Why We Could Use a (Small) Collapse of the Gaming Industry.

March 25, 2013 By 2 Comments

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Videogames have become too big. I don’t mean the number of people playing them is too large — in my mind, the more people playing the better. No, I mean that the gaming industry as a business is too damn big.

Last E3 is a perfect example as to why. The entire show was dedicated to well-known publishers parading their franchises around as the next Call of Duty or World of Warcraft. Horror games were masked as bro-shooters, open world sandboxes were turned into neck-stabbing simulators, and character-driven stories were boiled down to blood-spattered action sequences. It was insulting, to tell you the truth.

It wasn’t the violence itself, that wasn’t the issue; videogame violence has never been something that I find offensive on its own. No, what found so offensive was that incessant pandering to a crowd of gamers who probably paid about 1/10th of the attention to the convention that I and other hardcore gamers did. I’m not alone in this; most postmortems of the convention seemed to echo this sentiment. In fact, I’ll be honest in saying most of my feelings weren’t fully articulated until I read editorials from others who all observed the same phenomenon: all the games looked alike.

For about the next 6 months I took a big step back from covering videogames, as I’m sure most of you noticed.

When the PS4 announcement hit, suddenly I felt myself pulled back in. Why? Because it sounded like Sony was trying something new. They are opening their platform up just enough so that they can score indie support (an aspect of any machine which I consider very important); they claim to be their system easier to develop for, and assured not just gamers, but the game makers themselves that they had listened and were making a system as much for them as for the rest of us. Of course, at the end of the day I still find myself budgeting out PC parts instead of clearing a new spot under my TV, but that’s for reasons besides what the PS4 is or isn’t doing. The point is, I was happily surprised by the route Sony is taking. I think more so than any other company, they can see the tides of this sea shifting.

A glimmer of hope.

A glimmer of hope.

There’s a lot still up in the air with regards to the next console generation — will mobile games continue to rise? Is the PC renaissance permanent? Just what exactly will new consoles require of users? Will Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft all still be making consoles? — there are several things we are certain of. The first, the AAA model of development doesn’t work. “AA” companies like THQ have been pushed out after trying to keep up with the ever-engorging cost of game development. This increase in development cost is due to massive commercial successes from very specific games (the aforementioned Call of Duty, World of Warcraft), and companies desperately trying to capture that same market (or re-capture, as the case may now be). This has caused a shift away from the creativity and experimentation of  previous console generations, and instead towards pumping more money into increasingly similar looking projects hoping to replicate these fluke success stories.

The main impetus for the mid-80′s videogame crash was an over abundance of low-quality, and uninspired games. Today, have way too many games coming out trying to capture the exact same audience. Imagine if every couple months, a new movie was released trying to be the next Avengers or Transformers. These movies might be aimed at the largest movie-going audience out there, theoretically setting these films up for success. But only a fraction of that audience would go see every single one. Furthermore, a large portion of the movie-going population that does not care for these types of movies would be alienated, and any revenue from them lost.

This is exactly what’s been going on in gaming this past generation, and it seems to be coming to a head. More and more development studios are disappearing;  yet at the same time more and more smaller projects, aimed at very specific yet sure-fire audiences, have begun to crop up. These projects cover genres and cater to audiences that have been woefully under-represented over the past half decade. Speaking for myself, seeing all these old-school RPGs and classic side-scrolling platformers are exactly the kinds of games I want to be playing. I’d be willing to bet there are games you’d like to see make a comeback.

But that’s not all: Chris Roberts is returning to space sims with Star Citizen; Everquest Next is promises to bring sandboxes back to MMOs; Mechwarrior Online and Hawken are resurrecting Mech games; Tribes: Ascend has reuinited PC gamers with arena shooters; Path to Exile and Torchlight have given players hours of loot-driven ARPGs; Double Fine and Himalaya Studios are bringing back point and click adventures; and XCOM: Enemy Unknown has proven strategy games are still financially relevant. The best part? Most of these are indie games players can pick up for smaller price points — or better yet, for free.

Shovel Knight.

Shovel Knight.

This is what game development need to move towards on a much larger scale than just these fringe projects. Buying a $60 game should be a big deal, much like seeing this year’s summer block buster is. I purchased Tomb Raider last month, Bioshock Infinite is currently preloaded on Steam, and all things considered those will probably be the two biggest games I buy this year (in terms of budget). Everything else — from Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen to Shovel Knight – will be anywhere from $10 to $40, prices much more conducive to compulsive and frequent purchases. Tiered pricing, smaller budgets, and niche games aimed and smaller yet more secure audiences could transform videogames from a giant mess of corporate meddling and content homogenization, and into a sustainable and inviting hobby once again.

I still want the BioShocks and Skyrims of the world to exist, and don’t think they’ll ever really go away. They may shrink slightly, and certainly won’t take any less to to develop. But in between these large tent-pole releases, I see space growing for the Ridiculous Fishings and Fezs to exist and thrive. The crash of the 190′s led to a burst in high quality, innovative games from Nintendo and similar companies. If a tiny downsize of the industry leads to a wider variety of games, on a vast array of devices, all being made with passion and creativity and played by people who care about the games they play, then I say bring it on.

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Gaming Journal: November 2, 2012 – DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

November 2, 2012 By 1 Comment

This week it was Halloween! Sadly, I was unable to get any time with my holiday-standby series, Castlevania. However! I still got plenty of Halloween gaming in with DOOM, and DOOM II.

DOOM

Not much to report; they’re DOOM. If you’ve ever played a game in the series, you know what you’re getting into: frenetic demon blasting, monster closets, and massive guns. I was surprised at just how well the experience holds up. It harkens back to a time where first person shooters were much more goofy, over-the-top, and self aware. They were about gameplay and just being all out nuts rather than linear, overly-cinematic light shows centered around set pieces and “realism.”

Anyway, I beat both Halloween night. Took me a few hours, but was well worth it. I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I’m considering picking up the recently released Painkiller HD pack from Steam. Very similar in terms of gameplay, atmosphere, and setting. Look for more on that in the weeks to come.

The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles

As mentioned last week, I have been feeling the black hole-like pull of Bethesda’s RPGs trying to rope me back in now that I’ve knocked out Dark Souls. To  quench this thirst, I re-installed The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion last weekend. Now, I love The Elder Scrolls series, and I love Fallout 3; but Oblivion feels so drab and boring compared to Morrowind and Skyrim. Hell, even Daggerfall feels more dynamic in terms of environments, quests, and things to do and see.

That’s not to say I don’t like Oblivion, it’s a gorgeous game still to this day, and having a PC that can play it on entirely maxed out settings is great. But it’s just one big green forest. There are some planes here and there, some coastal hills and a few big rivers and lakes, but it’s just kinda meh to look at. So instead of wondering around Cyrodiil, I opted to play through The Shivering Isles expansion instead. I have never completed the main quest in Isles, so this felt like an entirely new TES experience for me.

Despite superior art direction, The Shivering Isles is still hindered by Oblivion‘s design and graphics engine.

 

The landscape is far more varied and interesting — at times being very reminiscent of Morrowind at times. The characters and dialogue are FAR more interesting than the somewhat cliche fantasy tropes of Oblivion. I completed the main quest and enjoyed my time in the realm of Sheogorath, but overall the gameplay, music, and world design of Oblivion are nowhere near as good as the other TES games I’ve mentioned.  As it stands, it’s probably my least favorite of the series, even with the enhancements from The Shivering Isles. I’m thinking I’ll give Fallout 3  a go sometime over the Holidays, then return to Skyrim once I’ve returned peace the the Wasteland…

But none of the really matters seeing as how Halo 4 comes out in four days, and is getting ridiculously great review scores.

So. Stoked.

Anyway, that was my week’s worth of gaming. What did you guys play?

Games Played This Week: DOOM; DOOM II: Hell on Earth; The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion/The Shivering Isles

Games Completed

October 2012: 
  • Dark Souls [and Artorias of the Abyss DLC]
  • DOOM
  • DOOM II: Hell on Earth
  • The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles

 

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Dishonored – Review

October 23, 2012 By 1 Comment

My expectations for Dishonored were set pretty high. Everything I had heard prior to playing the game was positive and everything that I had seen before release was exciting. As soon as I put the disc in and started the game I was hooked on the experience.

I immediately felt at home playing the game because the graphics and the setting were very similar to a trilogy I really enjoyed–the Fable series. The story is a pretty simple one but engaging nonetheless. You play as Corvo Attano, Lord Protector of the Empire, and end up being framed for the murder of the Empress and the kidnapping of her daughter and the game takes off from there. A sea of calm while you get acquainted with the controls and then it throws you into the action and jump starts the story.

The game is similar to Assassin’s Creed in that it’s a stealth and assassination oriented style of play. Yes, you can go full on assault and barrage your enemies with bullets and grenades and crossbow bolts, but that’s an optional route. This game can be completed in a multitude of ways with different endings for each different style. It’s even possible to complete the game without killing anyone! This option presents a much larger challenge than the usual route of stealth killing everyone as you go along.

Each mission that you go on is a step towards finding out that age old question of “who dunnit?”. There are collectibles throughout each mission as well as side-quests that may unlock alternate endings to each mission. Among the different ways that you can finish the mission, there are also different routes on each map to get to the end destination.

The powers and upgrades available all help with the ease of completion of each mission. And depending on which powers and gadgets you choose to take and upgrade–it can change how you play Corvo throughout the game. Some abilities make it easier to avoid contact, while others drive you to engage the enemy–the same can be said for gadgets–some are not necessary if you don’t plan on killing anyone, while others will make killing and surviving melee combat much easier.

There were few things I didn’t like about the game, so few in fact that I find it hard to call them to mind and put down on the proverbial paper. I enjoyed playing the game, and the replay factor is pretty high considering the different ways with which you can go about each mission–as well as whether or not you plan on gathering every artifact and collectible. Let me know what you thought of the game. As of right now, I fully suggest the game!

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Brendan’s Top 10 Best Videogame Soundtracks

September 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

My two favorite forms of media entertainment are videogames and music. Obviously, I enjoy to occasional TV show or movie, listen to quite a few podcasts, and I actually read quite a bit as well. But when push comes to shove, if I’ve got time to space I’d almost always prefer spending with a controller in my hand or headphones over my ears. Luckily enough, videogames are a pretty great source of good music. And to be clear, I don’t mean themes — there are tons of great videogame themes The Elder Scrolls, Final Fantasy, Halo, Uncharted, etc. I mean full on soundtracks. Granted, as games try harder and harder to be movies, we’re left with far less memorable, overly “epic” orchestrated scores that begin to blend together. But there are still some that manage to be impactful and memorable, not to mention the myriad of retro games whose 8- and 16-bit soundtracks went on to inspire an entire genre of music.. Anyway, enough blathering — here are my 10 favorite videogame soundtracks.

10. Brutal Legend

Is it unfair of me to include this game? Probably, but I’m doing it anyway because I love metal. Brutal Legend is a metal-as-fuck game about metal that uses over 100 awesome metal songs in some of the most metal ways ever. The end.

Not only that, but there was a bunch of original music composed for the game as well.

9. Rayman: Origins

Rayman is near and dear to me. While others were picking mushrooms some fat plumber in a pedo stache and suspenders, I was off exploring the magical dreamland of Rayman. The music in the series has always been important. Often, entire sections of the games would be centered around musical notes and timing. But no matter if the music was integral to the gameplay, or just background to it, the dream-like world of Rayman was brought to life by its music. Rayman: Origins is by far my favorite game in the series, and it also features without a doubt the series’ best music.

8. Castlevania 2

Halloween is my favorite Holiday. Many of my favorite death metal and doom metal bands are that way because they sound like Halloween. Every time I pop in a band like Hooded Menace or Graveyard, I feel like it’s Halloween. Castlevania 2 sounds like Halloween. It’s a bit dark, slightly creepy due to minor chord melodies (that are incredibly catchy). Castlevania 2 has probably my favorite NES soundtrack, and is the perfect example of 8-Bit chiptunes music.

7. Metal gear solid 3

Big Boss makes Chuck Norris look like a chump, and James Bond like a pansey. Hideo Kojima’s complex commentary on the future of war began with electro-symphonic rock, but when the series took us back in time, to delve into the inanity and insanity of the Cold War, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater took a page from 007, switching things up with funky, 60-era spy flick grooves, complete with it’s very own “Bond Song.” It’s one of my favorite theme songs to any piece of media ever.

6. Metroid Prime

Metroid always had spacey, strange sci-fi songs that offered an ominous sense of being alone on an alien planet. But Metroid Prime added another element: wonder. The beauty and detail of Tallon IV created a strong sense of place. It was lived in, there was history in every crevice and brick. Metroid Prime certainly made you feel alone, and the soundtrack is appropriately alien and sci-fi, but the wonder you feel when entering Chozo Ruins or Phendrana Drifts for the first time compel you to explore this planet in a way few other settings do, and a large part of that is due to the wonderful soundtrack, punctuating every new secret and discovery.

5. Dark Souls

For the most part, Dark Souls is silent. Often, the only soundtrack to your demise is the ambiance of you environment, and the menacing sounds of the enemies that hunt you. When music does kick in, it is usually understated, dark, melancholic — like the game itself. But when you find yourself face-to-face with the morbid and terrifying bosses of the game, the ordeals are scored by massive sections of brass horns and woodwinds, gothic choirs, piercing string instruments, and pummeling drums. Despite the overwhelming obstacles and depressing atmosphere, Dark Souls provides some of the strongest feelings of reward and accomplishment of any game, and the soundtrack underscores that struggle perfectly.

4. Shadow of the Colossus

Much like Dark Souls, Shadow of the Colossus is a quiet and understated game, for the most part. Traversing this empty land is a lonely and bleak affair; but felling the 16 hulking, majestic beasts that roam the land is daunting and terrifying. Each boss fight  is (again, much like Dark Souls) scored by songs as epic and awe-inspiring as the beasts themselves. And like Dark Souls, there is a sense of accomplishment with each victory. But unlike Dark Souls, you don’t feel like a hero — you feel like a monster. As you watch these beings die, you feel as if you’ve betrayed them of something for more important than just their life. And every note drives the tendrils of guilt deeper into you.

3. The Legend of Zelda (series)

I don’t have to say much here. There’s probably only one other series with as well know and iconic music in the world of videogames (and I didn’t even mention it on this list. GASP!). The Legend of Zelda is the music of my childhood; It’s music I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

2. Doom

C’mon.

1. Mass Effect

Mass Effect’s music is astounding. The synthetic elements of the songs meld into the organic sounds of tangible instruments. This creates and entirely unique sound — you know when you’re listening to a Mass Effect song. But it’s not just the fact that the songs are good, or memorable, or that they give the universe an identity, but that they make you feel something. The mysterious galaxy map song fills you with curiosity and wonder at the immensity of space; Mass Effect 3′s theme weighs down on you as you’re face with an inescapable fate; and the theme for Mass Effect 2′s Suicide Mission may be the most inspiring piece of music I’ve ever heard. Not matter what the final game did or did not do for you is irrelevant because no matter what, when the final moment comes you feel something.

Runner Ups:

Red Dead Redemption

Pokemon

Diablo series

Final Fantasy XII

The Elder Scrolls series

What are you favorite videogame soundtracks? Think I’m insane for including/forgetting something? Sound off in the comments! Also, suggest some other list ideas to me. I realize that they’ve been mostly broad topics, and thus result in a lot of cross over and feature similar games on each, and to be honest I’m running out of things to say about a lot of these games/series, but I still love doing lists. So if there’s a topic or idea you’ve got for a list, let me know in the comments as well, or email us at askpowercords@gmail.com!

Want more video game music? be sure to check out the latest episode of the Power Cast!

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Darksiders – Retro Review

July 11, 2012 By 5 Comments

With the upcoming release of Darksiders II, I decided to check out the first game in the series. I’ve always been a fan of lore and mythology in video games whether it’s a game like God of War, or Dante’s Inferno, or others such as Age of Mythology. Seeing that this game involves a battle between Heaven, Hell and Humankind–I was very interested in checking it out.

You play as War–one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. When Heaven and Hell first started warring, the Charred Council sent the Four Horsemen to end the War. When you come into play, you’re under the impression that the Seven Seals have been broken, which is the only way you can be summoned. But soon find out that that is not the case. You’ve been somehow called early which is breaking the rules of the Charred Council. The game is you questing to find out who and how you were summoned and to eventually defeat “The Destroyer”.

I had a lot of fun playing Darksiders, from beginning to end. Throughout the game you are faced with many different enemies and many different challenges. Playing as War, you can use a few different items to accomplish everything. You start with your sword–Souleater– and gain a few new weapons along the way such as a scythe and a fist weapon. The game mechanics are similar to that of the God of War series, and Dante’s Inferno. It works off of a strong and quick attack system with combos added into the mix as you go as well as grab attacks and aerial attacks. As you deal damage to your foe, the lower they get and eventually the grab button shows up above their head which initiates an “insta-kill” feature where you finish off the last of your enemies health–very similar to the games mentioned above, but not exactly the same.

If you’re looking for a great hack-n-slash, mob slaying, combo racking, bpss battling, puzzle solving action game–then this is a good game to check out! It’s a lot of fun and if you enjoy it enough, the sequel is coming out soon and you get to play as Death!

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Just who is this Turok guy, anyway?

June 18, 2012 By 1 Comment

So, as you can probably tell, it’s Turok Week here at Power Cords. Why? Well… because I felt like it, really. I just love the Turok comics, as well as several of the games, and I felt that it was a perfect time to talk about the character, and maybe even get you guys interested in the series as well.

I find it rather surprising that so few fans of the Turok videogames know about the comic book series. It’s arguably the best way to experience Turok, and I’d argue are much more enjoyable than many of the games to have been released. Of course the games are important too, and while I touch on them here I’ll be going much more in-depth with each one later this week. But today, I feel it’s important to introduce Turok in the way he was initially imagined: as a comic book character. [Read more...]

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Comedian/Actor Peter Serafinowicz loves Dark Souls almost as much as I do.

June 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This put a smile on my face.

IGN recently posted a video where actor and comedian Peter Serafinowicz (Shaun of the Dead) professes his unabashed love for Dark Souls. His description of the game and the emotions you experience while playing is perfectly apt. It’s just a really cool video; I always enjoy seeing people you wouldn’t normally expect being completely engrossed in a game like Dark Souls. Peek the video here, and if Mr. Serafinowicz’s description isn’t enough to make play the game, check out our article on why you should totally play Dark Souls.

Are there any awesome celebrity gamers you guys know about? Leave a comment and let us know!

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Final Thoughts on Mass Effect 3

April 24, 2012 By 4 Comments

WARNING: MASSIVE SPOILERS.

I know, I know. The topic of Mass Effect 3 — the ending specifically — has been beaten into the ground, debated and discussed, hashed out and argued. But let’s talk about it just one more time.

A few weeks ago, I talked about how I felt about the Mass Effect 3 ending in the greater context of story telling in video games. And how it kind of sucks. A couple of weeks later, myself and the rest of the team put our thoughts to rest in an episode of Powercast.

But here we are, nearly eight weeks since Mass Effect 3 was released, and discussions are still simmering in pockets all around the internet. Debates about indoctrination theories, explanations of plot holes, and speculation of the future abound. And ever since Bioware responded to the ending-hate with assurances of expanded ending DLC, the fanbase’s fervor has been reignited.

This is absolutely unprecedented in videogames. Never has a story enthralled players to the point of deeply discussing an ending weeks and months after the game’s release. I’m actually quite  impressed that our favorite entertainment medium has crafted a story which facilitates as much discussion as Lost or Inception. It’s a sign of the medium’s growth and maturation towards something much more rewarding and expressive.

"The work of one man (or woman) results in a shift that leads to change on a massive, galactic scale."

Now, when I offered my two cents on the ending, I said that while I had some big problems with it, overall I was fine. My big issue
stemmed from the lack of control and variety in the endings or how they play out. This opened up the floodgates for why I feel storytelling in videogames needs to change to better converge narrative with gameplay.

To be clear, I still strongly stand by this. In fact, in the time since that post, I’ve found myself seeking out games with more creative or gameplay-driven storylines. In my opinion, Mass Effect still falters in its execution, relying too much on cinematic practices and not enough on gameplay. But in my criticism of Mass Effect’s illusory decision-making, I overlooked something incredibly interesting: Bioware was playing into the constraints of the medium.

By playing into the illusion of choice, Bioware in fact used gaming’s greatest flaw in the Mass Effect 3′s favor. Instead of a cliche “you saved the world” ending, we got three wildly different end-scenarios. I say scenarios because all players saw practically the same cinematic, just different colors or prerendered clips inter-spliced. But all three possible outcomes (and every permutation within them) create wildly different outcomes for the future of the galaxy, Commander Shepard, and your crew. And before you bring up the plot holes or the random Normandy fate, consider this: your relationships with these characters came to a close throughout the entirety of Mass effect 3. The entire game is the ending, not just the last 20 minutes.

“More often than not, videogame endings don’t make us feel anything at all.”

And don’t forget, if indoctrination theory is right, none of this really matters after all.

For me, the “destruction” ending is the most plausible for my story, but that’s because I like the indoctrination theory. For others, synthesis may be ideal, and others still, control. There’s a choice there, and when you look at the ending from the point of view that “these people saved billions of years of life,” the fate of Commander Shepard and a few dozen crewmates ultimately becomes null in vastness of the universe.

And yet, extraordinarily powerful.

The work of one man (or woman) results in a shift that leads to change on a massive, galactic scale. NONE of us will ever cause such change. In that way, Commander Shepard makes quite possibly the most important decision ever posited to a videogame character: the cosmic fate of all organic life. While many have taken away the idea that the ending seems to say “nothing matters in the end,” I believe the opposite. Everything matters. Every choice creates a slightly different path which could lead to radically different outcomes for the three possible scenarios. We, as Shepard, are literally changing the face of the cosmos.

Carl Sagan would be proud.

Don’t get me wrong here: I wasn’t happy at the end, far from it in fact. I was sad. Whether or not Shepard lives or dies, there is massive, soul-crushing loss on such a large and unfathomable scale. But I like that the end didn’t make me happy. That doesn’t happen often in videogames. More often than not, videogame endings don’t make us feel anything at all.

"We, as Shepard, are literally changing the face of the cosmos."

Mass Effect 3 made us feel. We saw many of our favorite characters die, and watched as worlds were lost, and hope eroded. In spite all the positive change you bring to the galaxy, the loss of beloved characters is immediate and harsh. It’s not easy knowing that we can’t get a happy ending, but knowing the power our decisions wield in the face of such unfathomable odds is inspiring. And if it’s indoctrination theory, the door opens for innumerable possible outcomes each player could find for themselves. I love that idea. So much so in fact, I almost wish the expanded DLC wasn’t coming. I’ve decided my own ending, I don’t need Bioware to tell me how it all ends.

Sure, there are issues with the ending outside of just the choices and outcomes. And I don’t dig the reliance on cinematic tropes. But plot holes and space-magic aside, the ending of Mass Effect works. It makes sense thematically within the series and tone of the final game. Did I want a happier ending? I’m not sure. A part of me wants to say yes, but I know I wouldn’t be satisfied with that either. It’s an ending to a great story and series, nothing was going to be ideal. But no matter how dark it was, or how upset it made people, the ending sparked debates which have lasted weeks, and created an opportunity for personal interpretation usually reserved for literature and film, proof the stories in our medium are growing up. That’s an exciting and inspiring thought.

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10 Flash Games Worth Checking Out

March 26, 2012 By 53 Comments

Being a college student I am getting pretty used to being broke. As much as I would love to go out and buy every new big release it is simply unrealistic on my budget. Because of this I often turn to free content on the web, specifically free flash games. Here is a list of ten of my personal favorites that I have come across browsing free games over the years. While they are nowhere near as impressive as Mass Effect 3 or other big releases of the year they are totally worth spending half an hour to check them out.

Pandemic 2

Let me start with the game I have probably spent the most time with: Pandemic 2. In the Pandemic series you play the role of new-born pathogen trying to eliminate the human race. You start out by choosing whether you would like to play as a bacteria, virus, or parasite and from there you build on your disease by “evolving” or enhancing your resistance to particular elements and building up symptoms that will be seen in the infected. This RPG will have you spending hours trying to infect and effectively destroy the entirety of the world time and time again. Both the original Pandemic and the sequel are worth checking out but the sequel ultimately smoothed out several aspects of game play and streamlined several features. Just a heads up, try to infect Madagascar as quickly as you can. They have the tendency to close up there borders rather quickly making it impossible to eliminate humanity in its entirety.

One Chance

One chance is a another take on pandemics, but this game focuses more on decisions and the resulting consequences. Out of all the flash games I have played this one by far has the strongest story. You play the role of a scientist who has recently discovered a cure for cancer which unfortunately turns deadly and starts to kill off the human race. You are then given six days to do what you see fit whether that be fight this pandemic you have created or spend your last days with your family and many other things in-between. The game has a strong I Am Legend vibe and is structurally very reminiscent of Every Day the Same Dream, another flash game worth checking out that was almost on this list. The title of the game is One Chance because you literally have only one chance to save humanity; there is no replay button upon completion of the game and upon reloading the page you will simply be staring at the last thing you saw in your first play through. The developers of the game wanted to explore the concept of permanency in this game to give more weight to your actions and make the consequences that much more real which is why you aren’t able to go back through a second time (unless of course you go back and delete your cookies and what not, which should do the trick if you wanted to start a new).

Don’t Look Back

Don’t Look Back is a minimalist style action platformer with excellent flavor. While the game doesn’t directly address it, the story is based on the Greek myth of Orpheus in search of his recently departed and beloved Eurydice and his journey to the Underworld to reclaim her. This game is able to maintain that perfect balance of being challenging but not frustrating to the point of rage quitting (a tendency I admittedly am prone to). While most games like this have the tendency to for game play to get stale this game stays fresh from the beginning to the end while telling a fantastic and classic story. it’s a quick play definitely worth your time.

The Heist 2

While I understand that Dane Cook annoys more people than he makes laugh he was right about one thing: all guys want to be part of a heist and The Heist 2 lets you live out that fantasy. The Heist 2 is technically a car or driving game but it has so much more built into it that it feels like something else. You start out by hiring a team member and then robbing a convenience store. From there you are able to upgrade your escape vehicle and weapons as well as hire more people for your team (all of the NPCs you can hire have awesome facial hair by the way) and start working up towards bigger and more impressive jobs. Each job starts out with you robbing said establishment and completing a series of tests. The skills of your team will determine how well each test goes. And depending on how each of these tests go determine how many cops will arrive. Once you leave the establishment you shoot your way through the cops and make your way to the get away vehicle. For this section of each job you only really control when you leave the job site and everything else kind of happens automatically. Once you get into your escape vehicle though you are in complete control of your getaway. While the format of the game can seem repetitive especially with the lack of variety during the driving sequences the RPG aspects between each mission allow for enough variety to keep the game fresh through out your play through. While I am not a big fan of browser driving games this one is definitely able shine through my bias.

Motherload

Who knew digging up dirt could be so awesome? Motherload is a Dig Dug inspired arcade game having you play as a miner on Mars mining for resources. As you get deeper and deeper under the Martian surface you are faced with more and more dangers ranging from earthquakes to explosive gas pockets to hellish supervisors ; ) forcing you upgrade your vessel to be able to withstand such hardships. Motherload has a fun and intriguing story that will have you pursuing the many secrets that lie beneath the surface. While an apparently simple and straightforward game, game play is addicting, fun, and exhilarating. There is something so satisfying about making it back up to the surface with a giant load and only seconds left before your fuel runs out. Also don’t stop exploring until you know you have beaten the game. It will be pretty clear once you do.

Coma

Coma is by far one of the best looking flash games I have ever played. Developer Thomas Brush was able to give the game a really cool dream-like style not only with the astounding visuals but with a strong soundtrack as well. In Coma you play as a Pete, a boy exploring this strange world in search of a means to rescue his sister from the basement. While the game might start out feeling a bit fetchy in the sense that you keep running back and forth between two points it quickly expands out of this and starts incorporating puzzles and more intricate mechanics. The story is original but a little bizarre with many interpretations including some rather strange and unsavory views but all in all it is strong and drives you to the end. After playing all the way through it becomes rather apparent that it was a strong inspiration for Playdead’s Limbo both visually and in a narrative sense.

Coma screenshot

Sonny

Anyone who has been to a free online game site knows there is a vast abundance of zombie games. Most of these games have you hacking and blasting the brains out of zombies but one of my favorites from the genre has the roles reversed and you are the one playing the zombie. Sonny is a turn based RPG with surprisingly high production values. The story starts with you on a boat where you were supposed to have died but instead came back as a zombie. In all honesty it is the same plot as Wolverine’s or Alex Mercer’s where you are trying to figure out who made you the way you are and your quest for revenge. The story is adequate but it’s the addictive game play that has me loving this game. Out of all the games on this list I believe it has the longest play time, the story taking me somewhere between three to four hours to complete. There is also apparently an awesome sequel to Sonny which I have yet to check out which can be found here.

The Majesty of Color

The Majesty of Color is one of the more philosophical games on this list. In the game you take on the perspective a recently awoken and now self-aware giant squid or kraken type leviathan. While the antagonist of the game is a giant monster the game is much more about choices and consequences than about mass destruction (which is still an option) than most other monster games. It’s hard to go into too much detail about the story without giving things away but you are presented with several situations and your response to each situation dictates what happens next. A single play through takes at the most five minutes, but at the menu screen it tracks and tells you how many of the five endings you have discovered thus encouraging you to go back through and find them all. The Majesty of Color is a game that stands out to me from the rest due to its unique style and story progression, presenting a genre and style of game that I would love to see more of in the future.

Organ Trail

The Organ Trail combines two things together to make an awesome game: nostalgia and zombies. In all honesty the Organ plays identically to The Oregon Trail except with options about scavenging and fighting off zombies rather than fording rivers and whatnot. The game is well designed creating and putting you in realistic situations to be found in a zombie apocalypse compared to other bottomless clip, shoot em’ up zombie games. You aren’t able to just hang out in one spot shooting down all the zombie you would like, you have to conserve your limited ammo as well as keeping track of the remainder of your fuel and food. While the game might be a rip off it is still a fun and well designed game. Plus its really nostalgic since it feels so much like The Oregon Trail which really isn’t a bad thing.

Robot Unicorn Attack (Heavy Metal Version)

Most people by now have played and experienced the addicting game that is Robot Unicorn Attack and become temporarily obsessed with its simple game play and catchy and irritating theme song. For those who absolutely can’t stand to hear Erasure hum “harmony” one more time or simply are looking for a bit more intense version I recommend checking out the heavy metal version game. Game play is still exactly the same it just has tweaked visuals and audio for a “heavier” experience. While repetitive and not very deep, it is just so dang addicting!

This list is less about the ten best flash games on the web but rather ten games that I have found particularly entertaining or have stood out to me the most out of the hundreds I have played over the years. I would love to hear what other’s people’s lists would consist of and what some of your favorites are so feel free to post them in the comments below!

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Star Wars: The Old Republic, Endgame Review

March 21, 2012 By 6 Comments

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We brought you a review of SWTOR a few months ago, but we had yet to really experience much of the end game content. Well, now we’re making up for that. Our newest writer, Evan Reedy, has his review on the end game content of SWTOR. Be sure to let us know how you feel about the SWTOR endgame in the comments, and give Evan a warm welcome!

After having played through Star Wars the Old Republic (SWTOR) from Apprentice to Darth, I’ve encountered many different mechanics within the game that I love, hate and am intrigued by. While leveling you get to experience the quests, the skills, the flashpoints and the story of each individual class molded by wonderful voice acting. However that’s only part of the game.

[Read more...]

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