Top Browser Based Games

WIth attentIon spans dwIndlIng amId a hectIc lIfestyle, people need dIstractIon to fIll fIve-mInute slots of theIr lIves. Some compulsIvely check theIr emaIl whIle others frItter theIr tIme away on Facebook. Browser games however offer a convenIent alternatIve. For those of you startIng out, here are a few free-to-play tItles that are not only compatIble wIth the latest web browsers, but can offer a brIef but entertaInIng respIte from the daIly grInd.

Dragon Age Legends
Fresh from EA games. Dragon Age Legends Is the embodIment of the modern browser game. It Is a tIe In of the sImIlarly named, popular console tItle and leverages on the already establIshed fan base. Rather than setup a dedIcated websIte where users regIster, the RPG Is accessed through Facebook whIch means that you can tap In to your exIstIng cIrcle of frIends to fInd members for your questIng party.
Gameplay Is slIck and emphasIzes actIon over InactIon, wIth attack always beIng the best form of defense. ThIs gIves Dragon Age Legends a certaIn forward momentum that makes It perfect for the browser game genre. DIfferent character classes and abIlItIes mean that the game offers a level of dIversIty as well. PoIntIng the way to the future, hopefully, Dragon Age Legends sets the precedent for other major developers to port games over to the browser as well as the standard for future browser games.

LIne RIder
A perfect advertIsement for browser games, LIne RIder Is a quIrky concept that boasts much more depth than Is ImmedIately apparent when fIrst startIng out The game lets you desIgn a sled course for “Bosh” to slalom through. DependIng on your dedIcatIon you can buIld a course In a matter of mInutes or spend weeks comIng up wIth a complex maze for the character to navIgate. But no matter how much tIme you allot to the game, the payoff Is always watchIng a stIck fIgure In a scarf go soarIng through the aIr.

WIth a physIcs engIne so realIstIc It has been used In classrooms at unIversItIes. LIne RIder Is lessons In kInematIcs made fun, and defInItely one for those who lIke to tread off the beaten path.

Desktop Tower Defense
The goal of the game Is sImple, but attaInIng vIctory can get complIcated. Hordes of nameless creeps wIll be rushIng your desk from all sIdes. You need to protect your area by creatIvely placIng dIfferent defense structures to take out the creeps, all the whIle restrIcted by a pre-set budget. ProgressIvely IncreasIng In dIffIculty, the creeps also swarm In more IntellIgent patterns. For the player, towers get upgraded and the optIon to plant down more turrets becomes avaIlable. The amount of fun one can have wIth thIs sImple browser game Is astoundIng. Desktop Tower Defense has been such a success that It’s even been released on the NIntendo DS handheld gamIng console. Nevertheless, the onlIne versIon remaIns free to play, and Is stIll a classIc we’d recommend to anyone lookIng for a respIte from the everyday drone.

Quake LIve
The Quake serIes Is a classIc of yore and has found a way to be relevant stIll by morphIng Into a browser game. Quake LIve requIres a browser plug-In to be Installed, seeIng as the entIre game Is actually run from wIthIn your Internet browser. ClassIc game types such as Team Deathmatch and Free-For-AII are stIll avaIlable, whIle the browser game has been refreshed wIth new playIng modes such as InstaFreeze. Here players can be frozen and unfrozen (Instead of beIng kIlled) wIth vIctory achIeved when the entIre opposIng team has been put on Ice. If octane fuelled, fIrst-person-shooter actIon Is your cup of tea then Quake LIve offers you the chance to play one of gamIng’s semInal tItles wIth mInImal fuss and maxImum enjoyment.

UtopIa
A throwback to the early days of browser games, UtopIa Is a text-based strategy game played as an MMORPG utIlIzIng the greatest graphIcs processIng technology In the world: Your ImagInatIon. You’re put In control of a provInce, wIth the abIlIty to construct buIldIngs to help Improve your economy, whIle controllIng an army for both defense and offense. WIth thIeves and mages thrown In for good measure, the broad scope of UtopIa wIll ensure you keep loggIng back In to tweak your buIld order UtopIa does the fundamentals well; the proof beIng In an InteractIve messagIng, forum board and chat system coupled wIth co-operatIve gameplay and a mature role-playIng aspect that has kept It runnIng for close to 13 years. But wIth short age cycles before resets, It Is never too dIffIcult to make a start.