New Game Round Up
The New Year brings loads of great new games for you to play. We pick out the cream of the crop.
There is usually a lull in new game releases in the first few months of the New Year. Game developers, having worked liked madmen to get their titles out in time for the vital pre-Christmas buying frenzy, take time out to do research, brainstorm new ideas and begin work on the next batch of big releases. At least, that is the case in the console and PC game market.
Creators of free online games on the other hand do things very differently. They simply cannot afford to take a break… ever. Think of all those game-plays they would miss out on. Moreover, in the fickle world of online gaming, where consumers have a huge number of games to choose from, a developer that fails to release a game for a few months risks being forgotten.
Published by Tasha on 20th January 2011
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House of Dead Ninjas
Nostalgia alert! House of Dead Ninjas is a fun tribute to the old school 8-bit frantic platformers of the NES era.
Hi-Ya! Ninja-themed games have been a mainstay of console-based gaming since the early days of the Atari 2600 and the beloved NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). Classics such as Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, The Last Ninja, and even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are fondly remembered for their bizarre storylines, hilarious sound effects, and frenetic gameplay.
With House of Dead Ninjas, the latest addition to Adult Swim's sensational collection of free web games, British developer MegaDev brings us a throwback to those days of twitchy reflexes and relentless button mashing.
Published by Sandra Evans on 12th January 2011
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Arkandian Crusade
In something of a change of direction, game developer Undefined's latest title is not another Protector defence game but a retro RPG with a huge quest line.
Arkandian Legends: Crusade is a turn-based RPG from developer Undefined. You may recognise the name Undefined. This is the developer responsible for the hugely popular Protector series of tower defence games. It is no surprise therefore to discover that defence style missions make an appearance in Arkandian Legends: Crusade.
But this is a far more ambitious game than Undefined's previous efforts - it is one of the longest casual RPGs you will find on the web, featuring no less than 60 story quests. And these are in addition to the defence missions mentioned already.
Published by Sandra Evans on 10th January 2011
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Top 10 Gravity Games
The laws of physics might not work as you expect in our list of the ten best gravity-themed games you can play for free online.
Gravity? I have definitely heard of it. Wasn’t there some bright spark who had an epiphany about gravity after something fell on them? That’s it, I remember now. A young physiotherapist called Isabel Newton was minding her own business one day when a resident of a tower block accidentally dropped their iPod out of the window. The iPod landed of Isabel’s head, and she had a sudden revelation that was to have a huge impact on our understanding of the universe: when things fall on your head, they hurt. That’s right, isn’t it? I never paid that much attention in school so I might have the odd detail wrong.
Anyway, the reason we are talking about such a rarefied concept as gravity is that we have collected together ten of the best gravity themed games we could find, all of them free to play in your browser. Be warned, however. Game developers are a mischievous lot who love nothing more than messing around with the basic laws of physics. So gravity in these games might not work quite as you expect.
Published by Tasha on 8th January 2011
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Top 10 Cutest Games
Like a new born kitten or puppy, these unbelievably cute free online games just make you want to go 'awww'.
This a public service announcement. The headquarters of Casual Girl Gamer have suffered a deadly outbreak of the cuteness virus. You are advised to evacuate the area immediately. Whatever you, do not in any circumstance touch any of the games scattered around the site, no matter how enticing they might appear.
These games are dangerous. They are contaminated with the deadly streptocuteus strain. Anyone who comes into contact with the games will instantly be infected with this highly contagious virus. Symptoms of infection include a dumb wide-eyed expression and an inability to say anything other than 'awwww'. You have been warned.
Published by Tasha on 3rd January 2011
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New Game Round-up
We present the last batch of new games from 2010. Enjoy them while you can.
The new year is almost upon us but before the famous annual countdown begins, there is still time for us to squeeze in a few new games from 2010. So just for a few moments, return the bottles of champagne to the icer, take your party shoes off, and settle down on the couch with your laptop, because we are taking you on one last journey through the casual gaming world of 2010.
Along the way you will encounter a city of buildings that make music, one of the most addictive time-management games we've played and a crop of brilliantly inventive platform games. Play them now for very shortly they will be games from the past year, and no self-respecting casual gamer would want to be seen dead playing out-of-date games, would they.
Published by Alex Kearns on 31st December 2010
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Top 10 Reaction Games
If 'lightning fast' is an accurate description of your reactions, you may have a chance with these games. Slow coaches might want to check out our top 10 relaxing games instead.
Are you as quick as a cat, sharp as a tack, loose as a goose? Not really sure what that last one means, actually. Let's start again. Do your lightning-fast, nimble hands make a ninja look like a nincompoop? Is you mind faster than a speeding bullet, yet supple like a...suppley...thing? Well then step right up, because Casual Girl Gamer has brought together a collection of games that require reactions so fast, the movement of your mouse may trigger a sonic boom.
So forget trying to catch a ruler betwixt your thumb and forefinger, or clicking a red box when it goes green. You don't want to do that! Curl yourself up with a large mug of something hot and give your reactions a workout instead with our top ten!
Published by Andy Jowett on 29th December 2010
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Top 10 Christmas Games
Get into the festive spirit with our list of the best ten christmas-themed games you can play online.
It is with great pleasure that we at Casual Girl Gamer wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We're now off to munch mince pies, snigger at grandpa snoring away on the couch, and get jolly on some festive brandy. Five minutes later. Erm, yes, thanks to all our readers who emailed us. We of course consider you part of our extended family and, erm, yes, of course we have some presents for you. No, no, no, we would never dream of not getting you a gift. Who do you think we are?
We, er, just need a few minutes to find them. You see, our cats are very naughty and, er, must have hidden them. You know, like cats do. Several minutes of frantic searching through our filing cabinet of games later. Ah, yes, here they are: ten of the best Christmas themed online games that money can buy, each individually gift-wrapped (honest) by a member of the Casual Girl Gamer team specially for you. Phew, that was a close call. Now, where did I put that brandy...
Published by Tasha on 23rd December 2010
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Games of the Year 2010
Casual Girl Gamer presents her ten favourite online casual games of 2010, and asks readers to share their own most loved games of the year.
Wow. What a year. For online casual games, that is. I can't remember a better year for fans of free online games. Developers like John Cooney, Ivan Miller, Toge Productions, Nerdook... (the list is endless) have been churning out consistently high quality games all year. So much so that it has been almost impossible to keep up with all the great new games coming out (We hope our game lists and new game round-ups have been helping in this respect).
We can only hope that 2011 will match the quality and productivity of 2010. But before we file 2010 away in the dusty folder marked 'past', let's take one last look at some of the great games it produced. Here, we pick our ten favourite online casual games of the year. As usual, we have focused on games that you can play online for free.
Published by Tasha on 19th December 2010
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Top 10 Driving Games
Hit the road Jack! And while you’re at it, why not hit a few zombies too, or blast up some aliens or even drive atop a roller-coaster. If you were expecting some boring driving sims here, think again.
If you are the type who likes your driving games to be as close to real-life as is humanly (computerly!?) possible, then you may want to do an instant hand-break-turn and screech off in the opposite direction as fast as your perfectly rendered car will allow you.
Those however who don’t give a jot about realism but just want to have fun might want to stick around a bit longer. For the developers of these ten games have realised one very important thing; what people want most from a driving game is to do all those things that they are not allowed to in real-life - drive on the wrong side of the road, bash into police cars, mow down zombies, drive your car on a roller-coaster...
Published by Tasha on 15th December 2010
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Game reviews
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Lume
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The Tiny Bang Story
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ClubWorld
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Insectonator
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Developer spotlights
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Jake Elliott
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Con Artist Games
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Gregory Weir
By combining great story-telling with imaginative game worlds, Gregory Weir has created some of the most thought-provoking games on the internet.
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John Cooney
Armor Games' head of game development John Cooney - or jmtb02, as he is better known - is one of the most prolific and imaginative game developers around.
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Evan Miller
In ImmorTall, indie developer Evan Miller created one of the most emotionally moving games to grace the internet. We speak to him about his gaming philosophy and plans for the future.
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Mateusz Skutnik
Mateusz Skutnik is a rarity: a gifted artist who is also a skilled coder. He is responsible for some of the most beautiful casual games on the web.
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