Best of Casual Gameplay 2005 - Nominations

Jayisgames' compilation of
The Best Web Games of 2005

What were the games you played this year that were really exceptional and better than all the rest? Whether the gameplay was gratifying, the narrative immersive, or the game was just fun to play, vote for the games you think were the Best Web Games of 2005. This year, only games that were reviewed here at Jayisgames since last year's Best of 2004 feature are eligible, and all eligible games are listed below.

Clicking on a game's icon will open a new window for more information about it, and a link to the game if it's still available to play.

Voting is now closed. Thank you all for participating, the results are in! =D

Игра прачка — Although this Flash puzzler is similar to other sliding block puzzle games in its class, what I find special about this one is its presentation and execution. A name I will refer to as Prachka, the game was developed by a Russian named Rubilon, who has made it available to...
ジェルベーダー (Gel Invaders) — A brand new Panzo game was released a couple of weeks ago, and this one is enjoyable and addictive like the other panda games before it. The action arcade Shockwave game is a cross between Breakout and Space Invaders. The object of the game is to throw a bouncing ball around...
零刻 (Moment Zero) — This time a Flash shmup from Uminin of the Flash Game Zone in Japan. Moment Zero is a mostly grayscale shooter of exceptional design. Noteworthy features include a lock-on targeting mechanism and multiple paths through the game. From the initial enemy wave you can tell this isn't any ordinary shooter. The...
<no>circles</no> — From Feisty Enterprises comes this geeky odd pair of Flash puzzle games with a title expressed in XML: <no>circles</no>. The author(s) offer up this description: "Within the confines of this virtual space cyclicality is deemed a violation of basic human sensibilities." I'll leave you to ponder that while you play.
063 xobX Puzzle — With the hype for Microsoft's brand new console in full swing, a new site has popped onto the Web games scene promoting the March, 2006, launch of the Xbox 360 in Australia and New Zealand. 063 xobX is a mostly HTML-based puzzle game of ten (10) levels that also includes some Flash-based elements.
3D-SF Cave — 3D-SF Cave is a fun little Java applet game that can be played quickly and easily in any Java-enabled browser. Although there is not much to the gameplay, the game's no-frills presentation cuts right to the chase. The game is played from a first-person perspective, flying through a cave. Walls of...
3wish Adventures — Featuring original and commercial-quality graphics, animation and sound, Mink of 3wish.com has created these cute, point-and-click, cartoon puzzles in Flash. Each episode is rather short in length—just right for some lunchtime fun or a coffee break—and all of them contain humorous, inventive situations and puzzles to solve. Divided into three...
8 Letters — Another great word game from East of the Web, this one combines the word finding frenzy of Boggle with the scrambled word anagrams of Jumble. 8 Letters in Search of a Word is a race against the clock to score enough points to move on to the next level. Points are...
99 Rooms — 99 Rooms is a beautiful Flash point-and-click adventure of the 'escape the room' variety. The object is to make it through all 99 rooms to the end. The game makes use of gorgeous photography for visuals, and a moody atmospheric soundtrack for effect.
A Daily Cup of Tea — It's always a happy day when discovering that Ferry Halim has released a new addition to his Orisinal line of fine Flash games. Just like Grandma's delicate china reserved for those very special guests, Orisinal games offer game play experiences for discriminating tastes. A Daily Cup of Tea is his latest...
A Dog for all Seasons — Anyone familiar with Ferry Halim's Orisinal collection of games will immediately recognize his characteristic style of art in the image to the right. Those who are not yet familiar are in for a treat: These playful pups are the main characters in his latest Flash game.
A Worm's Life — Ok, I honestly did not plan on posting all these Snake games, they just appeared before me—landed in the proverbial lap, I tell you. It must be due to some magical alignment of the cosmos. Nonetheless, this Snake clone one-ups the others with style. Created by the same X-Woods folks...
Alien in the Room games — Two different light-hearted and cute, point-and-click adventure games to offer up today, and both feature the same extraterrestrial main character. And while the first has been available for a couple of months, the second game has just been released.
Alveolata Noctiluca Neonlight — Created by Macoto Yanagisawa of Japan, this Shockwave work of art is a nice diversion from the usual fare. Although it's not Electroplankton, the title of this interactive musical animation toy shares similar meaning: bioluminescent dinoflagellates that live in marine and aquatic environments, and when grouped in large numbers make the...
Amazing Dare-Dozen — One of my favorite casual games that I keep returning to when I have just a few moments to spare is an early Orisinal game called The Amazing Dare-Dozen. The object of the game is quite simple: climb as high as you can by repeatedly landing an egg into the basket above.
Ankh — For those who prefer a bit of a mind-bender over an action oriented game, Ankh follows in the same footsteps as not pr0n, God Tower, and various other password puzzles. In fact, this game was created by the very same person who created not pr0n. With Ankh, the author used nicely rendered scenes from an upcoming 3D adventure game set in ancient Egypt as backdrops for the game.
Aquaria — Aquaria is a Flash adventure game created by So of Japan and featured at so-room.com along with several other Flash animations and fun interactive works. Yes, the game is in Japanese, and yet is filled with beautiful graphics and scenes like the one pictured.
Arcadia — Pong was an amazing and innovative game in its time. Unfortunately, after the novelty wore off there just wasn't much gameplay left to hold our interest. And by today's standards, it's just too simple a game to be much fun anymore. GameLab leverages the simplicity of Pong, as well as that...
Atoms — Atoms is a Flash puzzle game of elegant design that loosely borrows elements from Chemistry for the basis of its gameplay. Created by Florian Bliesch of Hamburg, Germany, the object of the game is simply to connect all of the separate atoms together to form a single molecule.
Attic Escape — A fairly decent, fairly standard point-and-click game of the escape-the-room variety that is 50% hunt around to find the missing pieces, and 50% solve the puzzle with the pieces. Attic Escape will keep you busy for about 20-30 minutes, depending upon your skill level with this type of game.
Babycal Throw — Another recent production from Rubilon is this odd and yet simple game of timing. Babycal Throw is an action arcade game in which the player attempts to hit walking and running targets by tossing bean-bags up in the air. A very simple gameplay mechanic, and if that were it all there...
Back to the Asylum — Probably one of the greatest Flash games ever created and made available for free on the Web, The Asylum is a surprisingly rich interactive narrative experience and it continues to surprise and delight gamers of all ages from all over the world. Won't you help these adorable cuddly toys overcome a distressing past?
Ball Revamped III — Like Metaphysik to come before, this game is an action arcade game in which the player balances a ball while moving it through a maze of obstacles toward a goal. This time out, John implements levels larger than the game view window, which makes finding the goal an additional challenge.
Ball Revamped: Metaphysik — Digital media artist and UC Davis student, John Cooney, has produced this highly addictive Flash action arcade game, and he has made it available for the world to play on his website, jmtb02.com. Ball Revamped: Metaphysik is a game of dexterity and timing, requiring the player to guide a multi-colored ball...
Balls and Walls — Balls and Walls is an absolutely fantastic game designed for the equally brilliant British band Athlete by Mortalbug and Quiet Phil. The game is extremely simplistic and very easy to get the hang of as soon as you start playing. Multiplayer mode is where the game's real beauty lies.
Bear & Cat — This pretty Flash puzzle game is oddly titled Bear & Cat, and yet it is really just a clone of PopCap Games' popular game of Zuma from a couple of years ago—which itself was a clone of Mitchell's Puzz Loop game from 1998. The player shoots colored balls onto the play...
Beaterator — Finally, a full-featured rhythm and sound loop utility written in Flash. From Rockstar Games comes this free Web-based application that lets you create loops and mixes from a variety of sources, even your own. Mix and play with the pre-loaded library of drum and synth samples and loops, or upload...
Bellman Stars — A delightful holiday Flash game to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Decorate the trees by dropping stars from above and landing them on the tree tops. Simply click on a star at just the right moment for it to fall onto a tree or a present. Simple holiday fun.
Belter — Arguably one of the greatest video games of all time, and certainly one of the classics, Asteroids was released to the arcades by Atari in 1979. Twenty-five years later the game is still captivating gamers with its gameplay and its physics. But Belter is better. From creator Russ Duckworth's Truantduck Games comes...
Bip Hop — And now for something completely different. Bip Hop is an audio game created by Paul Farrington under his Studio Tonne name. It was given as a present to French-based record label Bip Hop as part of a collaborative project called SoundToys. The Bip Hop label specializes in sound design and contemporary...
Bloomin' Gardens — Bloomin' Gardens is a strategy puzzle game in which the object is to line-up rows, columns or diagonals of five (5) or more matching flowers to eliminate them from play. The more flowers that match, the higher the score awarded. The game is actually a clone of Lines, and it has the feel and appeal of a classic casual game: it's easy to pick-up and play and yet difficult to master.
BMX Backflips 2 — Arguably one of Teagames' best and most popular games gets the one-up treatment with BMX Backflips 2. You can expect to find the same silky-smooth motion, animation and physics in this version, as well as new tasks to complete for each new level. What has changed is there is now a...
BMX Star — More BMX fun from David Thorburn, available on his Tea Games website. BMX Star features an assortment of zones to explore. There are presently 12 different zones to choose from in a range of difficulties. The object of the game is to score points by performing stunts and collecting gold, silver...
Bombsweeper 3D — A nice 3D version of the classic Windows 'tool', Bombsweeper 3D features a variety of polygons with an increasing number of sides to test your puzzle solving and deduction skills. Although much of the game's text is in Japanese, anyone even remotely familiar with Minesweeper will be able to pick...
Bugs — Lately, I have been thinking a lot about games with bugs, since I have been working on ways of implementing various bug-like movement through code in Flash. And as luck would have it, the more I think about bugs, the more games I find that feature bugs. And while I...
Bugs — A brand new game was just added to Ferry Halim's inimitable Orisinal site, a simply sublime collection of casual Web games made in Flash. Bugs is a gorgeous addition that fits in perfectly with the others, and it offers light-hearted gameplay that will tickle your funny bone with delight.
Bumperball — Created by Hans Oxmond and Thomas Poulsen of Oxmond Interactive in the Denmark, Bumperball is an action arcade game where you can play against the computer, or against a friend or co-worker using the same keyboard. If your things is playing alone against the computer, then your controls are the arrow...
Cageling — As promised, another point-and-click adventure for your weekend travels. This one is from Japan and will require some extra effort from those who do not know the language. So far the best point n' click escape game I've played - very intensive puzzle gameplay and nice graphics, with multiple endings.
Carnyville — One more game to leave you with to sweat it out over the weekend. Mark Arenz over at Ridiculopathy.com, author of the previously reviewed Swinger game, has just released his latest creation and it's a unique combination of point-and-click puzzles with arcade mini-games thrown in for good measure.
Cave Story — Cave Story, or Doukutsu Monogatari, is a superb 2D platformer created by Pixel and released at the end of last year. The downloadable game—for Mac or PC—is reminiscent of early NES platformers such as the Megaman series. The game is discussed in detail on the site, but I'll summarise it...
Chuck — What might possibly be the very first new game of the new year, David Thorburn has just released his latest game, Chuck, on his Teagames.com website in the UK. The veteran game developer is responsible for BMX Backflips and other fun-filled Flash games that make use of impressive physics implementations...
ClickRed — Here is a simple one-button mouse game that is easy to understand, and yet difficult to do. In fact, it's likely that it will be downright frustrating for those without the sharpest of reflexes or mousing precision. ClickRed is an action game in which you must click on the moving red...
Comboling — Comboling is an original puzzle game that was conceived by Jérôme Lulling in the mid-80's by examining tiles on the bathroom floor. He eventually teamed up with Dmitry Irsheins to help bring his idea to life, and the result of the collaboration is this remarkable Flash game.
Cry Wolf — Avoid suspicion. Lie to your friends. Eliminate your enemies. Cry Wolf is a multiplayer Web game created to promote a movie of the same name coming to theaters this September. And if the movie is executed as well as the game has been, it will likely be a hit at the box office.
CyberBox — Thanks go out to Nick Kouvaris for sending word about his latest puzzle game over at Lightforce Games, an excellent source for many wonderful and mind-bending puzzle games. CyberBox is a complete Flash remake of a DOS puzzle game of the same name created by Doug Beeferman in 1991.
Deanimator — Deanimator was inspired by one of Lovecraft's short stories, Herbert West: Reanimator, first published in Home Brew in 1922. It is a gruesome tale of an eccentric young doctor with a penchant for experiments that involve reanimating the dead.
Death in Sakkara — This gorgeous, interactive narrative, detective drama is set in the late 1920's and produced by the award-winning creative team at Preloaded in the UK. Death in Sakkara is an Egyptian adventure game that offers a rich immersive narrative experience peppered with historical content, puzzles, mystery and intrigue. Look for new episodes November 7, 14, and 21.
Destination: Earth — Another game for the classics lover in you. Destination: Earth is actually a Flash recreation of a bootleg clone of the old Taito classic arcade game, Lunar Rescue, released in 1979. The game is a mix between Lunar Lander and Space Invaders. The player first navigates the lunar lander module down...
DNA — Jumping right into some addictive gameplay after finals is just what I need to escape from all the stress and pressure. I want something fast with lots of action and adrenaline, lots of explosions and particle effects, and a rocking soundtrack. Brent Silby's DNA delivers on all of these fronts. The...
Domino Pressure — Created by Taro Ito, a Japanese game developer whom publishes his work under the name GameDesign, this domino-toppling game transported me back to Nan's living room floor where rows of dominoes and blocks often stood, precariously on end, awaiting destruction.
Dona Room — Dona Room is a game that has been around for just a few weeks, and yet I have received many suggestions to include it here. It is another of the 'escape-the-room' variety of point-and-click Flash adventures, and it is very good. As with other games like it, look around the...
Dr. Metoro — More point-and-click mystery goodness for you from Xylo.co.jp, the same site that The Wand House comes from. Dr. Metoro is an escape-the-room type game that should please anyone interested in games of this type, though it's not a very long game at all.
Dr. Stanley's House — Dr. Stanley's House was created by James Li and is a point-and-click adventure game. It has a mysterious plot with some twists and turns that is very creepy at times. The lush colored graphics provide a striking contrast to the moody atmospheric soundtrack, with several cut scenes that develop the story as you play.
Drifts — Drifts is a Flash action game based on a very simple idea: collect the green bubbles while avoiding the purple ones. And yet the simplicity of the game is deceiving: underneath the surface lurks a challenge that is difficult to master. It's an exceptionally good game that is fun to play.
Drum Lab — A veritable Flash music construction set, Drum Lab features a wide assortment of phat beats and other percussion sound samples and a unique interface with which to manipulate them. In Basic mode, simply mousing over each of the various instruments will play the associated sound. DJ Stain, an animated character...
East of the Web word games — Just found this excellent collection of word games created in Flash and published by East of the Web. There are currently eight (8) different games to choose from, and each one offers a unique gameplay experience than usual games in its category. CodeWord blends components of guess-the-word games like Hangman with...
Egg Run — Egg Run is a silly action strategy Flash game, and yet it is surprisingly fun due to its simplicity of design. The object is to catapult the egg to catch the twig(!), and then land on the platform that holds the ladder to advance to the next level.
Erik vs. Erik — I was playing Christian's games all weekend before I realized they were written in Java. Very nice. Not that Java isn't a capable language to write cool little games like this, it's just that the graphics in Christian's games look hand-drawn, a characteristic that I've come to associate more with...
Escape from Rhetundo Island — For those who have loved playing Robin Allen's Hapland games—and if you haven't enjoyed those games, you are definitely in the minority—you will be very happy to know that the genre-defining artist has done it again.
Escape: The Room — Since point-and-click games seem to be so hot these days, here is another one that's been in the hopper for a while, though I never got around to posting it. Escape: The Room puts you in the familiar position of trying to figure out how to escape from the room you're...
Etherena Beta — I stumbled across this flash game many months ago but only just recently noticed it bookmarked in my favorites. Created by a technology student named Arayh, Etherena Beta is an exceptionally good fighter featuring some of the creator's original characters.
Feel The Magic (Flash) — One of the more popular games available for the Nintendo DS, the odd and unique Feel The Magic offers a bevy of bite-sized mini-games that make good use of the innovative handheld's features. The simple premise is that you are a boy who attempts to win over the affection of...
Finding 4 — A brand new game from the very talented casual game designer, Tonypa. Finding 4 is a puzzle game in which the object is to locate, within the time alotted, the same set of four (4) figures on the play field as shown in the target set.
Fishin' Fun 2 — I must have missed the first Fishin' Fun Flash game, probably when I was playing Animal Crossing and doing some fishing of my own. Fishin' Fun 2 is an action arcade game in which the player catches fish in an ordered sequence, and against the clock, to gain points and move onto the next level.
Fishy! — Fishy is a Flash game that's been floating around the web for quite some time. What's remarkable about it is that it is incredibly simple, yet nerve-wrackingly difficult to master.
Flash Centipede — As a tribute to the classic Atari Centipede arcade game from 1980, Emil Korngold has attempted to recreate the game in Flash. The game is still in beta form, and yet his attempt seems to capture much of the action and addictive gameplay of the original. Other than using the mouse...
Flash Game Zone: Cube — Next up is a series of Flash games designed by Uminin in Japan and available on his Flash Game Zone website. Each of the games exhibit high production values with a solid design that offers compelling and rewarding gameplay. From puzzle games to shmups, Uminin has created a nice variety...
Flea World — Lately I have been enjoying this cute little platformer with a twist. Generally, a platform game puts the player in control of a game character that is moved throughout each level toward a goal at the end. The term 'platform' comes from the many varied platforms that the player must...
Flip Out — The entertainment technology students at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) are up to their Experimental Gameplay antics again this semester. Their goal is to create over 50 games in one semester by popping-out four (4) new games every Wednesday.
Floatin' Assault — Uminin strikes once more with this gorgeous Flash shmup from his Flash Game Zone website, titled: Floatin' Assault. Well, that's not exactly the way he spells it, and yet I am sure that is what he means. =) Floatin' Assault offers two different fighter types to choose from: Heavy and Standard....
Floats — Created by Ferry Halim, this wonderful and innovative Flash game makes use of the mouse for drawing circles and shapes around floats of the same color to capture them and score points. The more floats you capture at once the higher the score. The simple and elegant gameplay mechanics serve to showcase Ferry's exceptional talent for expressing fresh new ideas with Flash.
Fly Guy — Flyguy is a delightfully interactive Flash piece that is full of surprises. Use the arrow keys to navigate the flyguy around the environment and uncover the entertaining vignettes that await you. Created by TVM at Trevorvanmeter.com. Not a game, but fun just the same.
Funky Trucks — The talented David Thorburn continues to churn out games on his Teagames.com website at an alarming rate and with amazing physics implementations. So many, in fact, that I can't keep up with everything he creates. His latest two are particularly noteworthy, however. Funky Truck puts you in the drivers seat of...
Galaca — Another one for the classic games section, I made a reference to this game when reviewing Swarm due to the way the enemies swarmed onto the play field. Galaca is a Java applet 'clone' of the classic action arcade game Galaga. Originally created by Namco and released as a coin-op amusement...
GameDesign Tennis — The modest and lackluster appearance of this game hides well the exceptional gameplay beneath its surface. And yet with the very first serve across the net, one can immediately tell this is no retro game of Pong. Challenging and exciting, this is the latest game by the very talented Taro Ito of GameDesign in Japan. Arigatoo gozaimasu!
Games for the Brain — Created by Philipp Lenssen, Games for the Brain is a series of 18 different never-ending puzzle games to exercise and challenge your brain. Each of the games is created solely using DHTML—dynamic HTML consists of a little bit of JavaScript, a little bit of CSS, and a little bit of...
Gas Games — As far as casual game design is concerned, I find much to celebrate about Gas Games. All of the games on the site have been created with a consistent appearance and style, and many of them feature gameplay that is unique and addictive. A few of my favorites are Fulfillment, Gravity, and Centrifuge.
Gemsmith — A couple of brand new games being offered by Tonypa on his website that features other excellent casual Web games, as well as tutorials for those interested in creating games in Flash. Gemsmith comes in two varieties: Ruby and Diamond. Both games feature similar gems and hexagonal play fields, and yet...
Geru Geru Panic (Gel Gel Panic) — Panzo the Panda bear got more than he bargained for in this Shockwave remake of Pang from Japan. Geru Geru Panic roughly translates to Gel Gel Panic, a reference no doubt to the gelatinous goo that the aliens appear to be made of. Although it may seem odd, you don't need to speak Japanese to enjoy the amazing good times packed into this little gem.
God Tower — Do you yearn for a game to challenge your massive intellect? Did you beat My Diamond Baby in a half-hour without cheating? Want something harder? Well, here it is: God Tower. This is the toughest puzzle game I've ever seen. I'm not going to lie to you; it's currently unbeaten. But that shouldn't be a problem for you, right?
Gridgame — A fun little Flash piece by deviantART contributor, Mark James from the UK. Gridgame is more of a Flash toy than a game, really, and yet the score tally gives this mesmerizing diversion an addictive quality. Simply click anywhere in the grid to activate a cell. Doing so causes the cell...
Grow Cube — The gameplay is similar to the previous games, Grow and Grow RPG, except in this one you need only click on the items along the sides of the play field one-by-one. The order in which you click the items determines the outcome of the game. Simple and delightful, these games are among the crown jewels of the Web.
Grow Ornament — Just in time for the holidays, On of Eyezmaze has done it again: a brand new X-mas mini-Grow game has just been released and, as the name implies, is a bit shorter and sweeter than the others. On's Grow games are all elegantly simple, and accessible to people of all ages. A wonderful holiday gift from Eyezmaze.
Grow RPG — Grow RPG takes the classic formula that made the original so compelling to play, and adds additional RPG-like elements, such as enemy combat, a shop to buy health and weapons, and even a dungeon with hidden treasure.
Guess-the-google — Another infectiously addictive and brilliant game made using Google's Web APIs, Guess-the-google was
created by Grant Robinson in response to suggestions he received after creating his Montage-a-google, an equally impressive and veritable time-sink worthy of a review of its own. Guess-the-google is a single-player game in which the object is to guess...
GunRun — Sporting stylized graphics and an infectious soundtrack, GunRun delivers the goods with flair in classic arcade action style. This beautiful 2D side-scrolling shooter was created in Flash by Felix Reidl of Germany.
Hanamushi — Hanamushi-san has created an absolutely gorgeous Japanese website with beautiful artwork and even a couple of Flash point-and-click adventures to discover. Simply amazing. And yet there is a dark side to the shapes that lurk in the shadows, so watch where you step. For the truly adventurous.
Hapland — Deep from within the bowels of the seriously twisted mind of Robin Allen comes this Flash game simply titled: Hapland. The author claims that it is "more an interactive world of bizarity" than a game, yet there is indeed a 'win' condition and it has something to do with lighting both torches to open the stone portal and thus unleashing the power within.
Hapland 2 — Yes, it's here! ...well, not here, per se, but here as in the figurative sense of the word. Just released. And thanks to everyone for telling me about it. I've been feeling a little disconnected from things lately due to crunch time with COTP. And now, just in time for...
Happy Flower Music Time — This silly and surprisingly fun audio game with Simon-says gameplay is disguised as a quirky little Japanese title. Your task is to unlock all the flowers and climb as high as you can by repeating the sequence of notes, or tune, that each flower plays. Ridiculous fun.
Happy Seed — I have point-and-click happiness to spread throughout the world today in the form of a cube. Not so much a puzzle as it is an interactive narrative that unfolds with each click of the mouse in the appropriate place. Happy Seed is a beautiful Flash piece, and it was created...
Hatch — On over at Eyezmaze has just released another addition to his ever-expanding collection of unique and enchanting Flash games. Hatch is an action arcade game that will put your reflexes and hand-eye coordination to the test. To play, put your fingers on each of the keys of the keyboard representing...
Heart Attack — The über-talented Preloaded folks have done it again and released another Flash game to promote their own skillz, and this one does a fine job of showing off the magic they are capable of. Appearing on their wedonicethings website, Heart Attack is a Flash shooter in which you play as Cupid...
Heli Attack 3 — The very talented guys at Square Circle Co., Chris "iopred" Rhodes and Chris "DayDream" Hildebrand, have just released their third Heli Attack game, and its available exclusively at Miniclip.com.
Hellydrop — Hellydrop is an action arcade game in which you have but one chance to fly the helicopter as far as you can. Avoid terrain, lightning bolts, and those ominous evil winged creatures lurking in the sky. The one-button game uses the mouse button only. Click to take-off, and then keep clicking to fly.
Hot Air — The game play in Hot Air involves navigating a hot air balloon from its green starting platform to the red landing platform within each level. To succeed you will need to maneuver around obstacles and onto platforms, collecting keys to open gates while avoiding just about everything that will make the balloon pop. Much easier said than done.
Hotel — Also from Han Hoogerbugge is this interactive narrative, Hotel, about a scientist named Dr. Doglin who drugs his patients to perform tests on their response to freak accident injuries. Dr. Doglin is the founder of Preconstruction, the company behind the research being done in this area, and whose mission statement...
Hyper Frame — HyperFrame is a new puzzle game offered by Shockwave.com that combines 3D graphics and an engaging soundtrack to create a compelling interactive experience. The goal of the game is fairly simple: connect each pair of same-colored blocks with an unbroken line that does not cross over, or use the same space as, another color.
Industrial Place Thingy — I broke down and bought a PSP over the weekend so I could play Lumines. And now, that is all I can think about. The game is brilliant, loads of fun, and the music is infectious. In fact, I have to post this game quick because the battery on the...
Infect — Infect is an action arcade game in which you play a virus. Your mission is to survive by infecting red blood cells while avoiding white blood cells and antibiotics.
Iso-Infected — Iso-Infected is an action arcade Flash game created by Thorsten Diessner of Germany. With gameplay similar to the classic arcade sensation, Marble Madness, the object of the game is roll a ball around to collect all 15 blue gems hidden throughout the many areas of the game 'world'.
Jamie Kane 1982-2005 — Gone, but never forgotten. As the world mourns the passing of this great pop icon, one cannot help but wonder why he was taken from us at such a ripe young age. For someone whose life had enriched all who came to know him, and whose music had filled so many...
Jinx: A Dark and Stormy Night — Enter Jinx to save the day. This gorgeous and adorable Flash game has kids written all over it, including those who are only kids-at-heart. In his first episode, Jinx comes upon the house on the hill that is all lit up for once on a dark and stormy night. Upon knocking, the door opens and Jinx decides to go in and have a look around.
Junkbot — Junkbot offers Lemmings-like gameplay in a Shockwave action puzzler that is both simple and fun to play. By using the available Lego blocks, reassemble each level to guide Junkbot over the obstacles and to the garbage cans so it can eat. Collect Gold cards to gain access to more buildings with even more levels.
Kafkamêsto — A new offering through the Gameon initiative, Kafkamesto is an unusual and dark interactive narrative that will at first seem familiar to those acquainted with point-and-click adventures, but beware the futility in store. The over-arching narrative seems to be as much a statement about Kafka's own life as about the themes he often wrote about.
Kelman to the Rescue — Hosted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) as part of the Game On initiative, Kelman to the Rescue was a previous winner of the "Best Game" category at the Flash-in-the-Can festival, held each year in Toronto.
Kill Time — Kill Time is a short and cute Flash game in which you must keep the mouse cursor from being caught by the little guy. There is a variety of methods he will employ to grab it from you, and most of them are quite amusing. This one might not keep...
Kingdom of Loathing — As I enter Guano Junction inside the Bat Hole, I check my equipment. Chef's hat? Check. Rubber axe? Check. Frilly skirt? Check. Dirty hobo gloves? Check. Pine-Fresh air freshener? Check (well, one can never be too careful). I am ready for anything.
Klax 3D — Klax 3D is an action strategy game in which the object is to catch colored tiles as they fall off a conveyor belt and stack them into horizontal, vertical, and diagonal rows. A fun an addictive casual game that has been around a few years, this Flash version is actually an adaptation of a classic Atari arcade game from 1989, also called Klax.
Kreta — Maurizio Brancaleoni brings to life the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur in this online Shockwave game played with special cards, but with an added twist.
Kung Fu Hustle games — From Sony Pictures comes these three (3) Flash games from the Kung Fu Hustle movie website, each featuring classic-style videogame pixel graphics and gameplay. Kung Fu Fighter is a simple old-school fighting game that offers special moves and opponents to unlock. You must defeat the opponents the game pits you up...
la Pâte à Son — la Pâte à Son is an amazing sound toy created in France. This original musical piece and compositional tool was conceived to encourage musical experimentation, and its achievements surpass its goal. Not only is this toy fun to play and experiment with, it is also capable of creating some very beautiful music.
La Pièce — La Pièce is a point-and-click Flash game that is unusually common, strangely familiar, and yet offers a unique experience than other 'escape the room' type games.
Last Call Poker — This Texas Hold'em poker game offers something a little different than most games in this category. Launched sometime in late September, Last Call Poker combines elements of alternate reality games (ARGs) and online poker tournaments to do its bidding for Activision's soon-to-be-released wild west video game, Gun.
Legend of Zorro game — So you like turn-based strategy games, do you? Were you among the first to play Tactics Arena Online months ago, and still you can't get enough? Did you run through Spybot with nary an invalid checksum, only to crave more ever since? The wait is over.
Letters 2 — Letters 2 includes everything that made the first version great, plus it adds power-ups and an expanded high scores table to the mix. The result is an even better game, one that can help you be more productive while at the same time having some fun.
Life on Mars — Direct from Mars comes this wacky collection of games on an equally wacky website. Disguised as a Martian gameshow: Know Like an Earthling, the site offers Australian's a chance to win fabulous prizes by becoming a membership (sic) to enter candy wrapper codes and, of course, play 30 silly games. You don't have to live in Australia for the latter.
Lightforce Blix — There's a lot to love about LightForce Games in Athens, Greece. Nick Kouvaris, and his wife Helen, develop Flash games as a hobby and make them available to play on their LightForce Games website. The site makes it very easy to find and navigate to any of their games. Best...
Lightforce Znax — There's a lot to love about LightForce Games in Athens, Greece. Nick Kouvaris, and his wife Helen, develop Flash games as a hobby and make them available to play on their LightForce Games website. The site makes it very easy to find and navigate to any of their games. Best...
Lightforce Frogger — There's a lot to love about LightForce Games in Athens, Greece. Nick Kouvaris, and his wife Helen, develop Flash games as a hobby and make them available to play on their LightForce Games website. The site makes it very easy to find and navigate to any of their games. Best...
llor.nu — Here is a unique opportunity to get started with a brand new game just entering an open beta stage. The name of the game is llor.nu, which is also its Web address, except I'm not sure if that should be pronounced "LORE-new" or "un-ROLL" as the name implies.
Loop — "My name is Ada. I'm going to show you how to catch butterflies." Loop is a delightful action game that makes use of the mouse for drawing loops around butterflies to catch them. It's a full-featured, multi-level, gorgeous Web game with personality, style and grace. If you haven't seen this one before, don't miss out! Created by gameLab, and hosted by Shockwave.com.
Maeda Path — Time for a break from all the thinking required in those point-and-click adventure games. This next game comes from Jared Tarbell, maths and Flash wizard extraordinaire. Maeda Path is a relaxing game of eye|hand coordination with elegantly simple graphics and a brilliant use of sound. Using your input device of choice,...
Magnetism — An unusual Flash game with a variety of gameplay possibilities, Magnetism lets you select the type of game that is right for you. Created by Tyler Glaiel, a 14 year-old budding game developer, Magnetism is a unique puzzle game that features challenges of strategy and skill with an emphasis on...
Mamezo — Although the Nintendo DS has already popularized a similarly innovative method for controlling and interacting with a video game, this next game offers a relatively fresh gameplay mechanic that may be somewhat familiar to DS owners. Mamezo is an action arcade game in which the player bounces a yellow robot 'egg'...
Manole — From Romania comes Manole, a simple little Flash game in which you try to fly as far as you can by clicking the mouse to flap your wings. Wing flapping burns energy, and once you're out of energy your flight is over.
Mansion Impossible — This next game offers fun via the buying and selling of houses on a rapidly changing real estate market. Mansion Impossible is an action strategy Flash game in which the object is to make enough money to buy the millionaire's mansion and end the game, all within the quickest time possible.
Maze — Maze is another delightfully simple and accessible casual Web game by GameDesign of Japan. The object of this action puzzle game is to find the exit to each increasingly larger maze level within the time limit.
MINDgames: Head Space — Blocgames is responsible for the latest Club 404 diversion on Sony's Playstation UK website: an amazing Flash shooter that is packed with fun and gameplay to boot. And you're in for a real treat, because just a peek under the hood of this little shmup reveals a stash of pleasant...
Monsterism — Monsterism.net, a website that Pete Fowler and his creative partner, Simon Pike, built to showcase Pete's outstanding and original monster art. With it you can create a bevy of creatures from the world of Monsterism, as well as mix and match any attributes to create entirely new monsters of your own design. Which monster are you?
MTV Obsessed: The Game — Take a trip through the history of games with a brand new Flash game offering from the MTV Obsessed website. MTV Obsessed: The Game contains roughly 20 mini-games that are organized within levels called "eras" that must be unlocked by playing through the Time Travel mode of play.
Mucha Lucha — Mucha Lucha is a beautifully made Flash game that offers a unique take on the point-and-click genre. It is simple and short, and should be a delight to casual gamers of all ages. Although familiar to anyone who has played games like it before, there are qualities of the game that elevate it above others in its class.
My Diamond Baby — My Diamond Baby is another single-room point-and-click game, this one was created by Project C-Time! and Haruo Seto. You start off as someone on a motorcycle on his way to give an engagement ring to his girlfriend. On his way he is involved in a motorcycle accident. When he regains consciousness...
Mystery of Time and Space (MOTAS) — And since neither of these games are new, I'll leave you with two today in case you have seen one or the other already. The next game has been recommended so many times that I am posting a link to it without reviewing it since I still haven't played through...
N — Winner of the Audience Award at the 2005 Game Developers Choice Awards, N, 'the way of the ninja', "is a highly advanced system of spiritual, cognitive, and physical training. It emphasizes pacifism, humility, and the need to traverse a series of 5 rooms before the end of your lifetime." First I...
Nanaca † Crash — A remake of last year's Penguin tossing games, Nanaca Crash adds depth to the original by featuring nine (9) different characters that affect game play in unique ways. There is a lot of fun packed into this deceptively simple looking game, including summoning, combos, special abilities, and some very nice graphic effects.
Net — Subtitled "The game for the mind", this game definitely falls into the category of a brain teaser. Created by Pāvils Jurjān of Latvia, the game of Net is available to play free on his website. Net is a game about connections. There is a central energy source, and the object of...
Net Disaster — Net Disaster lets you take your anger out on your favorite—or not so favorite—website. Just enter any URL and select whether you want to drop bombs, send aliens from Mars, bring back the dinosaurs, cast a flood, fry eggs, or spill coffee on it. Then choose the disaster options. You...
NFH Propaganda — NFH Propaganda is a creepy point-and-click adventure game created using a combination of Flash and a series of HTML pages. The result is highly reminiscent of the 99 Rooms, and as equally artistic: just replace all the graffiti with ghoulish animation and weirdness.
No Brainer — No Brainer is a fast-paced quiz game that asks what seems to be a never-ending string of questions, all of which require a simple yes or no answer. Hosted on Shockwave.com, it's a fun and hilarious game that is sure to put a smile on your face. While playing, the...
NoName Games 1&2 — Next up are a couple of games with no name, simply refered to as NoName Game #1 and NoName Game #2, created by MadMax of Poland and hosted on his Freshblood.zic.pl site. An action puzzle game of hand-eye coordination, the games are similar in design to DR3I and Reverse that...
Noob's Room — You find yourself in a room from which you must escape. Sound familiar? Noob's Room is yet another take on the emerging "escape from the room" genre of point-and-click Flash games. This one was created by Kristjan Luts for Gamershood. Like Escape: The Room before it, Noob's Room features very similar...
Not pr0n — This is one of those games that comes along every once in a while and makes you think: "hmm, I wish I had thought of that." More of a scavenger hunt than a game, the object is simply to make it through (or merely "to") all 81 pages that comprise...
Opniyama — "Climb the slopes of Opniyama (yama means Japanese mountain) and take part in this interactive play while adding to your liking of the trees with the landscape! Discover the jokes of this vertical world! Direct your misadventure and hoist towards the higher plates while launching the hook!"
Oshiro — At first glance, it appears to be a Towers of Hanoi puzzle, and maybe that is why I did not play this game the first time it crossed my path. Not because I view Towers of Hanoi unworthy, for it's a classic puzzle game and one that is often used to teach recursive algorithms in programming. I passed on it because I thought it was unoriginal.
Panda Fruit Bounce (Bon Bon Panda) — What I am calling Panda Fruit Bounce is an action arcade game that is a variant of Breakout. The object is to collect the indicated quantities of fruit by bouncing a panda bear around the play field. A piece of fruit is collected if the panda comes in contact with it. Unfortunately, the author and title of this game are presently unknown. It is my hope that someone who can translate the text in the game will point me in the direction of its rightful owner.
Paper Islands — Here is a fresh new site to keep an eye on this new year, created by Dave Jones of Transcience, the same folks behind Chasm. Paper Islands is a fun site with a unique style and theme centered around paper: paper cut-outs, paper airplanes, origami and the like. Paper Islands features...
Park — Park is another point-and-click adventure from the same folks who created the tranquilizing Levers game. This one is easy and a bit short, and yet it will certainly delight those who enjoy the thrill of discovery that this type of game offers.
Pearl Hunt — From the Chevron Cars website comes this action strategy game of collecting pearls. Pearl Hunt is an addictive Flash game in which the object is to drop ten (10) pearls down through the maze to the bottom before time runs out. Simply click on a clam shell to slide that row...
Peekaboom — From the same Carnegie Mellon people who came up with the ESP Game comes another image-identifying multiplayer Web game. Peekaboom pairs you heads-up with a partner with which to alternate turns being both Peeker and Boomer on a greater quest to train computers to see. As Peeker, your job is to use...
Penance — Penance is an escape-the-room type point-and-click adventure set in a purgatorial train station. The object of the game is to figure out why you are there and how to leave. It is a critical thinking person's game about suffering and atonement, and one in which your answers will ultimately affect the outcome.
Phosphor Alpha 4 — Nick Kang of Rasterwerks has put together one sweet technology demo of a fully playable Shockwave 3D first person shooter. Weighing in at just over 3MBs in size, the rather hefty death match style game is beautiful and runs great on my NVIDIA GeForce 4 graphics card. An enhancer xtra...
Pigalator 2K5 — I found this on the FlashKit game forum a couple of months ago and had a lot of fun with it. It's not very often that a new—at least to me—dice game comes along, and fewer still done in Flash. Pigalator 2K5 is a single-player only dice game, you play...
Pixel Field — Pixel Field is an action strategy game that shines from its intuitive gameplay, immersive physics, soothing soundtrack, and excellent replay value. The 3 red pixels that dangle and stretch as the base is moved around each level create a sensation in which you can almost feel the physics of the game.
Planarity — Case Western University student, John Tantalo, has created an elegantly simple game with gratifying and addictive gameplay. Planarity is a Flash puzzle game that is played by clicking and dragging the vertices of a 2D geometric shape to rearrange them such that no lines cross.
Poom! — From GotUsed and the New York State University College at Buffalo comes this entry in the Flash casual games category. Poom! is an action arcade game in which the object of the game is to bounce a ball, for as long as possible, on a randomly generated platform while racking...
Pop Pirates — Another amazing shoot-em-up just released from the ultra-talented folks at Bloc games in the UK. This one was created for Diesel and their ProtoKid line of fine gaming accessories. Pop Pirates is an arcade shooter with a hi-tech computer network security theme: Prepare to be digitized to eradicate all bugs and virus threats while reclaiming your music files as you go.
Powerballs — Although I prefer to offer a wide array of games and genres over featuring games that are similar to those already reviewed, once in a while I come across a clone that offers something different in terms of gameplay that I feel is worth mentioning. Powerballs is a clone of Lines, as was the recently reviewed Bloomin' Gardens.
Puki: The Swarm — Flash-in-the-Can 2005 award winner, Grant Skinner, has put together an impressive and ambitious pseudo-3D first-person shooter in Flash. There is even a back-story in case you need a reason to shoot at cute little creatures. Puki: The Swarm begins after a routine mission to a space station, in a far away...
Puzzle Bobble — Taito Corp. released Bubble Bobble to the arcades in 1986 featuring two cute little dinosaurs named Bub and Bob. The bubble-blowing platform game was a huge hit and spawned several sequels. In 1994, looking to expand the successful franchise into puzzle games, Taito released Puzzle Bobble in Japan and Bust-a-Move...
Puzzleland — Because the Hapland games are so much fun and unbelievably popular, I wanted to post a link to this similar game for you to try. Although not quite as well done as Robin Allen's games, Puzzleland is much easier and there are more levels to solve. Each level details the...
Puzzler's Paradise — Remember those word problems and logic puzzles from school? They probably weren't much fun back then when the fear of failure or a bad grade was hanging over your head. And yet there was still something fun and challenging about them, if only it weren't a forced activity. Well now there...
Pyoro — A WarioWare for GBA mini-game recreation over at JohnnySlack.com, this lightweight Flash game is good fun for a short diversion. Pyoro is an action arcade game in which the object is to avoid the falling plants by eating them using a very long tongue. Control is with the right and left arrow...
Quarkz — Manuel Fallmann's latest offering on his MINDistortion site is a turn-based strategy game against the CPU, or a human opponent at the same computer. The object of Quarkz is to be the first player to reach the number of points designated as the victory condition by adding particles to the...
Race Against Time — A game that makes excellent use of Flash video (FLV) segments to form an engaging interactive narrative, A Race Against Time puts you in the driver's seat of a brand new Saab 9-3 SportWagon on a mission to Hazard Point. What could possibly go wrong?
Rag Doll Kung Fu — It's about Chi power. Lead Artist for Lionhead Studios, Mark Healey, set out to create a video game of his own in his spare time. Over the course of a few years, an innovative and new, gorgeous and outrageous fighting game took shape under the name: Rag Doll Kung Fu.
Raiden X — There have been a lot of good games that have come to my attention recently, so many in fact that I am a bit backlogged. Since the thought of creating an in-depth review of each is a bit daunting to me right now on my summer vacation, I have decided...
RayRay Parade — A charming logic puzzle game starring cute little children that scamper into play in formation, and then flash their tummies at you when you solve their puzzles. The object of the instantly familiar game is to get all of the RayRays standing. Some RayRays affect others around it, so the trick becomes figuring out the correct sequence.
Redline Rumble — Take to the streets to compete against and win your opponent's vehicle in this street racing Shockwave 3D game. Redline Rumble features eight (8) souped-up racers of increasing grade of speed and style that you must earn the right to drive. The game starts you off on the low-end of...
Replicator — Brent Silby has created one of the coolest arcade games I have played in a very long time. Think retro-cool as in Galaga, Defender, Centipede and Robotron, and you'll be close to what the action is like in surely one of his best games to date. This game is 100% pure, turbo-charged DHTML! How cool is that?!
Ringmania — Si et JP of Pepere.org sends word of his brand new game, Ringmania. A new take on a Puzzle Bobble clone, the object of the game is to clear the play field of all rings by connecting three (3) or more rings of the same color to make them "explode."
Rocket Bob — Rocket Bob is an attractive and adorable action strategy, platform jumping game created in Hamburg, Germany. The object of the game is to fire Bob like a projectile from the platform he's currently on to the next. It's just that simple. Bonus points are awarded for successful attempts based on accuracy and any additional bonus stars that you collect along the way.
Rocket Cat-girl game (Bania Kururin) — Bania Kururin is an action arcade game in which you play as an anime-style cat-girl character with a rocket-pack on her back. The author of the game has kidnapped your little cat-friend and plans to eat him, and your task is to rescue him by collecting stars.
Rodeo — Rodeo is a Flash game that is clever in its simplicity of style and remarkably fun in execution. Created by Mark Vertegaal of Coldtomatoes in the Netherlands, the object of the game is to ride the bull for as long as you can. Click the rider's hat to begin, and then...
Rotobo — Next up is another great little mini-game from GlobZ that offers addictive gameplay with the press of only a single button. Rotobo is a top-down platformer where the object is to find and land on a green ore block hidden in each level through a succession of jumps. When each level...
Rumble Ball — Do you remember Prachka (Orbox) from a couple of months ago? The author, Rubilon from Russia, has been busy creating a couple of new Flash games since then. The first is called Rumble Ball, and it is a strategy game of sorts. The object is to score the most points you...
Samorost 2 — This second game of the Samorost series lives up to the lofty expectations set by the first. It is every bit a sequel that includes all of the best qualities that made the first game remarkable, and then adds more environments, more puzzles, and more sound and music. The result is a game that continues the reputation set by the first as being one of the finest immersive interactive experiences available on the Web today. It is altogether a truly exceptional work of interactive art.
Sea3d — Since Jay and I have been so hopelessly busy playing Cry Wolf, I offered last night to write a review for a game that was mentioned in passing in a previous post, Sea3d, also known as Settlers of Catan. Settlers is a board game that's been around for a number of...
Set Daily Puzzle — Set is a DHTML-based Web game that offers a new puzzle to play every day. The object of Set is to find the 6 "sets" of three cards each that go together. Each card in the game has on it four (4) distinguishing features: color, quantity, symbol, and fill. Color will...
Shadow of the Hamunaptra — I was glad to see so many give the logic puzzle a try that was posted yesterday, as there's nothing like a good mind bender to keep one thinking sharp. And good luck to everyone who entered a solution into the contest. I actually have the Dead Can Dance "Selections...
Shift — A lovely Flash point-and-click adventure from development company White Kiwi, this one will keep you busy for just a short while. Shift is a game with no tangible objective, and yet it is easy to get lost in its beautiful world and traquilizing soundtrack. Simply click on the various objects within...
ShoOot — An insanely great shoooter with mad action that gratifies, ShoOot is the latest and greatest game from the house of Tonypa. Borrowing an element of gameplay from Pang, the veteran casual game developer serves up an accessible and immediately gratifying experience using Web-efficient stylized graphics.
Slingstar — Slingstar marks the 26th Flash game created and released by David Thorburn on his Teagames.com website. The pace at which he is able to create new games is remarkable! In this one, the most recent of his games, he creates a new game by combining two classic gameplay mechanics: the slingshot and the platformer.
Snake: Flash game + tutorial — This version of the classic game of Snake is remarkable in that it comes with source code and a complete tutorial explaining the code by its author, Strille of Sweden. Available on his website, the tutorial is a great way for anyone to get started programming games in Flash. The...
SnowDays — Relive the grammar school days of yesteryear with this Flash make-a-flake snowflake maker. Simply make several cuts in a folded paper with a pair of scissors, the way you may remember doing, and then unfold to reveal your stunning creation. A cheerful seasonal activity to wile away the hours during the cold indoor months.
Snowman Salvage — Snowman Salvage is a fast-action Flash game in which you are tasked with maintaining a number of snowmen against increasingly heavy odds for 30 seconds. Later levels introduce hazards, such as snow plows and campfires, and eventually alien abductors. An upgrade system between levels allows the player to influence variables that affect game play.
Snowy — I have been mesmerized lately by the cuteness of this little Flash platformer, and for good reason. First off, it's got the cute thing going for it, and that always works for me. The way Snowy the little bear just prances in place while waiting for you to move him...
Soap Bubble — You are a soap bubble in this action arcade game by Anders Gustafsson of Sweden. It seems that while playing with your friends, you discover a strange hole behind a bush that appears to go deep into the earth. Curious, you investigate to find that the hole is just large...
Soul Master — Soul Master is a decent game and one that fits with the current Halloween theme. The object of the game is to free enough souls within the time limit to make it to the next hell (level). There are ten (10) hells to complete, each requiring more souls to advance than the previous one.
Spooks: Spy Academy — 2005 BIMA award winner(!) in the Best Online Game category, Spooks is a rich media Flash game designed by the folks at Preloaded in the UK. This well-designed and immersive game features narrative by "Harry", head of the MI5 counter-terrorism department, who provides much of the story behind the game via live captured video segments.
Spybot: The Nightfall Incident — A remarkably rich and highly detailed Shockwave game created for Lego by the folks at gameLab. The turn-based strategy game is a triple-A quality production that is set in a stunning high-tech universe. The developers have expertly combined story elements with engaging gameplay to create an extraordinary, satisfying and immersive experience.
Stackopolis — And while this next game is not new, the talented folks at BlocGames have recently changed it from a limited 3-level demo to a fully playable, free Web game. Stackopolis is surprisingly simple to play: Just click on blocks to move them into the target configuration for each of the 20 unique levels.
Street Fighter Online — I just came across this multiplayer, online version of Capcom's X-Men vs. Street Fighter arcade game and it looks very impressive. Available as a Shockwave version to play in a browser, or as a download in executable form, Street Fighter Online features a chat room interface for creating and joing...
Submachine — Point-and-click fans, this next game has you written all over it. Submachine is a relatively easy game of the escape-the-room variety that will engage your puzzle-solving skills for about 10-15 minutes. And if you haven't played this one already, you're in for a simple treat.
Survivoo — One-half interactive story and one-half game, Survivoo is a quirky Japanese Flash piece that is charming, cute, and bizarre. Created by Igawo. Although all the text in the game is Japanese, that doesn't spoil the fun this short little adventure has to offer. Most of the animation speaks for itself. It...
Swarm — Brent Silby has created another fast-paced and addictive arcade game developed entirely in DHTML—generally a combination of JavaScript and CSS—which means there is no additional plug-in required to run the game, just a browser that supports JavaScript (and most of them do nowadays).* Swarm is an action arcade game that is...
Tactics Arena Online — From Digital Seed Entertainment comes Tactics Arena Online (TAO), a turn based strategy game the likes of Final Fantasy. By commanding an army of characters on a battlefield, your goal is to decimate your opponents team in a battle of weapons and abilities.
Tanks — Tanks features classic projectile gameplay in a Flash game package that ups the ante with tank, ammo and weapon upgrades, and even multiplayer action to boot.
TCB Museum — From the creator of Treasure Box—an engaging and clever interactive Flash puzzle that showcases the author's artistic talents—comes another such piece with a clearer objective than its predecessor. Created by Wada che Nanahiro, TCB Museum stands for Things Came Up to My Brain Museum, and just as the name implies, it...
Texas Hold'em — With Texas Hold'em poker games being all the rage these days, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to avoid seeing a game being played on ESPN, across the street, or even on Wisteria Lane. (Very Funny) Texas Hold'em is a straightforward Flash poker game that offers standard play against computer opponents.
The Ball Game — UK vacuum sweeper manufacturer, Dyson, has just released a new Flash game to promote their brand new line of cleaners. Similar in quality to their Telescope game previously highlighted here, The Ball Game is an action arcade game in which the player guides a yellow ball to the goal in...
The Bugs are coming! — Oh My God! The Bugs are Coming! is quite a large name for such a small Flash game, and yet the name fits the theme of this game well. Created by Tonypa, this game features lots of creepy crawlers that move across the screen with uncomfortable realism. The object of...
The Casino — Always hot or cold, feast or famine around here while in search of those hard-to-find and yet worth-the-effort casual Web games to satisfy one's need for escape. Anode and Cathode, that very talented French duo responsible for many hours lost inside their previous point-and-click adventures, have done it again. The Casino is...
The CCL Game — This action puzzle game uses physics as the basis for its gameplay. There is a package that must get to the exit of each level. In construction set style, utilize a palette of contraptions to build a system that moves the package to its final destination.
The Dark Complex — Almost a year ago, Jonathan May of Wooly Thinking released on the Web a fantastic puzzle game called The Dark Room. It featured a 3-dimensional square room from which the player had to escape by solving puzzles. It was an instant hit and it remains one of my all-time favorite Flash games, ever. Well, he's done it again!
The Doors — You don't know where you are, and you don't know what you're doing there. You just know you have to get out. Such is the scenario that The Doors drops you into when this excellent point-and-click adventure game begins. Truly one of the best of its kind.
The Enigma Puzzle — The Enigma Puzzle is a sequence of riddles played in the same way as other games like it: Each of its 33 levels presents an HTML page with clues that you must use to figure out how to get to the next one. Use any tool at your disposal, including a text editor, graphics program, calculator, media player, and especially your browser's View Source function.
The ESP Game — From Carnegie Mellon University comes this multiplayer Java applet simply called: The ESP Game. The game requires you to register and sign in, and then it pairs you up with an anonymous partner for a round of ten images. You have two minutes and thirty seconds (2:30) with which to agree...
The Everglow — Polyphonic Spree did it with Quest for the Rest, and now a band called Mae is promoting their soon-to-be-released album, The Everglow, with a brand new Flash game. The Everglow mixes original music from the band's new album with several short games to provide an entertaining interactive experience. Included is a...
The Goat in the Grey Fedora — The Goat in the Grey Fedora is a strange and offbeat point-and-click adventure with a black and white film-noir atmosphere. The game's highpoint is definitely its sense of humor. Not only that, but it has an actual plotline, which, as the title implies, has to do with a goat. In a grey fedora.
The House — Built in 1970, and deserted some time after that, no one has entered the house since the entire family committed suicide due to reasons unknown. Point-and-click your way through The House to unfold the mystery of what really happened to that fateful fictitious family. Best viewed alone, late at night, in the dark, and with the sound turned up.
The Machine — No one is likely to argue that games contain art, for games today are created by whole teams of artists as well as engineers. The works produced by these artisans often exceed our expectations and the standards set by previous works, and/or change our perception of what a game can...
The Museum — The Museum is an adventure from French design team Anode & Cathode, and is one part mystery and one part figure out what the object of the game is. Your task is to collect the objects you find while exploring the museum and, well, put them back where they belong.
The Seven Noble Kinsmen — Well, the folks at the BBC are building themselves quite a reputation. All the point-and-click games they turn out are just golden. And The Seven Noble Kinsmen is no exception; possibly their best work yet. SNK is a murder mystery in six (6) acts. Look for new acts to be unlocked November 14, 21, 30, and December 6, and 13.
The Stone of Anamara — The Stone of Anamara is a creepy point-and-click adventure game, created by Gabriel Rodriguez, that spans multiple chapters. In this first chapter, you uncover the story behind the asylum doctor, Alexander Graves, and the mysterious illness of one of his patients.
The Unforgiven Room — The opening scenario of Unforgiven Room is a nod to Takagi-san's original escape-the-room games, Crimson Room and Viridian Room, in which you wake up with a headache and can't remember a thing, nor even where you are. Such is the begining of a classic escape-the-room adventure.
The Wand House — For all you point-and-clickers out there: You know who you are! The Wand House is a mysterious game with puzzles so difficult, I was unable to get through it all before posting it here for you to try.
The Way Home — The fresh scent of spring drifts in on the breeze through the curtains as they flap themselves loose from a long winter's nap. It's a glorious day, the birds are singing, and all the animals are out to play. While out for a stroll, the neighborhood squirrel finds herself leaping from rooftop to window ledge, following a trail of apples on The Way Home.
Thump! — More excellent Flash from GotUsed and SUNY Buffalo, this self-proclaimed old-school racing game is just the ticket to prepare for hitting the road and getting an early start on the weekend. Thump! is a super van course racer with over 10 courses to unlock in races against the clock. Simply enter...
Toby's games — Toby Godden, of Vibration13.com, has made available two different games that are both worth playing: Virus and Treasure Hunt. Virus is composed of several puzzles that you must solve separately and together to win the game. In other words, the answers you gain from one may be used to solve another. Virus...
Tork — Can you torque the talk? In this Flash game from 2002, your spacecraft crash lands on an alien planet, and in order to escape you must observe the culture and learn a new language to communicate with the inhabitants of this alien world. Tork is remarkable in its originality and design,...
Toulouse — Toulouse is played with three to five human or computer players, and a well designed interface and beautiful presentation make this web-based version user friendly and highly enjoyable. The folks at AsoBrain.com have also recently added the option of playing with up to two expansions to the original board game, making this as involved a Carcassonne experience as one could hope for.
Translymania! — In Translymania, you play as a cute little vampire whom is trying to get some rest. Unfortunately for you, those pesky villagers are up to their antics again and have invaded your castle. They are milling about everywhere and disturbing your sleep. Use your vamptastic powers to turn them all into the undead, and return to your coffin before sunrise.
Travelogue — In Travelogue, another Flash escape-the-room game, you find yourself in a hotel room far from where you'd like to be. Use what resources are available to navigate around the area and locate items and clues that you can use to help you escape. Most of the puzzles are logical in design,...
Troyis — An action puzzle Flash game played with knight moves from the game of Chess, Troyis is a new casual Web game created and designed by Guillem de San Pedro of Spain.
Twin Spin — From the excellent French Flash games site, Globz.com, comes this creative action arcade game with a unique and addictive gameplay mechanic. The object of Twin Spin is to 'walk' a baton around the play field and explode all of the balloons that exist for each level.
Twin Spin II — Just when you thought you had mastered the art of walking a stick, with a ball on each end, in a straight line across the screen using only one button, the folks at GlobZ release 40 new and more difficult levels for you to waddle through. Twin Spin II is excellent...
Twin Spin III — One of my favorite mini-games from Globz gets another sequel: Twin Spin III picks-up where the first two left off, continuing the same addictive gameplay formula with 24 all-new levels. The core gameplay mechanic consists of clicking the mouse button (or space bar) to 'walk' a baton around the play field and explode all of the balloons that exist for each level.
Twinoo — Which side are you: right-brain or left-brain dominant? While right-brain dominant people use their intuition and emotions to guide their decisions, left-brain dominant folks are more sequential and time-oriented in their approach. Perhaps you are middle-brain dominant, meaning that you vacillate between the two hemispheres when making decisions. If unsure,...
TylerK's Picross — Picross is pixel painting for the logic minded. The recent entry for Alien in the Room: Reloaded had a puzzle in it that was called Picross. This entry is for everyone who enjoyed that puzzle. If you have also enjoyed the Sudoku and logic puzzle games, TylerK's Picross offers a visual twist.
Unlock — Unlock is a unique little puzzle game in which you must unlock the secrets of each stage to advance to the next. Some stages are easy, while others are maddening difficult. This game will tease your brain and test your patience and resolve.

Another game designed by Uminin of Flash...
Urban Dead — Urban Dead is a fantastic and superbly original MMOG that was created a few months ago by Kevan Davis, and which currently has around 85,000 registered players. To put it simply: it is a text-based zombie survival game that runs in any browser.
Vampire Boy — From Robotduck comes this delightfully original and fiendishly challenging platformer with a sweet Halloween theme. Run and jump around platforms while avoiding enemies to grab all the candy on each level. And since Villiam is a vampire, he can turn into a bat and fly for a short duration, except that he needs candy to fuel his flight.
Virtual Magic Kingdom — Lately I have been hearing about Disney's new Shockwave-based MMOG, the Virtual Magic Kingdom, and so I decided to create an account and check it out. The online game is presently in beta, and for a limited time anyone can set up an account and join in the fun for...
War of the Worlds — Foolish it is to believe ours is the only planet in the universe that is home to intelligent life. I have always believed that we are not alone. But what hope do we have against any potential hostilities from another planet if we are still killing each other here at...
Warehouse — Warehouse is an online remake of an offline remake of an online game, the original of which was called the Kung Fu Packing Crate Maze and was a computer generated game by the Atlanta-area eccentric, James W. Stephens.
Web Sudoku — Sudoku is a popular puzzle game in Japan that has been spreading throughout the rest of the world lately. Similar in form to a crossword puzzle, the game is played using numbers only. There is no math involved, just the correct placement of the digits, one (1) through nine (9),...
Whale-Flip! — In a plea to save the whales, Greenpeace has posted this cute and delightful Flash game on its website for the world to play. Whale-Flip! puts you in control of two (2) different whales on a cooperative mission to rid the waters of the nasty polluting submarines.
Winter Tales — Winter Tales is a classic game of construct-a-path using the pieces given and all within a time limit. I have seen games like this use pipes and others use train tracks. In this case, you are laying tracks in the snow for a jolly snowman on cross-country skis, go figure.
Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates — Arrrr, Matey! To celebrate International Talk Like A Pirate Day, I thought I would take this here opportunity to direct you to an excellent downloadable game that's been entertaining gamers of all ages for a couple of years. Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates is a massively multiplayer online game world in which players take to the high seas to compete for pirate booty.
Zombie Romp — A recent addition to David Thorburn's Teagames.com website, Zombie Romp is a 2D side-scrolling melee shooter the likes of which are beyond this world. The object of this simple shooter is to stay alive by shooting zillions of zombies and battling a battalion of bats.