casual-game
Latest
WoW, Casually: Making the most of holidays
Robin Torres writes WoW, Casually for the player with limited playtime. Of course, you people with lots of playtime can read this too, but you may get annoyed by the fact that we are unashamed, even proud, of the fact that beating WoW isn't our highest priority. Take solace in the fact that your gear is better than ours, but if that doesn't work, remember that we outnumber you. Not that that's a threat, after all, we don't have time to do anything about it. But if WoW were a democracy, we'd win.Holidays are for all players, of course, but I think they are particularly appropriate for players with limited playtime. Sure, there are often raiding quests or achievements that we can't complete, but overall, the activities seem to be designed for casual gameplay. For the most part, I think I'm preaching to the choir, here. But every once in a while, I read comments from people who just don't get holidays and avoid them completely. So here is my sales pitch about why every casual player should give each holiday a try.
WoW, Casually: What Patch 3.2 means for casuals
Robin Torres writes WoW, Casually for the player with limited playtime. Of course, you people with lots of playtime can read this too, but you may get annoyed by the fact that we are unashamed, even proud, of the fact that beating WoW isn't our highest priority. Take solace in the fact that your gear is better than ours, but if that doesn't work, remember that we outnumber you. Not that that's a threat, after all, we don't have time to do anything about it. But if WoW were a democracy, we'd win.Oh my. All of this Patch 3.2 stuff is a bit overwhelming. We'll go over the changes that affect most casual players here, but there is still a lot of info that I won't cover. Many class changes are on the way, as well as a series of Q&As that Blizzard is releasing periodically. Also, the professions are getting some attention. So keep an eye on our Guide to Patch 3.2 for the latest changes that are specific to your character choices. Here is an analysis of the changes that affect most players with limited playtime:
Solo Hunters can also get phat lootz
I have to confess something. I'm a sucker for hearing stories about someone playing their Hunter in offbeat ways. What do I mean? Well, take for example that fabled Hunter Tank Gweryc. Last week I got a great tip from Darth Solo over at WoW Alone about another offbeat Hunter idea. Seems Darth is a fan of solo play. At first I thought as you that this probably isn't completely original. We Hunters tend to just run with our pets anyways. But something kept nagging me to go check out WoW Alone and see just what Darth was doing. Turns out he's put a lot of thought into how to get the most out of your World of Warcraft experience without having to worry about the drama associated with PUGs or even some guilds. Of course I would be the first to admit that this kind of play style isn't for me. But if you want to find ways of enjoying your Hunter, getting loot all the while avoiding the drama associated with PUGs. Go check out his Hunter Solo Guides for gear, glyphs, and suggested specs for the Solo Hunter.
WoW, Casually: Tips for leveling on a PvP realm
Robin Torres writes WoW, Casually for the player with limited playtime. Of course, you people with lots of playtime can read this too, but you may get annoyed by the fact that we are unashamed, even proud, of the fact that beating WoW isn't our highest priority. Take solace in the fact that your gear is better than ours, but if that doesn't work, remember that we outnumber you. Not that that's a threat, after all, we don't have time to do anything about it. But if WoW were a democracy, we'd win.I have played on a PvP server for years, so I can tell you with authority that I cannot recommend choosing a PvP realm if you have limited playtime. PvE servers have it so much easier as far as questing solo in contested territories. I can only imagine how much easier it would be to quest in zones like Hillsbrad Foothills and Stranglethorn Vale without the fear of being ganked every few minutes. And as you can see above, my time in Borean Tundra hasn't been exactly gank-free.
WoW, Casually: What is casual?
Robin Torres writes WoW, Casually for the player with limited playtime. Of course, you people with lots of playtime can read this too, but you may get annoyed by the fact that we are unashamed, even proud, of the fact that beating WoW isn't our highest priority. Take solace in the fact that your gear is better than ours, but if that doesn't work, remember that we outnumber you. Not that that's a threat, after all, we don't have time to do anything about it. But if WoW were a democracy, we'd win.Turtlehead wrote in wanting to know "what the heck casual is." This is a good question, but the answer seems to change according to the context. I learned long ago to explain how I'm defining casual for a particular article, or else face the wrath of my readers. When I write Wow, Casually, I define casual as a player with limited playtime and address my content accordingly. But there are many other kinds of players that could be called casual and we use the word to describe any or all of them. So, is it possible to define the word to please everybody? Probably not, but I'm going to try.
Wii Fanboy Review: TV Show King
Gameloft's first WiiWare entry, TV Show King, might turn away most gamers with its casual premise and 1000 Wii Points tag, but the publisher has made an effort to pack value in the trivia title -- 3,000 questions, Mii integration, and a game show atmosphere complete with a smarmy host and a busty blonde. Is all that enough to warrant its $10 price? Read our review to find out! %Gallery-22723%
Counterpoint: Spielberg's game
There seemed to be two possible reactions to yesterday's post about the Spielberg game-- "the Wii game sounds better than the 360/PS3 game" and "the opposite of what the first thing was." Eric gently implied that he was not a fan of Spielberg's intentions for the Wii. Since this is a rather divisive issue, he suggested I offer a counterpoint to his assessment that the other systems are getting the better deal. And, since I generally enjoy disagreeing with things, I accepted. But, being a professional grump, I couldn't decide which part to disagree with.First, then, I'll take the cynical approach and disagree with the potential quality assessment. This is the idea that the action game sounds better than the Jenga-inspired puzzle game we're getting. Well, I'll tell you right now, a game that is one long escort mission built around an AI that is supposed to be adaptive? That sounds basically like torture.Second, I'll address the idea that we're getting shorted on non-casual content. This is just true. However, from Spielberg's perspective, it's a smarter decision to put the puzzle game on the Wii. In fact, he probably thinks that the money from the Wii game will help fund the riskier one on the other systems. Between the Wii, the DS, Flash games, and cell phones, we're in the midst of a casual games revolution. Spielberg has always made populist movies, and it's no surprise that he'd jump straight for the widest possible audience with games.These two seemingly unrelated points allow me to arrive at a fairly tidy conclusion: we have the choice of a terrible game that won't sell, or an insubstantial but potentially fun game that'll make a bundle. And, most importantly, no games based on A.I.
Open Fire, a free casual Mac game
BlueTorch Studios in partnership with BlueGill Flame have released the final version of Open Fire, a casual top down shooter similar to the Linux game Barrage. Open Fire, which has been created using Unity's game editing software, was the winner of Unity's Dashboard Widget Competition. Keeping with the theme of the game's widget beginnings, the developers plan to create a widget version of the game so that office workers can play while their boss isn't looking. Currently the game is available in both Universal Binary Mac and PC versions. One of the coolest features of the game is its online top ten leaderboard which you could, at the very least, consider a (weak) justification for spending so much time playing the damn thing! Must. reach. top. ten.
