Games make the world go round to paraphrase Moe Syzlak, so it seemed like
as good a time as any to do suggest a few flash/java-game related sites. Have
fun, and remember, its just a game!
Pogo - http://www.pogo.com
Pogo is an online gaming site associated with Electronic Arts, which has a
nice twist to it.... the possibility that you can win money by playing... either
through instant prizes at the completion of a game or by trading in gaming
points for tickets for daily, weekly and monthly drawings. With games like
Chess, Checkers and pool, there are a lot of opportunities for multi-player
action in money games as well, not to mention internet-only versions of some of
EA's older franchises. I think my favorite game they have at the site is
something called "Sweet Tooth", which is a seemingly simple game of
rearrangement which becomes almost addictive over time. And there are a lot of
gambling type games as well... slots, blackjack, poker... so if you like those
kinds of games, you can have a satisfying experience here too. Registration is
required to keep tabs of your points.
Y! Games - http://games.yahoo.com/
How could I talk about online gaming without mentioning Y! Games. I mean, I
think for casual at work gaming, it is hard to surpass. Relatively quick load
times, with games of both the simple single player variety to two or more player
games like their versions of the classics like Scrabble, Battleship, Mahjong and
a lot of other non-trademarked games. Personally, I always liked the games of
"Dots" and "What Word", as both games tickle both my
creative and strategic sides, but I am sure that if you haven't been there, you
will find something you will like.
Channel 4.com- Games
- http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/games/
Not so much a unified product of a single
company, the collection of games and reviews at Channel 4.com, the site of BBC
4, is staggering. There are literally hundreds of games represented here, all of
which have been reviewed and are presented with short synopses so you know what
you are about to play. I have found some great treasures here, but like many
treasures, you have to do some digging to find them, as there is also quite a
few bad games represented here as well. I have seen a lot of strange and
engaging games here, including a few that I am ashamed to admit that I actually
liked. I'll never tell you what those games are... but I will hint that one of
them involved petting animated cats. Enough said.
Now, let's go a bit off the beaten path.
YetiSports - http://www.yetisports.org
By now, I'm sure we've all played the Yeti batting game with the penguins,
whether in its original form or in one of the weird internet variations of this
same game. Well, not content to rest on the laurels of having one successful
Yeti related game, the makers of that classic piece of internet fun have devised
not 1, not 2, not even three but six new events... including a pentathlon. And
while I thought the series was initially cruel, my heart has really warmed to
it, as I can see with the additional events like Albatross Overload, that these
antics are all in good fun.
Its Your Turn - http://www.itsyourturn.com
Play-by-Email games have been around since... well, since email has been
around really(and really the concept is probably as old as the Royal Post). Most
of the time, you have to actually have a copy of a game to do PBEM, but one site
has a different idea on that matter. At Its Your Turn, you can play any number
of classic, non-trademarked games against friends and foes alike. The PBEM
scheme also allows players to move at their leisure, and play a game while at
work or in the midst of doing other things without committing a lot of time at
once to playing a game. Generally, I've found it a nice way to unwind with a
distant friend, as you are allowed to send a message along with your move at the
site.Ladder and Tournament play is also available.
QUICK BIT: Homestar Runner
Games, for a comedy cartoon site, the games they have are pretty fun... and
very old school too.
Well, I hope these links have given your web life a bit more variety. Come
back next week when I will be reviewing a few more sites that are off-the-beaten
path.
Past
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