This is a day late, but I figured you guys would probably be interested regardless considering how good this week’s pick is. Normally, we like to showcase smaller, bite-sized games here. Typically a platformer or some sort of mild-adventure game. A nice smooth game to help ease the week by. However, today we are gonna throw something at you that’s a bit different, requires a little more thinking, but, in turn, can also provide you with much more entertainment. This week’s midweek freeplay pick is: Planet M.U.L.E.

Now before I begin, some of you may remember a game called M.U.L.E. which was developed by Ozark and published by EA over 22 years ago for the original NES system, among other consoles. This is a free remake of that game with updated graphics and internet multiplayer. Oh yes… the late great economic board game-esque M.U.L.E. is back once more and it’s just as great as it ever was.

Moving on, for those of you who have never heard of M.U.L.E., and I’m sure that includes more than a few of you, M.U.L.E. is a brilliant video game that’s actually structured more like a board game. A video-board game if you will. The entire purpose of the game is to churn out the most profits and be the leader of this four player game. The game takes place with you and three others (either players or computers) colonizing a planet. From there you each take turns in the different phases of the game beginning with:

1. Land Grant

During this phase a square will highlight a plot from top to bottom, left to right. When it lands on a plot you want you must hit the space bar as fast as you can for fear somebody else will nab it out from under you. Certain plots are better for different things (we’ll get to that in a bit). Once everybody has chosen their plots for the turn the game will move on to the second phase.

2. Development

This is what I like to call the “gameplay round” primarily because this is the round where you’ll actually be doing stuff. During the development phase you will actually get to control your avatar to buy certain things that will produce one of the four resources that you can sell for a profit: energy, food, smithore, and crystite. Various land plots are better for producing different resources. For example, a dried river bed is better for food production. If, at any time, you want to move something to another plot you can do this during this phase as well.

3. Production

This is the phase where you get to reap the benefits from phase 2. Based on what you’ve decided to build you’ll acquire food, energy, smithore, or crystite. This is also the phase where colony events can happen, good or bad…

4. Auction

Finally this is the phase where you can auction off your excess goods (you require a certain amount of energy/food to stay afloat) in order to make some cash. The person who sells the most gets the most points and at the end of the game the most profitable person will ultimately win the game.

Planet M.U.L.E. is broken down into training and tournament modes. Training is exactly what you’d expect, you can just goof off with a few people and horse around in a game. No consequences and no pressure to win or lose other than for bragging rights. Tournament mode, on the other hand, get’s a bit more serious. Playing in a tournement mode will affect your ultimate score and whether or not you’ll make it onto the “Hi-Scores” list.

M.U.L.E. was a brilliant game back when it was released in the early-mid 80′s and it’s just as good today as it was back then, even better when you factor in the updated graphics and online play. Plus, at a cost of absolutely nothing there’s no reason why everybody shouldn’t be playing this game, even if they have only a passing curiosity in an economic space colonization video-board game.

[play at Planet M.U.L.E.]