It started innocently enough with a couple of Flash puzzle games, the first couple in the previous post, used to exercise the mind and improve skills (Games as Learning). I thought they were good, simple addictive games that exercised mental skills, they have the kind of basic graphics I'd always expected from web games, except crazy cube looks a little better, but they are nothing on what is out there now for Flash games as I discovered. Note I've seen impressive Flash movies before but never the graphical standard that some of these games have.
Now it has grown into a full-blown addiction for the last couple of days progressing through shooters to beat em ups and really novel Flash games, it's really surprising how far web games have come, they could even compete with traditional programmed games, and this may be a quicker and easier way of expressing new game ideas than traditional programming, not saying Flash is easy.
The "basic" graphical standard is good. I'm going to need to use new expressions for standards. V.basic graphics, ones which look a bit rough, would be a game like "Yellow Out", but a game can still be "basic" and have a good graphical style. In fact the definition of a webgame might be "basic and fun". They are fun addictive games though some are graphically amazing for Flash games. More to the point though it's the innovation that even the basic flash games allow which is more important.
So I thought I'd list some sites and individual games with one line explanations.
I'll start where I started which is, Portal sites:
http://www.2dplay.com/
It has most basic flash games and some fun ones. This site also has a Highscore table where you can store all the highscores from all the games you played after you log in.
http://www.flashportal.com/
Obviously. This is probably the best one. It has the best Flash games and movies as a top 50 list so may be the better place to go for the higher graphical ones.
http://www.rustyarcade.com/
is another.
http://www.offthewrist.com/
This one has more paying games and more for download ratherthan web play but check the Bod series of games, it could have been a Wii game.
Companies:
http://www.xgenstudios.com/
A company website but they also have one of the better multiplayer stick man games: Check Stick Arena. It may be stick men but it's not a basic graphics style.
Finally this individual has done some of the best games:
http://www.dxinteractive.com/
They're all good.
Try Mindless
Fixed point 1st person Shooter those furry things aren't so cute..
Electricman 2
Brilliant Stick man fighting game set in an arena, with Matrix moves.
Missile Game 3d
There have been games like this for a while but usually they involve flying a ship down a tunnel with you focusing on the ship, this time you are the missile flying face first through. It's much more immerse with a very simple but effective clean cut graphical style. Try your reflexes.
Individual games: Innovation
Draw to Play
Very innovative puzzle game with a stickman - I've never seen mouse control and key control of a character used like this before.
Stick Mess
Cartoon style movie like game - using Quick Timer Events for play - could be longer but still interesting.
Mouse Avoider
Very simple mouse controlled game. Flash games suit using the actual mouse pointer as the playing object.
Manuvr
A bit like snakes with a ball and gravity planets. Could be a little less harsh on chucking back to the main menu on death.
3D Missile
Reactions Game. It's mentioned above but deserves to be here too. Make sure to check out the others by the same guy.
Squares 2
Reactions Game. Perfect for clubbers. Brilliant game, very clean graphic style and the Music fits perfectly, it even slows down the sound in slowmo moments. This could be said to be like snakes with it's theme of greed, eventually killing you. Another mouse pointer one except move your ever growing square around collecting Black and avoiding Red. Black circles give benefits. It gets real fast.
Flash Ball
War of the balls really - bounce the opponent ball into the side walls to harm them.
Crazy Chess
I'm not usually a fan of Alt chess games, but this will make you learn to think of Knight moves very fast. It moves in real time using only the Knight.
Seen before but with twist:
Bass Invaders
Another music one. If you like Space Invaders and club music together then this is for you. Puts a twist on the usual space invaders by having an invading force circling your planet, but they only move to the sound of the beat :)
Orbit
Gravity game, there are tons of these but this ones done nicer in my view.
Fly chopstick
I'm going to put this here too, because even though this is very simple mechanic it's one of the better done ones in graphics and style. And it's damn hard.
The Last Stand
One of the better Zombie shooters with a bit of tactics inbetween.
Smash2
Pong with a twist, you can use force with the mouse to smack the ball harder.
RTS:
xenotactic
For people who REALLY LOVE turrets.
These are the more innovative games above, there are tons of other standard webgames which follow a basic game mechanic and have no depth, I could probably list them all here - like hold the mouse button to boost while scrolling sideways, perhaps they just don't appeal to me but I've not included this in those above as they are the same types of games we've seen before, but some put a innovative fresh face or theme on them which can work as well e.g
Seen before, but nice theme:
Tadpole
This one makes you care a little bit about the tadpole (in this case it would be nice if the tadpole spawned into something else and the game became different).
Bowman
Is another example - a take turn, set angle and power shoot game, it has a nice style though and I've never seen one shooting birds. It would be better if it could be played multiplayer across the net, though there's not much depth. Orbit could be here as well, even if it is above, a simple gravity shooting the ball around planets.
Then there are those old classics, fully fledged games, which have been re imaged, everyone knows Space Invaders, Pong and Defenders. Some are straight re imaged clones like below. Others are clones with a twist like some above.
Cosmic Defender
A defender clone obviously but it bought me back to Amiga days.
More on that later.
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Update: Then of course there's http://www.newgrounds.com. I actually bought Alien Homid for Xbox with out knowing anything about Newgrounds or the Flash game before it. I thought the Xbox game had an interesting style so obviously the rest of the stuff based on it is interesting to. I played Newgrounds Rumble a few days ago which is probably what prompted this whole post about great graphics in flash games, then I find it comes from the same source :~) I just had a go at Dad 'n Me, and they're worried about the game Bully?? :) still it's good so play it. This is Newgrounds history, I signed up on the site now so we'll see where it goes from there.
