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Flash Focus


Weewar: Turn-Based Strategy in Your Browser

By Shaun Hatton - June 19th, 2008

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I’ve recently started playing a game of Weewar over at weewar.com (where else?). It’s a browser-based war game written in JavaScript and HTML that you can play with both friends and strangers. There’s a tonne of maps to choose from, plus you can also make your own.

Like most turn-based games, the goal is to capture all the bases on the map and vanquish your enemies. To do this, you have a slew of different infantry units at your disposal, provided you have the funds to pay for them. Funds are attained at the start of each turn and that’s determined by how many bases you control.

The playing field is comprised of a series of hexagonal spaces, and infantry units can move in any of the six directions provided they have the range to do so and there’s nothing blocking their path (such as mountainous terrain).

When you start off playing Weewar, you’re given 1500 points. Depending on your win/loss record, these points will either go up or down. You can even check the online Leaderboard to see how your compare to the top players.

If you want to play a game against, me, invite Megashaun to a new battle.

And of course, since it’s browser-based, you can play it while at work. I’m looking at you, Goverment of Canada employees.

Check it out: http://weewar.com/


FLASH FOCUS
Patapon In Your Browser

By Shaun Hatton - April 2nd, 2008

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Intrigued by the world of Patapon but don’t have a PSP? Not a problem!

A few weeks ago, I played Patapon for the first and only time, and it was wonderful. So wonderful, in fact, that I’ve now put the PSP on my list of things that I need to get. Just for this game? No, but Patapon has pushed me of the fence.

While Bugsy did write a comprehensive review of the Patapon experience, there’s just some things that can’t be put into words. One of these things is the joy of actually playing the game and taking in the sights and sounds for yourself.

Sony Europe has put up a site promoting the game. Although this is just a simplified Flash version of the game with predetermined notes (as opposed to giving you the option of what chants to, er, chant), it does a good job of scraping the surface of what Patapon feels like. Check it out. It rocks.

LINK: patapon-game.com


FLASH FOCUS
Off Road Velociraptor Safari

By Shaun Hatton - March 27th, 2008

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This image just about says it all.

While technically not a Flash game, Off Road Velociraptor Safari is a game you can choose to play in your browser (with the unity web player) or you can run it right from your desktop.

The game involves you playing as a velociraptor while driving around in a Jeep. The object? Do stunts and kill other velociraptors. Sounds ludicrous enough as it is, but there’s more to it. You can kill the poor dinos by running into them or you can pull out a giant spiked ball-and-chain melee weapon and drag their carcasses around after you’ve run through them with it.

For a web game, it certainly boasts some impressive PlayStation One-era graphics and some very cool physics effects, too. Parts of your vehicle fall off with the damage you take, and the raptor carcasses behave realistically enough to make you kind of feel bad for hitting them.

LINK: Off Road Velociraptor Safari


FLASH FOCUS
The World’s Hardest Game

By Shaun Hatton - March 26th, 2008

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A screencap of the first level of The World’s Hardest Game. Seems easy enough.

While no one could ever really know which game is technically the “World’s Hardest,” this flash game is titled just that. Jorge sent me the link to this the other night and I had my sound system turned off. But when I checked it out today I was greeting by some sweet dance grooves while trying to navigate the delightfully simple red square through a room full of moving hazards.

The game has a cool premise: Tell players they will fail, enticing them to prove you wrong. But the game actually is pretty hard and requires a great deal of dexterity in addition to puzzle solving skills. Think of it as an action-puzzler.

For the record, Jorge is better at this game than I am. I’m stuck on the fifth stage but I don’t care. I’m just grooving along to the music.

LINK: The World’s Hardest Game


FLASH FOCUS
Boxhead The Zombie Wars

By Shaun Hatton - March 21st, 2008

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Sean Cooper’s Boxhead series has always been awesome. The Zombie Wars is no exception.

If you’ve ever played any of the Boxhead zombie survival games, you’ll know that they’re absolutely awesome. If you haven’t played them, well, now you know they’re awesome. As far as Flash games go, Sean Cooper’s Boxhead series is about as good as you can expect in terms of gameplay and utter brutality.

In The Zombie Wars, you take on hordes of lurching, blocky zombies through a series of levels (each with different difficulty settings). Zombies fall and leave glorious trails of blood behind them. You’ll also come across helpful weapons upgrades to aid in your desperate fight.

LINK: Boxhead The Zombie Wars