Only two more weeks to go (after this) to get through all the entrants in the Independent Games Festival. You’ll miss it when we’re done. But till then, suck it up, and get ready for the next batch of free browser games that you can play and judge. Although your judgment – like mine – will have no bearing on the actual winners.
Perhaps you should warm up by looking at our previous coverage of the IGF nominees here or here or even here.
Truth be told, entries 150-200 were underwhelming. There were a few unfinished or nonplayable games that drew my attention though.
There is Lose/Lose that you can download and shoot aliens that are actually representation of files on your computer that get deleted when you kill them. It’s not only a terrible idea, but I think they’re trying to teach me something about the consequences of violence, and nothing angers me more than people trying to teach me a lesson via video game.
Strangely enough, the next game that made me look twice was Matches & Matrimony, a game that has you making one of only a few choices offered women in Jane Austen novels. I imagine that the ultimate goal is to marry Mr. Darcy, because he’s so damn dreamy. I’ll play that game any day, thank you very much.
Then there were a trio of social games. I thought about signing up for My Tiny Planets, but worried Chris Hansen might jump out of my computer and start asking me unanswerable questions before the cops threw me to the ground. I looked at Onverse but wasn’t happy with my style choices and moved on to Papermint. This one was more up my alley but didn’t want to give them my email address to sign up. All I need are daily reminders that my avatar is woefully lacking social connections. Because that’s so unlike reality.
The only no-commitment-necessary titles were simple puzzle games. Night of the Scarecrows looks like a million other Tetris style games. Only here you have to burn creatures in groups of three as they unrelentingly descend. Paranormal Puzzle Society was only slightly better, but the individual games seemed too short to keep me playing. And, no, it’s not because I wasn’t good at the game. That’s just not a possibility.
So, since none of the games really wowed me this week, there is no winner. Instead you should just go to Atari.com and check out the classic games they have to play for free. As God as my witness, Yar will have his revenge.
Enjoy.
This article appears in November 20 • 2009.
