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Casual Online Gamers Thrill to Pajitnov Puzzle Games
Thanks to Wired for its article discussing the rise of casual, Web-based online gaming from websites such as EA's Pogo.com and Microsoft's Zone.com. Particularly interesting is confirmation of post-Pandora's Box projects for an extremely famous game designer: "Today, Tetris is the model for how to reach the increasing number of middle-aged and elderly Americans online. The creator, Alexey Pajitnov, is a designer at Microsoft, where Gates & Co. are hoping he can repeat his magic." The piece names Zone.com games Mozaki Blocks and Hexic as Pajitnov creations, although they're not heavily promoted as such, and explains of Mozaki Blocks: "MSN's marketing team took Pajitnov's Atari 2600-style lo-res math game and sexed it up with an Eastern flair: smooth, rounded tiles, Chinese letters... [and] a gong-shaped progress bar."
How could these games compare against Cat-A-Pult
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Bite Me Fanboy!!
Doesn't work in firefox. :(
Just what every game need; gong-shaped progress bars really make a game play much better.
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People can add all the bells and whistles they want. If I run down a list of the games I've personally enjoyed the most recently it'll include games such as Wario Ware and Puyo Puyo Fever, a notoriously simple concept brilliantly executed.
The most successful Puzzle games have always stuck to this concept, from Tetris to Puyo Puyo, the limited options and emphasis on pattern and formation with multiple routes to the desired goal can flesh out something that doesn't require the player to remember complex keyboard layouts or button combos. Instead the only limits in place are the logic functions of the Human mind.
This formula (of very simple gameplay) has worked great for my game: http://www.sporecubes.com
;-)
At first glance it may look plain, or you might toss it off as a "Collapse" clone, (my game pre-dates Collapse by about 8 months). The formula is getting people to "try just one more time". At first, it seems just too easy. You click blocks and they disappear. So what right? but then it's when you get to the last remaining blocks and you realize that you f*d up, and you couldn't possibly clear them all out, that you instinctively get the urge to try again, because now you know if you plan ahead you could do better. But ah, chances are you still won't clear the playfield. The player starts another game. And another... and another...
Despite how low-key this game is, I have a loyal following of players addicted to it and still playing even though it was first released in 1999.
So I tried to play the games, right? The first page says I need IE, flash player and win98, and I'm like "yeah whatever", then the page says "you do not have flash player 7". Sure I don't (I do). Then the game doesn't load. Riight.
When you look at the state of the world, how can you not become a radical, liberal anarchist?
Furthermore, adding cruft is not sexy. Removing it is. The fourth generation corvette was a piece of crap and the fifth generation has half the parts count yet has more power, better handling, and a body that creates downforce - now that's sexy. And let's not forget the increased sexual allure of a human in the post weight-loss state... The only think you can add to make someone sexier besides makeup (and that only works in low light) is alcohol. Adding graphics to a compelling puzzle game usually fucks it all up.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Tahya al-Moqawama al-Iraqiya!
Death to America! Ten thousand have died in Iraq, and ten million will die soon in America! We do not forget what has happened, and we will make sure the Americans never forget the day they decided to set foot in our lands!
Tahya al-Moqawama al-Iraqiya!
Tahya al-Moqawama al-Iraqiya!
Long live the Resistance in Iraq!