By : Roy Nanatro
Today’s featured flash games variety is pretty arbitrary. As a matter of fact, one could argue that lists are always wide, no matter how supposedly random the items may be: if a gamer is involved in the process, items are always picked following some kind of criterion, which may or may not be conscious. Therefore, allow me to rephrase and let’s see what my subconscious may have in store.
Swords and Sandals 3 was picked out of sheer curiosity, I assume. There is a whole “Gladiator” or “Spartacus” vibe to this title: you select your own gladiator and clash an undefined group of slaves/gladiators not unlike yourself, until you feel fortunate enough to defy a higher-level combatant. However, “choose” maybe too lax a term: you actually manufacture your fighter. You define your avatar’s height, weight, skin color and hair fashion, among others, and buy clothes and arsenal for him according to your funds. Fights consist in each player taking turns at attacking or taking a defensive stand, which implies the need for a certain strategy in order to win. Something radically different from the usual: just clicking all buttons at the same time, hoping to hit some kind of combo.
Atlantis 2009 was certainly picked for looking similar to anime series Macross (a personal favorite). Graphics is excellent, you can swap among different weapons and upgrade them, and if you run out of ammo in the middle of a fight, you can always go back to your space station for some more. The real challenge of the game, in my opinion, is mastering the controls, since both mouse (for aiming and shooting) and keyboard (for movement) come into play. In this case, having a laptop may turn out to be a great drawback.
The title Pong 2 was probably chosen as respect to its predecessor, retro game pioneer Pong. The title has four different levels, with three levels of difficulty, but even the normal/easy one is pretty challenging. The bar is controlled by your mouse, making it ultra precise – and extra fast, which may take a little time getting used to.
When looking at my picks, I realized that in an honest effort to produce a random list, I had come up with a definite pattern: variety. One action title, one shooting title and one classic title. What was I missing? Something completely different.
Rag-doll Goalie is one of the most untraditional, utterly fun free games I have ever played. As the name suggests, you control a goalkeeper, who happens to be a rag-doll. That means that you have to literally throw the goalie from one side to the other hopeful to connect with the ball and stop your rivals from scoring. Timing is a difficult thing and therein lies the real challenge; on the other hand, once you get the hang of it, you can see how many times in a row you can stop the row.
So, perhaps variety is not the only pattern: after all, these are four very different AND very amusing flash titles.
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