Casual Encounters--22 Flash Games Worth Getting Addicted To

Posted 01/15/2010 at 8:00am | by Rob Smith

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Drastic Plastic

Rock ‘em, sock ‘em

Save yourself the time searching through boxes of your old toys (or wandering flea markets or browsing eBay) for that Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots box. The controls in Drastic Plastic couldn’t be simpler, with the left- and right-punch mechanic and a “retreat” option, but the ability to upgrade your robot parts using the cash earned winning bouts gives this simple premise significant legs. Cheaper and less breakable than the classic tabletop game! (http://bit.ly/4De9Wc)

Pandemic II

Make your own swine flu

Pick a disease type—virus, bacteria, or parasite—then give it a name and start its spread across the globe! Yes, you’re spreading disease with the goal of infecting everyone on the planet. The disease types have different properties affecting their ability to propagate into new countries. Buying additional properties allows your disease to flourish in the various environments—heat, cold, and more—as you try to infect folks who are traveling, so they can spread it to new continents. (http://bit.ly/JU8g)

Light-Bot

Learn programming routines

Understanding the function process of programming AI routines sounds like it’ll be fun to learn, right? This charming puzzler requires you to give the robot specific process instructions that move him around or over obstacles and then switch a light on at a specific spot. You learn to use function commands to package instructions together as the challenges get more complex. Way more fun than it sounds! (www.kongregate.com/games/Coolio_Niato/light-bot)

The Missile Game 3D

How good is your mouse/eye coordination?

Like all the best Flash games, a simple premise turns out to be incredibly addictive. Using the mouse to move within the tunnel you have to fly between the gaps in plates that block your path. As you gather momentum, each minor move of the mouse can lead to disaster, so it’s important to adjust your mouse response speed to a level that gives you the most precise control. ( www.albinoblacksheep.com/games/missilegame3d)

Dragon Age Journeys

Small-form but still epic RPG

Part promo for the big brother RPG release Dragon Age: Origins, part franchise extension, Journeys shares many of the main game’s mechanics in a really impressive adventure. Set in Ferelden, the game lets you create a character with its own origin story, and just as in the full-fledged PC and console RPG, you’ll chat-up various characters, some of whom will join your quest; you’ll collect and upgrade items and weapons; and you’ll make choices through dialogue options, shaping your own personality and motives. Combat is turn-based on a hex board and requires expert strategizing as well as having bigger weapons and spells than the bad guys. A winner. (www.dragonagejourneys.com)

FlashChess 3

The thinking man’s turn-based strategy

If shooting aliens, launching kittens from cannons, or plucking virtual guitar strings on a keyboard screams a little too much “kid game” for the workplace, most observers will offer an appreciative nod to your refined taste if they spot a chessboard on your screen. Sharpening mental agility by taking on the decent AI (in three difficulty levels), saving your progress, undoing moves are all the features you expect in a chess sim, and here the play is clear, simple, and free. (www.flashchess3.com)