die2nite
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MMObility: Fifty games for the mobile lifestyle
I like lists. Lists help keep my candy-coated brain functioning. I see so many games, devices, and developers that I need to write things down periodically or become lost. Not so long ago I made a list of 25 games for your shiny new laptop, but I wanted to update it with other devices as well. I'd like to clarify the devices I have, though, especially since it was brought to my attention that a lot of players use laptops as their primary gaming machines. When I refer to a laptop, it is far from a gaming machine and could not run games like EverQuest II or Age of Conan. So here are some stats: I have an HTC Inspire, an iPhone 3GS, an iPad, a Phenom Triple-core PC desktop with an Nvidia 9800 card, six gigs of ram and onboard sound. My laptop is an HP G62 with an AMD Athlon II P340 dual core processor, three gigs of ram and an AMD graphics chip built in. I also have a more powerful gaming PC, but that is often referred to as "the wife's machine" around here, and it is so packed with her items that I rarely touch it. So most of these games can be run on their native devices, and if they are meant for PC, probably on netbooks as well. When I'm playing on netbooks, resolution is often the major issue. Some games just will not fit on the tiny screens without some slight modding. Anyway, click past the cut to see the list. The first 11 are my favorites, the ones that I play often, if not every day. The rest are in no particular order, so keep that in mind as well. Remember that this year is going to be an incredible one for mobile, thanks to the new games I found at E3. So this list will change!
MMObility: The quiet brilliance of Die2Nite
It's rare to find a game that does something with design that makes me think, "Huh... why hasn't anyone else thought of that?" There are a few cases, of course -- the Wurm Onlines, the Spellborns -- but they do not happen often enough. In the world of browser and mobile gaming, the chances of finding something that really tickles your design fancy are even lower. After all, this is a market of RTS games galore and embedded worlds for younger players. So when I found Die2Nite, I was very excited. It took me a while to warm up to the game and the idea (I'm sick of zombies, too), but once I got into it, I found some brilliant design. Keeping things simple is a rarity in games these days. Click past the cut where I'll discuss how Die2Nite creates atmosphere, tension, and a wonderful gaming environment with just a few icons and a browser.
