Showing posts with label Browser-Based. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Browser-Based. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
GameLight - Super Mario Bros. Crossover 2.0
Source: Youtube Channel machinima
Gah, I don't know how I missed this. This news is actually 5 days old now, but sadly the game isn't out yet. So if you've played the original Super Mario Bros. Crossover project, you'll be excited to hear about all the crazy new things being put into the next one. Along with the SNES version graphics and music, we have returning characters such as Link, Samus, Bill, Ryu, the tank from Blaster Master, Megaman, Protoman, Bass, Simon, Trevor and now Luigi (not sure who the Demon is from, Castlevania?). There will also be GB counter-parts of levels, characters, and music (or so it seems). If you have never heard of the project, it's essentially the original Super Mario Bros. with the ability to play as many other classic Nintendo characters from the NES days. Each character has their own ability and mimic the skills and move sets of their game counter-part. The game is free to play on exploding rabbit's site linked right above. You can also make a save file on your computer and load it to continue where you left off. It's a fun little distraction and this newest update will sure to provide that much more to do and play.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
GameLight - Drakensang Online
Official Site: http://www.drakensang-online.com/
Source: Youtube Channel DrakensangOnline
You know what's amazing about this game by just looking at the trailer? It's played in a browser!!! When I think of most MMORPGs played in a browser, I think of games like Runescape (which actually looks much better now than when it first started). Drakensang started as a pen-and-paper RPG. When computer RPG versions of it were created, they played much like other top-down view, point-n-click RPGs that was more about strategy with a slower paced battle mechanic (much like Never Winter Nights 2) and has been like that for the past 20+ years. But with Drakensang Online, the gameplay seems much closer to games like Diablo where the combat is faster-paced and enemies come in masses. It is currently in open beta right now, and anyone can register for free on their official website. Sadly, there is only 2 classes to choose from at the moment: Spellweaver (magic caster) and Dragonknight (Warrior type). There seems to be two more that will be added to the game later on. I never played any of the Drakensang games (even though I have Drakensang: The River of Time), but I think this is a good place to start. I don't know if there's any downloading required (some browser-based games still require some downloading), but I guess I'll find out when I try the game out tonight.
Source: Youtube Channel DrakensangOnline
You know what's amazing about this game by just looking at the trailer? It's played in a browser!!! When I think of most MMORPGs played in a browser, I think of games like Runescape (which actually looks much better now than when it first started). Drakensang started as a pen-and-paper RPG. When computer RPG versions of it were created, they played much like other top-down view, point-n-click RPGs that was more about strategy with a slower paced battle mechanic (much like Never Winter Nights 2) and has been like that for the past 20+ years. But with Drakensang Online, the gameplay seems much closer to games like Diablo where the combat is faster-paced and enemies come in masses. It is currently in open beta right now, and anyone can register for free on their official website. Sadly, there is only 2 classes to choose from at the moment: Spellweaver (magic caster) and Dragonknight (Warrior type). There seems to be two more that will be added to the game later on. I never played any of the Drakensang games (even though I have Drakensang: The River of Time), but I think this is a good place to start. I don't know if there's any downloading required (some browser-based games still require some downloading), but I guess I'll find out when I try the game out tonight.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
GameOn - VGCC - Facebook / Browser-Based Games
Wow, it's already so late that this post will be considered as the next day. I'm glad it's Friday and I'm glad that today's topic will be a one that's more straight-forward. Facebook games such as Farmville and Brower-Based Games such as Evony has captured the attention of the world. Non-gamers suddenly become farming pros, web-based gaming becomes a billion dollar market (for Zynga at least), and now all the game companies want a piece of that casual audience market.
I couldn't find an appropriate video since most facebook games and browser-based games don't have videos of their gameplay.
Money Based Games
Many online games, including MMORPGs mentioned yesterday, run on a free to play basis with the option of paying small amounts of money for in-game items or perks that help speed up the process of leveling or giving advantages to players. This structure is known as "micro-transactions" and has proven to be profitable by bringing in a lot of players to little by little as opposed to having a small amount of players pay a medium fee once or monthly. As much as I am against the idea of creating semi-applications passed for games on facebook and having players spend tons of money just to get to the next level, I think the initial companies that started on the Facebook frontiers (Zynga in particular) are geniuses. Because Facebook is a popular site for friends and family to keep in touch, companies are able to bring in more players by giving an incentive to have more people from your friend's list to join their game. I actually never played FarmVille but have played one of their games and many similar games on facebook where a player's stats become stronger by having more friends join the game that I was playing. So when my friends join, they'll want to invite their friends to become stronger. It then spreads like a virus and reaches everyone on facebook. With their publicity taken care of, they have an idea of keeping players interested and tempted to buying points and items with real money. Along with going through quests in the game, the main attraction was attacking other players. The more friends and items they had, the better the chance they had in winning a fight. Quests and player versus player is nothing more than clicking a button and seeing if you won or lost, but it got people playing since it was on-going and it didn't require much time to play. So with players hooked to the game, they make players frustrated each time they log on and find that they've been attacked by 30 players and lost 28 of those attacks. This may cause a player to purchase the in-game points and items to become stronger and gain advantages over other players. When those players start losing, they'll start to buy more items. And thus you have an endless flow of money from the players cashing in on the game. So the complaint for the players of a lot of these games is that they're based on how much money you spend. "If you don't spend any money, you won't win any matches." That's not true for all games, and it's not necessary to fight other players (it's an option). I'm a passive gamer when I get the choice (RPGs, Strategy games, etc.) and concentrate more on the quests and story rather than trying to over power players because I know I won't be able to win and I don't plan on spending any money. Some games really are imbalanced and become difficult to play even the story without paying, but I guess I could consider it an extra challenge.
Button Clickers
This one's easy to explain. Most all the facebook games that initially launched were nothing more than a few words and a few art assets to accompany a story. How did the players progress through the game? By clicking a few buttons. By spending "energy" or anything synonymous to turn points, players complete quests and fight other players by clicking a button and continue doing that for the rest of the game. And when those turn points are depleted, the player has to wait a certain amount of time before it gets replenished. Or, you can buy "potions" to recover that bar and continue clicking that button. The complaint here is that these games are a disgrace for even being called "games" when the objective that it achieves is making money for the publishers and developers. I'll admit that I play a few Facebook games, and I like how some of them are evolving into actual games. Destiny Stone is a 2D action platformer (but totally geared towards young girls...very young) and has some RPG elements in it (which is how they get players to pay money). Brave Arms is a 3D First-Person Shooter that's played within facebook through the browser. And Dragon Age Legends has a very interesting take on the Facebook type RPGs by adding in turn-based fights that requires actual strategy and a simulation like gameplay when building the castle. And for justification, the reason why a lot of these games are just button clickers is because it's meant to be played discreetly (like at work or in a classroom without anyone knowing).
OCD Syndrome
Remember hearing news reports about boyfriends, husbands, and family members having to miss out on a Thursday night event or outing because they need to participate in a "raid" for World of Warcraft? I thought it was pretty hilarious when the tables were turned for Facebook games and every other hour, a girlfriend, mother, or sister had to check on their farm on Facebook to see if it's ready for harvest. One of the things I started disliking about these facebook browser based games was having to wait for the energy to replenish and then returning back to facebook to click some more buttons. It was even worse when these games started to release on mobile devices such as iPod touch. With the access to the internet, a player will have the urge to log onto facebook every other hour to check on the status of their character/account for their game to see who attacked them, whether they won or not, and to use up the energy they've replenished. This causes a sort of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Syndrome where a player can help but check their game everyone hour (even if the person really doesn't have OCD). The reason for players to argue about this problem is that the only way to level up and progress through the game quick enough is to not waste any time spent doing nothing on the account. I conquered this problem by simply not caring how fast I get through these facebook games and to log on whenever I felt was okay to play for a short duration.
Facebook games and Browser-based games may seem evil to a lot of you, but it's becoming one of the main platforms for the industry to work on right now. Casual is the new hardcore for the developers and it's more profitable than traditional games. I'm all for supporting casual games, facebook games and browser games if they're truly entertaining to play; however, I don't think we should ignore the main videogame market for the hardcore or traditional. Don't let button clickers affect deep game play experiences. Resist spending $500 worth of facebook points if you can go and buy a console/PC to play retail games. Retail sales are declining and it's slowly affecting the quality of our games, please don't let that happen. As long as the main traditional game industry is intact, Zynga can make as many -ville games they want and facebook can continue hosting games on their platform. Good night, TGIF, and have a great weekend.
 |
| http://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/020909121934gameBig_farmville.jpg |
Money Based Games
Many online games, including MMORPGs mentioned yesterday, run on a free to play basis with the option of paying small amounts of money for in-game items or perks that help speed up the process of leveling or giving advantages to players. This structure is known as "micro-transactions" and has proven to be profitable by bringing in a lot of players to little by little as opposed to having a small amount of players pay a medium fee once or monthly. As much as I am against the idea of creating semi-applications passed for games on facebook and having players spend tons of money just to get to the next level, I think the initial companies that started on the Facebook frontiers (Zynga in particular) are geniuses. Because Facebook is a popular site for friends and family to keep in touch, companies are able to bring in more players by giving an incentive to have more people from your friend's list to join their game. I actually never played FarmVille but have played one of their games and many similar games on facebook where a player's stats become stronger by having more friends join the game that I was playing. So when my friends join, they'll want to invite their friends to become stronger. It then spreads like a virus and reaches everyone on facebook. With their publicity taken care of, they have an idea of keeping players interested and tempted to buying points and items with real money. Along with going through quests in the game, the main attraction was attacking other players. The more friends and items they had, the better the chance they had in winning a fight. Quests and player versus player is nothing more than clicking a button and seeing if you won or lost, but it got people playing since it was on-going and it didn't require much time to play. So with players hooked to the game, they make players frustrated each time they log on and find that they've been attacked by 30 players and lost 28 of those attacks. This may cause a player to purchase the in-game points and items to become stronger and gain advantages over other players. When those players start losing, they'll start to buy more items. And thus you have an endless flow of money from the players cashing in on the game. So the complaint for the players of a lot of these games is that they're based on how much money you spend. "If you don't spend any money, you won't win any matches." That's not true for all games, and it's not necessary to fight other players (it's an option). I'm a passive gamer when I get the choice (RPGs, Strategy games, etc.) and concentrate more on the quests and story rather than trying to over power players because I know I won't be able to win and I don't plan on spending any money. Some games really are imbalanced and become difficult to play even the story without paying, but I guess I could consider it an extra challenge.
Button Clickers
This one's easy to explain. Most all the facebook games that initially launched were nothing more than a few words and a few art assets to accompany a story. How did the players progress through the game? By clicking a few buttons. By spending "energy" or anything synonymous to turn points, players complete quests and fight other players by clicking a button and continue doing that for the rest of the game. And when those turn points are depleted, the player has to wait a certain amount of time before it gets replenished. Or, you can buy "potions" to recover that bar and continue clicking that button. The complaint here is that these games are a disgrace for even being called "games" when the objective that it achieves is making money for the publishers and developers. I'll admit that I play a few Facebook games, and I like how some of them are evolving into actual games. Destiny Stone is a 2D action platformer (but totally geared towards young girls...very young) and has some RPG elements in it (which is how they get players to pay money). Brave Arms is a 3D First-Person Shooter that's played within facebook through the browser. And Dragon Age Legends has a very interesting take on the Facebook type RPGs by adding in turn-based fights that requires actual strategy and a simulation like gameplay when building the castle. And for justification, the reason why a lot of these games are just button clickers is because it's meant to be played discreetly (like at work or in a classroom without anyone knowing).
OCD Syndrome
Remember hearing news reports about boyfriends, husbands, and family members having to miss out on a Thursday night event or outing because they need to participate in a "raid" for World of Warcraft? I thought it was pretty hilarious when the tables were turned for Facebook games and every other hour, a girlfriend, mother, or sister had to check on their farm on Facebook to see if it's ready for harvest. One of the things I started disliking about these facebook browser based games was having to wait for the energy to replenish and then returning back to facebook to click some more buttons. It was even worse when these games started to release on mobile devices such as iPod touch. With the access to the internet, a player will have the urge to log onto facebook every other hour to check on the status of their character/account for their game to see who attacked them, whether they won or not, and to use up the energy they've replenished. This causes a sort of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Syndrome where a player can help but check their game everyone hour (even if the person really doesn't have OCD). The reason for players to argue about this problem is that the only way to level up and progress through the game quick enough is to not waste any time spent doing nothing on the account. I conquered this problem by simply not caring how fast I get through these facebook games and to log on whenever I felt was okay to play for a short duration.
Facebook games and Browser-based games may seem evil to a lot of you, but it's becoming one of the main platforms for the industry to work on right now. Casual is the new hardcore for the developers and it's more profitable than traditional games. I'm all for supporting casual games, facebook games and browser games if they're truly entertaining to play; however, I don't think we should ignore the main videogame market for the hardcore or traditional. Don't let button clickers affect deep game play experiences. Resist spending $500 worth of facebook points if you can go and buy a console/PC to play retail games. Retail sales are declining and it's slowly affecting the quality of our games, please don't let that happen. As long as the main traditional game industry is intact, Zynga can make as many -ville games they want and facebook can continue hosting games on their platform. Good night, TGIF, and have a great weekend.
Monday, February 7, 2011
GameOn - Free Games - Flash/Browser Based Games
GameOn! Another week of relevant discussion on a single topic. This week, I'll be talking about free games. Gaming can be an expensive hobby and sometimes some of us just want cheap entertainment without having to invest on a lot of money for systems, controllers, games, and extra peripherals. The best kind of cheap entertainment is free games. During a time I was busy with school work and didn't have the time or money to invest on big name games, I looked into alternatives that delivered the entertainment and stimulation my brain wanted without having to a pay single penny for any of them (not counting the bill for internet). So today, I'll be talking about Flash Games and Browser Based Games.
Source: Youtube Channel mondomaniatrics
Flash games and Browser Based games are played directly off one's internet browser and (usually) does not require the player to pay, download, or register (with the exception of on-going games such as RPGs and MMOs). This allows those who want to play something during break or down time for 5 to 10 minutes without having to worry about story progression, finding a checkpoint/save point, or working up to the actual game. At the same time, a flash/browser game could have the player register for an account or save a password to continue a game that's progressive or on-going such as an online game.
Advantages:
-Games are free and leaves little to no obligation to continue or finish
-Can be played at one's discretion through internet browsers
-Games can range from simple 10 second games to MMO status that can last months or years
-Flash games are generally easy to make as they are to play thus having an abundance of games to play
-Compatible with many machines such as PC, Macs, handheld devices, etc.
-Nearly any game will run as long as the PC/device has Macromedia Flash and a compatible web browser
-A lot of them are accessible on Facebook and integrates functions and information of the user into the game
Disadvantages:
-Majority of the games will be poorly made
-Some game portals will have advertisements pop-up everywhere
-A lot of the developers for flash and browser based games are moving into micro-transactions
-Incompatibility, glitches, and other technical problems could arise
-A lot of the flash game sites could track the players history for advertisement purposes
-Really good flash games or Browser-based games are lost in a sea of bad games
These types of games are great to keep in mind when you're away from your own computer such as at a relatives, or a internet café. I actually played a lot of flash games during High school because I carpooled with a family friend and usually waited from 1 to sometimes 2 hours before getting a ride back home. My friend and I would be in the library for that duration in the computer section playing Adventure Quest, Kings of Chaos, and my favorite: Flash Flash Revolution. Here are some suggestions of where to go and play Flash/Browser-Based Games:
Kongregate - A fairly new game portal. I made an account this past weekend just so I can track my games and earn badges (Achievement system). This site has a LOT of decent flash games made by indie game developers from all over the world/internet and is part of the GameStop Network.
Play DJ Maniax on Kongregate
Armor Games - I found this game portal the same time as Kongregate when I was doing business with them at work. They have a plethora of quality games to choose from. I haven't explored much of their site, but I found one game to be rather irresistible:
Play Hack Slash Crawl on Armor Games
PopCap Games - PopCap doesn't have a large list of free games to offer, but they do have a few gems on their site worth checking out (pun intended, c'mon, Bejeweled! Biggest puzzle game of our time!) All the games have been made within their company and so it's expected that most of their games are top quality.
Despite it being free, I bought it on Steam anyways.
Play Plants vs. Zombies on PopCap Games
I can recommend this hard enough. Flash Flash Revolution has been the most entertaining flash game I've played back then and is still an exhilarating experience playing it now. It was down for a while, but I just found out (literally just now) that it's back up and better than ever.
Play Flash Flash Revolution!
Here are links to some other games:
-Newgrounds - A lot to offer here and a few of my friends have their submitted games on Newgrounds. Also, the co-creator of Castle Crasher started his career posting games on Newgrounds before establishing his own company with Alien Hominid (I had the honor of meeting him in person).
-Miniclip - I've been told that miniclip has some of the best flash games the internet has to offer. I still don't play on there, but maybe some of you will find something fun on there.
-SESS - I used to play these games back in High school. Good time killers.
-Shockwave - Wow, I played Shockwave back when I first had internet. I'm not sure if they have good games anymore.
-Free Online Games (FOG) - Their site is a little cluttered, but they do have some good games.
Browser-based games:
-Kings of Chaos - This text based online game was strangely entertaining.
-Three Kingdoms Online - Based off the history of post Han Dynasty in Ancient China.
-Facebook - A lot of Browser-based games are available to play directly from your Facebook account with a click of a button. No registration or downloads (usually).
Links to specific Games:
-Adventure Quest - Played this for 3 years straight. It was fun seeing how the game evolve.
-Adventure Quest Worlds - I still haven't tried this yet, I wonder if it's any good.
-Gaia Online - This site has grown exponentially! I remember when it was just an art sharing site.
-RuneScape - I never got into the game, but it's an incredible presentation for a flash based game.
-Neopets - One of the most commercially successful games that was bought out by a big name company.
-Captain Forever - This took up my entire winter break of 2009, yes it was that fun.
-Rose & Camellia - A provocative and hilarious game of slapping.
-Super Mario Bros. Crossover - If you like SMB and other retro games, this game is for you.
Have fun, see you all tomorrow~
Source: Youtube Channel mondomaniatrics
Flash games and Browser Based games are played directly off one's internet browser and (usually) does not require the player to pay, download, or register (with the exception of on-going games such as RPGs and MMOs). This allows those who want to play something during break or down time for 5 to 10 minutes without having to worry about story progression, finding a checkpoint/save point, or working up to the actual game. At the same time, a flash/browser game could have the player register for an account or save a password to continue a game that's progressive or on-going such as an online game.
Advantages:
-Games are free and leaves little to no obligation to continue or finish
-Can be played at one's discretion through internet browsers
-Games can range from simple 10 second games to MMO status that can last months or years
-Flash games are generally easy to make as they are to play thus having an abundance of games to play
-Compatible with many machines such as PC, Macs, handheld devices, etc.
-Nearly any game will run as long as the PC/device has Macromedia Flash and a compatible web browser
-A lot of them are accessible on Facebook and integrates functions and information of the user into the game
Disadvantages:
-Majority of the games will be poorly made
-Some game portals will have advertisements pop-up everywhere
-A lot of the developers for flash and browser based games are moving into micro-transactions
-Incompatibility, glitches, and other technical problems could arise
-A lot of the flash game sites could track the players history for advertisement purposes
-Really good flash games or Browser-based games are lost in a sea of bad games
These types of games are great to keep in mind when you're away from your own computer such as at a relatives, or a internet café. I actually played a lot of flash games during High school because I carpooled with a family friend and usually waited from 1 to sometimes 2 hours before getting a ride back home. My friend and I would be in the library for that duration in the computer section playing Adventure Quest, Kings of Chaos, and my favorite: Flash Flash Revolution. Here are some suggestions of where to go and play Flash/Browser-Based Games:
Kongregate - A fairly new game portal. I made an account this past weekend just so I can track my games and earn badges (Achievement system). This site has a LOT of decent flash games made by indie game developers from all over the world/internet and is part of the GameStop Network.
Play DJ Maniax on Kongregate
Armor Games - I found this game portal the same time as Kongregate when I was doing business with them at work. They have a plethora of quality games to choose from. I haven't explored much of their site, but I found one game to be rather irresistible:
Play Hack Slash Crawl on Armor Games
PopCap Games - PopCap doesn't have a large list of free games to offer, but they do have a few gems on their site worth checking out (pun intended, c'mon, Bejeweled! Biggest puzzle game of our time!) All the games have been made within their company and so it's expected that most of their games are top quality.
Despite it being free, I bought it on Steam anyways.
Play Plants vs. Zombies on PopCap Games
I can recommend this hard enough. Flash Flash Revolution has been the most entertaining flash game I've played back then and is still an exhilarating experience playing it now. It was down for a while, but I just found out (literally just now) that it's back up and better than ever.
Play Flash Flash Revolution!
Here are links to some other games:
-Newgrounds - A lot to offer here and a few of my friends have their submitted games on Newgrounds. Also, the co-creator of Castle Crasher started his career posting games on Newgrounds before establishing his own company with Alien Hominid (I had the honor of meeting him in person).
-Miniclip - I've been told that miniclip has some of the best flash games the internet has to offer. I still don't play on there, but maybe some of you will find something fun on there.
-SESS - I used to play these games back in High school. Good time killers.
-Shockwave - Wow, I played Shockwave back when I first had internet. I'm not sure if they have good games anymore.
-Free Online Games (FOG) - Their site is a little cluttered, but they do have some good games.
Browser-based games:
-Kings of Chaos - This text based online game was strangely entertaining.
-Three Kingdoms Online - Based off the history of post Han Dynasty in Ancient China.
-Facebook - A lot of Browser-based games are available to play directly from your Facebook account with a click of a button. No registration or downloads (usually).
Links to specific Games:
-Adventure Quest - Played this for 3 years straight. It was fun seeing how the game evolve.
-Adventure Quest Worlds - I still haven't tried this yet, I wonder if it's any good.
-Gaia Online - This site has grown exponentially! I remember when it was just an art sharing site.
-RuneScape - I never got into the game, but it's an incredible presentation for a flash based game.
-Neopets - One of the most commercially successful games that was bought out by a big name company.
-Captain Forever - This took up my entire winter break of 2009, yes it was that fun.
-Rose & Camellia - A provocative and hilarious game of slapping.
-Super Mario Bros. Crossover - If you like SMB and other retro games, this game is for you.
Have fun, see you all tomorrow~
Thursday, December 9, 2010
VGCulture - Videogame Quizzes
I thought I'd share something fun with everyone today.
http://www.sporcle.com/
It's a site where users can play quizzes and make quizzes. My friends and I would gather around and play the videogame ones, and they're much more difficult than one would expect.
Source: Youtube Channel SporcleClipQuizzes
This is one of the clips played for a "videogame music" quiz in trying to figure out the game based on the songs being played. You can play it here: http://www.sporcle.com/games/amaranth/clip_game
Along with having a fun time figuring out the answers to quizzes, there may be a game or two that you've never heard of and take interest in looking it up and playing it. Here's the specific link to the videogames secton:
http://www.sporcle.com/games/category/gaming
Have fun!
http://www.sporcle.com/
It's a site where users can play quizzes and make quizzes. My friends and I would gather around and play the videogame ones, and they're much more difficult than one would expect.
Source: Youtube Channel SporcleClipQuizzes
This is one of the clips played for a "videogame music" quiz in trying to figure out the game based on the songs being played. You can play it here: http://www.sporcle.com/games/amaranth/clip_game
Along with having a fun time figuring out the answers to quizzes, there may be a game or two that you've never heard of and take interest in looking it up and playing it. Here's the specific link to the videogames secton:
http://www.sporcle.com/games/category/gaming
Have fun!
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