MMObility: The Chromebook 'All In One' project - Ten pseudo-MMOs

So here we are at the second-to-last installment of my Chromebook All-In-One experiment. This will be the last time I give you a list of games that work well on the Samsung Chromebook, but always keep in mind that some of the other Chromebooks, especially the Samsung 5 550, have more power and do not use an ARM-based chip. What does that mean? Well, some services like NetFlix will not work on an ARM-based machine yet. Spacetime Studios' cache of browser-based titles will not work on this Chromebook yet as well. Don't worry, it's coming soon. Imagine the ARM Chromebook as a tablet with a keyboard attached... it's not a normal netbook or notebook.

I also wrote up my wife's take on the Chromebook over at my personal blog. Be sure to check that out. She has been the perfect guinea pig as she pushes devices to their limits, and so the Chromebook has been getting heavy use from her and working wonderfully. Next week, my last installment of this series will be a video and article combo that covers the good and bad of the device, along with my final thoughts.

Until then, though, click past the cut and enjoy my list of pseudo-MMOs. These are games that don't quite fit into the MMO category but have a multiplayer aspect to them!

Farm Kingdom is cutesy, sure, and it reminds me a lot of those social farm games that shall not be named, but it's still intriguing for some reason. There are layers of depth to the game and a social mechanic -- including chat -- that gives it a good pseudo-MMO feel.

Fallen London, a text-based game, has been around for a while but it still perplexes me. You take the role of... different people as you explore a semi-nightmarish landscape that feels like some sort of fairy tale. Everything is based in text and you operate by dealing cards or performing missions. You can have a home and equipment, so it's a lot like playing a cool board game remotely with friends. The game has branched off to include an entire game-making system, so players can sign up and make their own worlds. At the least, this game is super interesting.

Aww, Lagoonia. It's like a trip to a desert island, surround by light blue water and endless sand. That is until your annoying spouse shows up and starts whining about wanting to have a child. Other than that, the game offers a social connectivity that allows you to visit other player's islands and help them out with projects. Sure, you can build a nice treehouse and try and raise a family or you can just hang out and try and survive. It really is a pretty game and has lovely sounds and music. It's sort of a single-player sandbox with multiplayer interactions.

Die2Nite is simply one of my favorite games ever, regardless of genre or operating system. What's so great about it is that much of the fear you will feel, a lot of the thrills you will get and a lot of the intrigue in the game comes from such simple mechanics. It's your job to help out a town filled with up to 40 other players. Each day you must go out and gather materials to build traps or other defenses or else you will fall victim to a horde of zombies. That horde comes every day at 5:00 p.m. EST. The site literally shuts down for 10 minutes while the undead rampage and when it comes back up you find out if you or your townmates survived another day. It's an amazing and often cut-throat game.

I'm intrigued by Forge of Empires, a very successful social game by Innogames. It's like a city-builder, but it's meant for casual-hardcore players. you will raise an army, conquer areas and get to know your neighbors but if you'd like you can simply trade and help out friends. It's not as complex as many MMORTS titles, but it's relaxing and fun to play. You can do it all with a few minutes a day.

I just recently streamed this game, so take a look if you are interested. WarMage Battlegrounds is a turn-based, squad-based game for tabletop lovers. You build a simple squad of five units, but add in spells, scrolls and all of the many combinations of troops and you have the recipe for much more depth. I love how Burst Entertainment has grown, and have enjoyed watching all of the patches roll out for this title.

Fallen Sword is an unusual take on the classic RPG model. You move around a pretty basic map and attack different creatures, outfit your hero, and perform quests. There is a strong community element but you won't be involved in the same way as you would with a standard MMO. My only problem with this one is that no matter the browser, it resets the screen every time you change out a weapon or do something different to your character. That screen-flash gets really annoying.

Iron Helmet Games is series of titles is for multiple players, but only a handful can play together at a time. Still, you'll find some intriguing strategy and super fun bits of board-game inspired gameplay with this publisher. I recommend Jupiter's Folly, although it does take a while to understand how to play.

I first discovered Poptropica, a fun little MMO, way back at GDC Online a few years ago. It's a kid's game for sure, but there are some neat puzzles and physics-based platforming to be played with. You can easily decorate your avatar, play for free for a while and eventually join up to save the character. This is the game I go to whenever I want to test out devices in a store. If they can load and run this game (because it does not require a password to try it out) then I know it's good.

Stardrift Empires is a very unique, slow-moving MMO that is found on Syfy Games. It comes from the school of "set it and forget it" that allows you to go on a mission, start building something or do other tasks and come back later to see what happened. It can be a very sluggish game but is good for lunch-break sessions or as part of a 12-tab epic playing session. It's sort of an MMORTS with a social tint.

Enjoy the list, and remember that even though I have listed 30 titles for you over this last month there are many, many titles out there that can be enjoyed on a Chromebook. I didn't even touch completely single-player games or social games, so be sure to check those out if you need something else to do. Next week I will be back with a wrap-up to my Chromebook All-In-One project, so be sure to tune in!

Each week in MMObility, Beau Hindman dives into the murky waters of the most accessible and travel-friendly games around, including browser-based and smartphone MMOs. Join him as he investigates the best, worst, and most daring games to hit the smallest devices! Email him suggestions, or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.