based Open Source Single-Player Fantasy Card Game on Linux

'Magic: The Gathering' is a very famous collectible card game. There have been many video games based on this card game, but most, if not all, were made targeting the proprietary operating systems. 

A Linux native game and that too an open source game exists for this specific card game. It is named 'Magarena' and is available from the github website: https://github.com/magarena/magarena || https://magarena.github.io

From the game's website:

Magarena is an open-source, single-player fantasy card game played against a computer opponent. The rules for Magarena are based on (but not exactly the same as) the first modern collectible card game. Its main goals are an advanced AI, intuitive interface, engaging gameplay and program stability.

A few screenshots, from their website: