Every single game from GitHub Game Off 2012

From the 1285 forks of GitHub's official game-off repository, only 182 contestants bothered to change the URL at the top of their repo page. Of these, only about 140 URLs actually point to a game you can play. Not many of those games are worth playing.

I know this because I have used GitHub's API to obtain basic information about all the forks. And because I have visited all 170 non-blank URLs, and played every single game. And now, so can you!

Well, I don't really recommend trying all 170, but for your convenience, I tried to list the most worthwhile games at the top. Obviously, my opinion as to which games are the best might not match yours, but as you go down the list, if you encounter a point where every single game feels sub-par, you should be able to stop and be confident that you are not missing a rare gem hidden much further down. That being said, if you want to maximize your enjoyment, better start by the end, and play the most polished games last!

Enjoy.


(full disclosure: my own game entry is somewhere in that list.)

1. linkboy992000/game-off-2012
   challenging, polished puzzle game about cloning. story and music! Do *not* press 'A'.
2. svenanders/jetmanjr
   hard exploration platformer.
3. searlm/game-off-2012
   virus-themed shoot-em-up where you need to balance progress against collecting ammo.
4. redmanofgp/game-off-2012
   hard, but fun shoot-em-up game where you can concentrate your mind power.
5. gamefrogs/game-off-2012
   a puzzle version of pipe dream, on an hexagonal grid.
6. flypup/game-off-2012
   short fighting game in which your opponent spawns copies of himself.
7. ondras/star-wars
   hard, fun, ascii fighting game.
8. jpfau/scrum
   a mix between a kind of tetris and a 3D shoot-em-up. on a GBA emulator.
9. mindd-it/game-off-2012
   bird-themed single-button avoid-the-obstacles game
10. wtjones/game-off-2012
    unique clone-climbing game.
11. fragcastle/rock-kickass
    megaman-style game in which you steal the abilities of normal enemies
12. sdrdis/hotfix
    single-button platformer with very nice increasingly difficult yet randomly-generated levels. upgrades are way too expensive.
13. lulea/game-off-2012
    3D sokoban
14. adhicl/game-off-2012
    puzzle game with a unique clone-and-lure mechanic
15. KriScg/Waveform
    circuit-simulator puzzle game.
16. 502Studios/game-off-2012
    mine-themed sokoban-style puzzle game.
17. RonanL/game-off-2012
    a nice platformer about escaping from your clones.
18. mvasilkov/game-off-2012
    typing game with gratuitious physics, space invaders, music, anime, oh my!
19. Eugeny/foku
    an exceedingly pretty, but hard to control game about a magic fork.
20. tapio/plasma-forks
    a first-person shooter.
21. visualjazz-ngordon/Play-dot-to-dot
    short connect-the-dot game.
22. tsubasa-software/game-off-2012
    pirate themed obstacle-avoiding game.
23. duncanbeevers/game-off-2012
    over the top maze game.
24. gelisam/game-off-2012
    hard sokoban variant with a confusing rewinding mechanic.
25. loktar00/game-off-2012
    bejeweled-style game with a resource management side.
26. AD1337/ForKingGame
    hard physics-based platformer.
27. Seldaek/split
    obstacle-avoiding game with a unique splitting mechanic.
28. dakodun/game-off-2012
    strategy game with a unique unit-pushing mechanism.
29. volrath/game-off-2012
    a shoot-em-up game with powerups.
30. cdata/solstice-submarine-ctf
    capture-the-flag game with an underwater theme
31. ViliusLuneckas/Pipe-slime-adventure
    pipe-themed avoid-the-obstacles game.
32. gbatha/PolyBranch
    3D avoid-the-obstacles game in a tunnel.
33. kicktheken/game-off-2012
    an isometric exploration game in which you accumulate resources of different types.
34. zombiebros/game-off-2012
    rambo-themed shoot-em-up
35. Jidioh/SkyScaler
    short labyrinth with a world-flipping mechanic.
36. lazor-base/fused-holiday
    a platformer in which you can push and pull crates.
37. AntPortal/game-off-2012
    isometric quiz questions about git.
38. Dover8/game-off-2012
    a puzzle where actions in one world affect the other copy.
39. icebob/game-off-2012
    3D pong.
40. Zolmeister/avabranch
    hard to control fork-and-avoid-the-obstacles game.
41. eric-wieser/game-off-2012
    a variant of snake in which you can divide and control multiple snakes simultaneously.
42. incorrectangle/game-off-2012
    astronaut-splitting, blob-merging puzzles. too short. a bit buggy.
43. cnnzp/game-off-2012
    short track-building puzzle game.
44. nojacko/game-off-2012
    strategy game in which you need to defend your buildings from the zombies.
45. thehen/game-off-2012
    exploration game based on a World-of-Goo-style building mechanic. quite short.
46. rozifus/game-off-2012
    hard sokoban variant with a color merging mechanic
47. lantto/game-off-2012
    unique clone-spotting and killing game.
48. jlongster/octoshot
    3d shooter on a small map
49. RothschildGames/release-cycles
    circular avoid-the-obstacles game
50. appleskin/game-off-2012
    block-carrying puzzle game.
51. etamm/game-off-2012
    top-down zombie shooter with interesting alter-your-world mechanic.
52. begillespie/cloned-game
    move in both copies of the world. Again.
53. fengb/game-off-2012
    a unique drawing puzzle game, once you finally figure out what you're supposed to do.
    hint: click on the black strokes.
54. sjthompson/game-off-2012
    a strategy game in which units are spawned off other units, not buildings.
55. xSmallDeadGuyx/game-off-2012
    a nice little light-bot-style game.
56. Gagege/game-off-2012
    unique, fast-paced memory game.
57. notsimon207/game-off-2012
    physics-based platformer, clearly inspired by Gish. too hard to control.
58. danfischer87/game-off-2012
    hard git-themed puzzle game. a bit buggy. too short!
59. jeffreypablo/game-off-2012
    fighting game. terrible graphics, buggy, but the gameplay is there!
60. scriptfoo/game-off-2012
    a game about learning Javascript. Incomplete? I got stuck after the toLowerCase() quest.
61. petarov/game-off-2012
    distract your opponents while you pick up carrots. strangely-placed controls.
62. Dave-and-Mike/game-off-2012
    short alien-cloning game. strangely-placed controls.
63. murz/game-off-2012
    top-down shooter with multiple gun types.
64. jsonsquared/game-off-2012
    multiplayer top-down shooter.
65. DangerMcD/game-off-2012
    unique multitasking, block pushing game.
66. Choctopus/game-off-2012
    guitar-hero-style game.
67. gilesa/game-off-2012
    unique obstacle-avoiding game about writing software.
68. vladikoff/game-off-2012
    complicated shooter.
69. Chleba/game-off-2012
    short starwars-themed fighting game
70. JasonMillward/game-off-2012
    hard obstacle-avoiding game.
71. denniskaselow/game-off-2012
    asteroids-style game.
72. mapmeld/game-off-2012
    missile command clone with an interesting "change the rules" mechanic.
73. onethousandfaces/game-off-2012
    bonsai-growing pseudo-game. would be an interesting mechanic if there was a goal shape.
74. vrgen/game-off-2012
    car-themed avoid-the-obstacles game
75. gitdefence/game-off-2012
    complicated allele-sharing tower-defence game
76. ChickenChurch/game-off-2012
    punch-the-obstacles game with annoying controls
77. AreaOfEffect/game-off-2012
    food-themed shoot-em-up
78. asswb/game-off-2012
    a bug-tracker simulator, where you solve issues by being patient.
79. eleventigers/echo
    hard 3D platformer about capturing sounds. too hard for me.
80. forrestberries/game-off-2012
    a online multiplayer version of the board game "Apples to apples".
81. NetEase/game-off-2012
    diablo-style game. not worth the very long loading time.
82. DancingBanana/game-off-2012
    platform game with a chronotron-like cloning mechanic. SaveTheClones, below, is the same idea but with more levels and... different graphics.
83. lrem/kobo-san
    sokoban variant in which some blocks can be pulled.
84. SUGameOffTeam/game-off-2012
    hard tank-wars clone with a kitchen theme. only one level.
85. jisaacks/game-off-2012
    food-themed asteroids-style game.
86. pce/game-off-2012
    short dream-themed obstacle-avoiding game.
87. scurryingratatosk/game-off-2012
    two player Qix variant.
88. bverc/miner-trouble
    sokoban variant with gems and bombs.
89. Psywerx/game-off-2012
    obstacle-avoiding hipster-themed game.
90. AmaanC/TinyWings
    tiny wings clone.
91. Andersos/Meatballs
    meatball-themed obstacle-avoiding game.
92. yosun/game-off-2012
    propel clones at your enemies. instructions would have been useful.
93. Popcorn-Web-Development/Beaver-Words
    beaver-themed typing game.
94. lessandro/dave
    short plaftormer with diamonds and a jetpack.
95. dakk/game-off-2012
    nyan-cat themed obstacle-avoiding game.
96. binary-sequence/game-off-2012
    firefighting game.
97. condran/game-off-2012
    shoot-em-up with very limited ammo.
98. Jacic/game-off-2012
    platform game with a chronotron-like cloning mechanic
99. sourrust/game-off-2012
    double-jump platform game. only one level.
100. MonsterGuden/game-off-2012
     single-button puzzle platformer
101. JamieLewisUK/game-off-2012
     shoot the balloons for points.
102. JuggleTree/game-off-2012
     catch fruits and throw them into a basket.
103. mkelleyjr/game-off-2012
     snake clone.
104. dafrancis/SpaceHam
     non-sequitur-themed shoot-em-up.
105. playtin/game-off-2012
     wario-ware-style mini-games.
106. gplabs/game-off-2012
     a tetris variant with more annoying controls. use space to attach/unattach to a piece.
107. jimmycuadra/pushing-hands
     bejeweled variant where you swap whole rows at a time.
108. doowttam/game-off-2012
     unique fix-the-pattern game.
109. sunetos/game-off-2012
     unclear body simulation game.
110. dicksontse/game-off-2012
     snake, without the snake.
111. imagentleman/hackris
     original, but pointless incorporation of cloning and pushing into a typing game.
112. brooss/game-off-2012
     answer text-questions, and hang out in a chat room.
     
     
     
     Games after this point did not make it into the list, but maybe it's just me.
     
     
     
     Not-quite-games
     
     I don't agree that those entries count as "games", so I couldn't compare them fairly.
     
     
113. timehome/game-off-2012
     a clone of robocode; which, as you know, is not a game, but an AI competition.
114. pkukielka/radiance
     a psychedelic experience, to be sure, but is this a game?
     
     Annoying
     
     I could not stand playing those games for long enough to give them a fair comparison.
     
     
115. mosowski/game-off-2012
     a 3D game designed to give you motion sickness? why??
116. gnius/droplet
     avoid the obstacles. annoying alert bomb each time you die.
117. abrie/game-off-2012
     unique finger-twitching game with intentionally irritating controls.
118. ess/game-off-2012
     platformer with intentionally irritating controls. too hard and annoying for me.
     
     Buggy
     
     I could not play those games either.
     
     
119. heisenbuggers/game-off-2012
     buggy boggle variant.
120. Dlom/game-off-2012
     buggy duck shooter with a silly intro.
121. TARGS/game-off-2012
     buggy bejeweled variant.
122. CalPolyGameDevelopment/ettell
     mini-games
123. shinriyo/game-off-2012
     3D choose-your-character and sink-into-the-ground?
124. dawicorti/helping-pibot
     you're supposed to be able to create new pieces, but they get messed up.
     
     Technical difficulties
     
     I am not entirely sure that those games would also fail on your computer.
     
     
125. Finjitzu/Archetype
     placeholder?
126. nuclearwhales/push-the-box
     doesn't work, even with "chrome native client" enabled and relaunched?
127. drabiter/magnet
     requires access to my computer to run?
128. py8765/game-off-2012
     abandoned Draw Something clone?
129. MS-game/game-off-2012
     maybe my Java player is too old?
130. reedlabotz/game-off-2012
     the "Create new game" button doesn't do anything?
131. OpenSismicos/game-off-2012
     applet requesting access to my computer?
132. wprogLK/4thDimensionGame
     failed to run.
133. jamescostian/game-off-2012
     got a blank page, but this is supposed to use a 3D library?
134. BumbleBoks/game-off-2012
     unclear path-drawing game.
135. prgnization/game-off-2012
     you're supposed to be able to chat (as a core game mechanic!), but the text field doesn't respond to my keyboard.
136. elmariofredo/game-off-2012
     the video shows a working level, but I my character doesn't go past the zeroth level.
137. ThatsAMorais/game-off-2012
     a strategy game, but the units don't move unpredicably?
     
     Incomplete
     
     I couldn't play those games until the end, which is sad, because some were very promising.
     
     
138. publysher/game-off-2012
     incomplete text adventure about eating a steak.
139. MikeRogers0/game-off-2012
     short platformer with no ending. interesting shoot-your-own-platforms mechanic.
140. SoftlySplinter/game-off-2012
     a shoot-em-up without things to shoot.
141. mhluska/game-off-2012
     incomplete olive bouncer.
142. Annovean/game-off-2012
     incomplete osmosis clone.
143. leereilly/follow-dem-game-off-forkers
     item collection game with no way to lose.
144. ozh/alchemy
     doodle-god clone
145. Blipjoy/game-off-2012
     incomplete UFO-themed object-dragging game?
146. FluffyCode/game-off-2012
     octopus-in-the-desert-themed top-down shooter
147. ImmaculateObsession/game-off-2012
     some level editor with no way to play?
148. devNil/game-off-2012
     a so-called "inverted tower-defence" which you can win by repeatedly clicking the "warrior" button.
149. EpicFailInc/game-off-2012
     destroy walls using bombs and lose HP for no reason.
150. ihcsim/game-off-2012
     top-down shooter in which you can't win nor lose.
151. gcoope/game-off-2012
     hang-glider inverse shoot-em-up with no way to win.
152. vespertinegames/game-off-2012
     prototype tile-based movement.
153. wskidmore/game-off-2012
     for a game in which you have "endless destructive powers", there sure aren't many things to destroy.
154. jamestomasino/game-off-2012
     just a grid.
155. freejosh/game-off-2012
     the engine for a platformer.
156. dparnell/game-off-2012
     a maze, but you no way to explore it.
     
     Access denied
     
     Maybe it's just a server configuration issue?
     
     
157. superally/game-off-2012
     access denied.
158. DarkForestGames/game-off-2012
     403 forbidden.
159. lazyeels/game-off-2012
     forbidden
     
     Abandoned
     
     Some people wrote down their game ideas, but never got around to implement them. Others picked a URL, but never uploaded anything there.
     
     
160. strugee/game-off-2012
     abandoned placeholder.
161. cmdkeen/game-off-2012
     abandoned game concept.
162. Willshaw/game-off-2012
     abandoned game concept.
163. Vbitz/game-off-2012
     placeholder.
164. EvilSpaceHamster/game-off-2012
     page not found
165. fabriceleal/game-off-2012
     abandoned placeholder
166. CodingEffort/game-off-2012
     page not found
167. Jorjon/game-off-2012
     page not found
168. mbl111/game-off-2012
     placeholder
169. matthewtole/game-off-2012
     404
170. will3942/game-off-2012
     placeholder