Comments on: What Is The PC Good For?

By: Arathain

Arathain — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 01:06:32 +0000

I had a pretty bad DS Zookeeper habit for a while. Not PC, I know. Mostly I just wanted to bemoan losing my cartridge before I’d gotten over 6 million on time attack. I had 5.9 million, and I could have done better, I swear, if I’d just gotten the right game.

Thank you, I feel better now.

By: matt

matt — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:37:58 +0000

Anybody remembers Klax and the likes ? (was on the Amiga / Atari old days).. Eversince i guess i’ve been addicted to puzzle and block games.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 09:59:12 +0000

I seem to play Peggle when eating lunch for about 10-15 minutes! Quite relaxing actually…

By: cliffski

cliffski — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 09:53:55 +0000

you speak the truth. thats why for me, COD 4 is casual, I can be shooting within 15 seconds of hitting the shortcut.
Thats also why I abandoned BF2.

By: Jim Rossignol

Jim Rossignol — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 09:53:48 +0000

“One of the reasons I adore BF42 is because I can start the game and join a server in 30 seconds, then quickly Alt-F4 once I’m done.”

Amen.

By: RichPowers

RichPowers — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 07:45:24 +0000

Totally agree Tak.

I play Battlefield ’42 in 20-minute spurts here and there, but am I suddenly some l33t hardcore gamer fueled by Mountain Dem because my game of choice involves tanks, guns, and explosions?

None of these puzzle games hold my attention for more than 30-seconds, but I do admire their accessibility. One of the reasons I adore BF42 is because I can start the game and join a server in 30 seconds, then quickly Alt-F4 once I’m done. These monolithic games, with their overdrawn intros, excessive splashscreens, and offensive loading times, are annoying.

By: Tak

Tak — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:03:49 +0000

I’m really not sure I like this whole ‘casual’ label. Games are games, and they’re as casual or serious as you take them. They can be puzzley, shooty, stabby, or musicy, but they’re all games just the same. If I play FPS games for four hours a week, and someone plays Jewel Quest ten hours a week, who’s the hard-core and who’s the casual?

By: malkav11

malkav11 — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:09:18 +0000

It depends on your definition. The only PopCap games that do anything for me are Insaniquarium, Heavy Weapon, and Bookworm Adventures. Insaniquarium is, after all, rather insane, Heavy Weapon isn’t particularly casual, and Bookworm Adventures gins the word spelling game up with light RPG elements. Similarly, I adore Puzzle Quest.

I find Tetris mildly appealing as a timewaster but have never tried to get particularly good at it. Lumines has great aesthetics but requires you to be way better at it than I ever will be to get any variety in them. Meteos seems a bit more promising.

And I’m addicted by Picross and Slitherlink, but those are logic puzzles that can be rather ferocious, so I’m not sure I’d call them casual. Especially not compared to the rather boring Sudoku.

Oh! Also Audiosurf, which is more visualizer than game, really, but it’s just enough of each to be worthwhile in a way that I don’t find either regular visualizers or the block matching games to be.

By: James G

James G — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:09:30 +0000

Are you kidding? I just upgraded my system to play the puzzle quest sequel. (It does require quad core right?)

More seriously though, I enjoy a good few casual games mixed in with the more ‘hardcore’ stuff, although its more fun when you have someone to challenge. Back when I still lived with my parents there was almost always one casual game that the family was competing over. (My Mum was the most addicted) More games need to have decent on-line scoring systems. Its no fun just to be told that you are 34,530rd out of 72,345, but by having things such as friends lists, or regional tables (a la Audiosurf) you mean people have a chance of getting a bit of competition going.

By: cannon fodder

cannon fodder — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:29:31 +0000

Minesweeper is like crack to me (to the extent of having my scores up on http://www.minesweeper.info), most other casual games leave me cold unless it’s my turn to clean the bathroom/washup/you get the idea… then they seem suddenly all important.

By: PleasingFungus

PleasingFungus — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:41:01 +0000

Had fun with Puzzle Quest; tried Peggle (original and EXTREME) but it didn’t really keep my attention. Shrug.

By: Stromko

Stromko — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:31:23 +0000

I think block-matching is just as legitimate as any other gameplay mechanic. Sure it’s abstract, but so is moving your mouse to headshot somebody, it’s merely a matter of degree.

I wouldn’t do it just for the hell of it though, not when there’s Puzzle Pirates, Puzzle Quest, games that give me some kind of motivation outside of the puzzle itself. Even Lumines was more than just for the hell of it, considering that you’re obliterating other civilizations so that yours might live, that you might defeat the source of the dropping blocks and save the universe!

I don’t fear casual games, they don’t threaten my gamerhood, and in some cases serve as gateway drugs to expand the hobby’s base. I think people get sick of absolutely casual stuff and want deeper experiences eventually, and that’s where ‘real’ games come in.