Please recommend excellent absorbing web-based games

October 4, 2006 3:23 PM

Please recommend excellent absorbing web-based games

I'm looking for the sort of game you can fire up in a browser and play mindlessly for 5 minutes or however long, which I use as a way to clear my head after thinking about complicated things.

Simple, enduring games that are a pleasure to absorb yourself in, through good physics/design/concept. Not too frantic, or requiring too much verbal or logical thought (strategy = good, puzzle = bad).

Examples:

chain reaction games [example]
missile command/defend the castle [example]
2d scrolling fun [example]
shooting/sniping games

Also welcomed are suggestions for good online games blogs/hubs other than Jayisgames.

posted by MetaMonkey to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (18 answers total)

You've been around here for a while so you've probably seen Orisinal but it's so good that it's worth mentioning anyway, just in case.
posted by teleskiving at 3:53 PM on October 4, 2006

You probably know about TONYPA from Jay Is Games, but all of his stuff is really good.

It's not mindless, but I'm a bit obsessed with Funny Farm
posted by Rock Steady at 3:56 PM on October 4, 2006

Lore Sjöberg started a site with reviews of little flash games. It's called Little Fluffy Industries. I think nobody's updated it for a while but it's still got hundreds of flash games, all reviewed.
posted by aubilenon at 4:16 PM on October 4, 2006

I hope you know about Urban Dead. It's not at all what you probably think would be what you're looking for here -- it's basically a test-based MMORPG -- but it's way fun and you can't play it for more than ten or fifteen minutes a day because of the 160-hit limit on the site per IP address.
posted by incessant at 4:29 PM on October 4, 2006

Urban Dead is text-based, rather.
posted by incessant at 4:30 PM on October 4, 2006

You want Good Experience Games.
posted by tkolar at 5:23 PM on October 4, 2006

De-Animator is the best in the genre.
posted by BackwardsCity at 6:10 PM on October 4, 2006

It's puzzle based but very straightforwad once you get the trick of it, Planarity
posted by jefftang at 6:11 PM on October 4, 2006

Lazy Laces has a huge set of links to point n click games, posts daily.
posted by ceri richard at 6:41 PM on October 4, 2006

Pretty much anything on Pogo.com
posted by legotech at 7:38 PM on October 4, 2006

Try Harpoon Lagoon. I played it for a bit once, then found myself returning to play some more over and over during the next few days. It's peaceful in its own way, even though the entire point of the game is to spear cute animated fish.
posted by Nedroid at 7:50 PM on October 4, 2006

There's lot of diverting flash at Albino Blacksheep, though they're more well-known for animutation.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 8:37 PM on October 4, 2006

Everything at Fingertime exactly fits your needs. Their full list of games is here. I love Shuffle the Penguin, Matchcar, and Junk Food Jack especially.
posted by cushie at 9:36 PM on October 4, 2006

Dice wars. Enjoy.
posted by maxpower at 10:30 PM on October 4, 2006

BowMaster!
posted by LunaticFringe at 5:24 AM on October 5, 2006

I'm addicted to Rocket Mania ... just one more pipe...
posted by badlydubbedboy at 6:14 AM on October 5, 2006

Kingdom of Loathing, and it's turn based so you won't waste all day.Very engrossing.
posted by PetiePal at 9:55 AM on October 5, 2006 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Many thanks for the answers all, these should keep me out of trouble.
posted by MetaMonkey at 5:05 PM on October 5, 2006