Saturday, September 17, 2011
Armor Games Roundup
Ah, Flash games. What's not to like? You don't need a high-powered computer to play them, most of them are free to play, and they're often short enough that you can actually finish them in a single sitting.
But visit a website like Armor Games, and you may find yourself a little overwhelmed by the selection. There's like a zillion games there! Which ones are the good ones?
Here's a few of my favorites.
Portal: The Flash Version
Top of the list is the one that made me discover Armor Games to begin with. Unfortunately lacking the dry wit that made the proper Valve game so incredible, this game is nevertheless something that will actually run on my computer, so it has the upper hand there. Plus it's a 2D game, and it's every hell of fun to play. There's even cake at the end!
Shift
Shift 2
Shift 3
Shift 4
Shift: Freedom
Which brings us to Shift, a series of puzzley platforming games that take an interesting gameplay mechanic -- the ability to invert game space -- and explore it to bits.
The later games get quite long and involved, and I have to admit I've only played the first three, sans "good" endings.
Exit Path
Exit Path 2
And here's a pair of hardcore platformers. They stand out for the elegant way they tell their stories and their ridiculous, beautiful death traps. Even as you die a billion times, the game never feels impossible.
Checkpoint
Another hardcore platformer, minus the story.
This is the Only Level
This is the Only Level Too
Clever concept. As the title suggests, each game has only one level layout. The clever bit is that every time you replay that one level, there's some sort of twist to the gameplay -- controls, physics, rules -- that makes it feel completely different.
Achievement Unlocked
Achievement Unlocked 2
Another pair of games with a clever concept. A sort of spoof of X-Box achievements, each game puts you in a small platforming environment with no real objective except to try and earn all of the games' 100+ achievements. Strangely addictive.
Wasabi
Speaking of strangely addictive, Wasabi is a game where you run a sushi restaurant by walking around a 2D environment and hitting blocks, Mario-style. More time-consuming than really challenging, but it's fun to earn all of the upgrades.
Coinbox Hero
To take Wasabi one step further, here's Coinbox Hero, the game where you hit a Mario-style coin box repeatedly and use the coins to buy workers and upgrades that allow you to get ever more coins from the box. Busy work, but strangely satisfying.
Saving the Company
Silly platformer with silly puzzles.
The Last Survivor
Brief platformer with an interesting puzzle mechanic.
Continuity
The Company of Myself
A pair of games related only by the fact that they're very enjoyable and best experienced without knowing what you're getting into.
The Game
Replaying :The Game:
Reimagine :The Game:
Part joke game, part satire, part cultural trolling, part gratuitous stick figure violence. The first two games are good for a cheap laugh, and the third... well, play them in order for the full effect.
Ollie's Dance Experience
It's Dance Dance Revolution with a lovably stupid story about stolen roller skates. Enjoy with my compliments.
Learn to Fly
Learn to Fly 2
Dissatisfied with a Kiwipedia article calling him a "flightless bird", a stubborn penguin has decided that he's going to learn how to fly. Each flight earns you money which you use to buy upgrades to improve your ability to fly. Gliding controls are fun, and the storyline bits are surprisingly entertaining.
Every Day the Same Dream
One of those artsy kinda games, it's worth playing once.
How to Raise a Dragon
Less a game and more an interactive storybook toy. You control a dragon through various stages of its life, and the choices you make affect the kind of beast it grows up to be. There's nothing difficult about it; it's just a small interactive world where you tell a short story to yourself.
Gretel and Hansel
Gretel and Hansel Part 2
Point and click adventure in the style of King's Quest with cool sort of paper doll graphics and horribly creepy Grimm-inspired situations.
Llama Adventure
Brief, silly, and very enjoyable text game.
Gap Monsters
Clever puzzle game with a cheerfully sadistic narrative voice. People sure loved Portal, didn't they?
Where Am I?
Interesting take on the maze game.
But visit a website like Armor Games, and you may find yourself a little overwhelmed by the selection. There's like a zillion games there! Which ones are the good ones?
Here's a few of my favorites.
Portal: The Flash Version
Top of the list is the one that made me discover Armor Games to begin with. Unfortunately lacking the dry wit that made the proper Valve game so incredible, this game is nevertheless something that will actually run on my computer, so it has the upper hand there. Plus it's a 2D game, and it's every hell of fun to play. There's even cake at the end!
Shift
Shift 2
Shift 3
Shift 4
Shift: Freedom
Which brings us to Shift, a series of puzzley platforming games that take an interesting gameplay mechanic -- the ability to invert game space -- and explore it to bits.
The later games get quite long and involved, and I have to admit I've only played the first three, sans "good" endings.
Exit Path
Exit Path 2
And here's a pair of hardcore platformers. They stand out for the elegant way they tell their stories and their ridiculous, beautiful death traps. Even as you die a billion times, the game never feels impossible.
Checkpoint
Another hardcore platformer, minus the story.
This is the Only Level
This is the Only Level Too
Clever concept. As the title suggests, each game has only one level layout. The clever bit is that every time you replay that one level, there's some sort of twist to the gameplay -- controls, physics, rules -- that makes it feel completely different.
Achievement Unlocked
Achievement Unlocked 2
Another pair of games with a clever concept. A sort of spoof of X-Box achievements, each game puts you in a small platforming environment with no real objective except to try and earn all of the games' 100+ achievements. Strangely addictive.
Wasabi
Speaking of strangely addictive, Wasabi is a game where you run a sushi restaurant by walking around a 2D environment and hitting blocks, Mario-style. More time-consuming than really challenging, but it's fun to earn all of the upgrades.
Coinbox Hero
To take Wasabi one step further, here's Coinbox Hero, the game where you hit a Mario-style coin box repeatedly and use the coins to buy workers and upgrades that allow you to get ever more coins from the box. Busy work, but strangely satisfying.
Saving the Company
Silly platformer with silly puzzles.
The Last Survivor
Brief platformer with an interesting puzzle mechanic.
Continuity
The Company of Myself
A pair of games related only by the fact that they're very enjoyable and best experienced without knowing what you're getting into.
The Game
Replaying :The Game:
Reimagine :The Game:
Part joke game, part satire, part cultural trolling, part gratuitous stick figure violence. The first two games are good for a cheap laugh, and the third... well, play them in order for the full effect.
Ollie's Dance Experience
It's Dance Dance Revolution with a lovably stupid story about stolen roller skates. Enjoy with my compliments.
Learn to Fly
Learn to Fly 2
Dissatisfied with a Kiwipedia article calling him a "flightless bird", a stubborn penguin has decided that he's going to learn how to fly. Each flight earns you money which you use to buy upgrades to improve your ability to fly. Gliding controls are fun, and the storyline bits are surprisingly entertaining.
Every Day the Same Dream
One of those artsy kinda games, it's worth playing once.
How to Raise a Dragon
Less a game and more an interactive storybook toy. You control a dragon through various stages of its life, and the choices you make affect the kind of beast it grows up to be. There's nothing difficult about it; it's just a small interactive world where you tell a short story to yourself.
Gretel and Hansel
Gretel and Hansel Part 2
Point and click adventure in the style of King's Quest with cool sort of paper doll graphics and horribly creepy Grimm-inspired situations.
Llama Adventure
Brief, silly, and very enjoyable text game.
Gap Monsters
Clever puzzle game with a cheerfully sadistic narrative voice. People sure loved Portal, didn't they?
Where Am I?
Interesting take on the maze game.
Labels: lists
# posted by CPFace @ 5:20 AM 
