 Ready for some more gaming controversy? Are we ready to accept content based on the World Trade Centers in our games? How long before we can comfortably play a 9/11 or "war on terrorism" game based on real life events the same way we play World War II, Vietnam or the Persian Gulf wars?
There are two flash based games hosted by French website www.Uzinagaz.com where you defend the World Trade Centers and other prominent NYC landmarks from attack. Now that alone will have ruffled a few feathers, but to top it all off, these games are unwinnable. According to one of the designers Jonathan Pitcher, over 1 million players have played "New York Defender" which would make it among the more popular flash games currently found on the internet.
There is also a sequel called "New York Defender II" that has more successfully re-created the look of the Twin Towers. Players fly over a map of the city trying to crash land onto landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge, United Nations building and others. Here's a statement from Jonathan given to online magazine Slate.com:
"There are no ways to actually win, the winner becomes the last one to lose."
This is not the first game to cause such public outrage because of it's depiction of events from September 11, in 2005 a discount toy store pulled a child's LCD toy off it's shelves because it had players pretending to be Osama bin Laden steering a plane into the Twin Towers. Now in that particular case it was a completely tasteless product that was forcibly removed from retail shelves.
The only real difference between the LCD game and New York Defender is whose side you play on, the terrorist or the anti-terrorist. So does the fact that your trying to save the towers in the "New York Defender" games make it OK? The fact that it can't be beaten with a good ending would suggest otherwise, as many families of victims have expressed their disgust and outrage.
So the question I put to you ladies and gentlemen, is how long does it take before a subject of controversy becomes an accepted form of entertainment?
This evening I plan on buying Call of Duty 4. Many countries around the world including my home country of Canada, are fighting wars on many fronts even as I write this. Soldiers sacrificing their lives to bring freedom to those suffering cruel aggressors and terrorists. Am I justifying my entertainment of anti-terrorist games because they are on what I think of as the "right side"? Is a World War II game OK because of the atrocities committed by the nazis makes it OK to kill them? I doubt the German people think so, would we if the tables were turned?
Or is there a deeper message here that neither side really wins and we've just become desensitized to the horrors of conflict?
No, I don't think so. I think I just want to pretend that I'm over there with our brave men and women kicking ass and bringing order to chaos. I have a dark cynical side to me that thinks capital punishment is good, killing terrorists should be an Olympic sport, and people shamelessly making money by exploiting a sad tragedy without putting a positive spin on the outcome should have their programming fingers cut off at the shoulder. But that's me.
Source articles:
http://www.twingalaxies.c...m/index.aspx?c=27&id=1558
http://www.guardian.co.uk.../17/games.september112001
I know I've been slacking lately, but the thing is that I've been so busy with school and everything else that I haven't had time to post any of these articles. However, starting now, I'm going make this an actual weekly feature. I may not write as much about each game as I did before, but I will still give you a good overview of the game and share my thoughts on it.
Anyways, the theme for this week is free episodic games. Episodic games have been a controversial subject in the games world. Many people argue that it costs more for the average gamer, while others argue that episodic games are better because developers can release many episodes in the same length it takes to release a full game. Regardless of where you stand on commercial episodic games, there are many great free games on the internet that have new content added often.
 The first game featured this week is a web-based adaptation of the popular PC quiz show game, You Don't Know Jack. If you've never played You Don't Know Jack before, you're in for a treat. YDKJ is a quiz show video game franchise that appeared on PC, Mac, Playstation, in book form, and had a short-lived ABC TV series (hosted by Pee-Wee Herman himself, Paul Reubens) in which you were asked questions in which "high culture and pop culture collide". The game remains unchanged in the web version, however, new episodes consisting of five normal questions, one Dis or Dat, and of course, a Jack Attack, are released every single Monday. In addition to the weekly episodes, a new Dis or Dat question is added every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. So, no matter what day of the week you go to the site, there will always be something new for you to play. A far cry from the hundreds of questions in one of the CD-ROM games, but still, it's enough to keep you busy for a few minutes a day. Also, before you go, I should warn you that YDKJ "contains mature content, including suggestive sexual references, language and font treatments that may not be suitable for children. Besides, they won't get it anyways."
 The other game of the week is the aptly titled Platform. You guessed it, it's a platformer game! However, Platform is far from your typical platform game. What's unique about this one is that you have to play two characters and get both of them to the exit of each screen, many times using different routes for each character or using both characters to solve puzzles. This mix of puzzle solving and platforming makes for a very fun game and something worth checking out every Sunday, which is when new episodes are added.
So, now you have a new game to play every day of the week except Saturday! All without paying a single cent. Well, except for internet access, but that's besides the point. Make sure you give these games a try.
Another week, another great set of free games for you to download! This week, I've got an addictive mathematical action puzzle game, a fun destructive game, and a platformer that will drive you insane.
 First up this week is one of the most addictive puzzle games I've played in my entire life. It's called Blocksum and it's by a small studio based out of Japan named Circle Infotech. The premise is extremely simple, clear all of the numbered blocks by linking together blocks of the same sum. For example, if you have a block with the number 5 in it, you need to use the blocks adjacent to it to make a sum equal to 5. You could do this by using a 3 just to the right of the 5 and a 2 above the 5. That would make an L shaped block that is equivalent to 5. Now, you must find 4 other ways to make 5 adjacent to either the 5 block you started with or the L shaped one you just made. It's hard to describe in words, but once you try it, it's simple. The game starts out simple enough, however, it gets a lot more difficult when the numbers in the blocks get larger and come faster.
Here's a hint for you. Try and go for large combos of large numbers. For example, try and clear all the blocks by making sums of 4 or 5, you get a multiplier for each additional sequence you make.
Sound confusing? As I said, just go download it. A word of warning for those of you with slower connections, the download is 32 megabytes.
 Next game up this week is Death Worm. The game is simple, but oh so fun. You play a killer worm, and all you have to do is eat humans, animals, and cause general destruction while not getting shot by soldiers or hitting mines. Very simple concept, but very addictive! Download it at the Game Maker Community forums (3.5 mb).
 When you get done punishing humans and animals, punish yourself with the aptly titled platformer, Punishment. This is an extremely hard game but not because the jumps are hard, but because the game plays tricks with your mind. Levels rotate as you move, touching an eye icon will screw around with your mind, touching the Democrat/Republican will do something that will just make you scream in anger, and of course the pixilated backgrounds that become clear as you get to the top of the level are distracting as well. You will hate this game with every last ounce of your being...however, you won't be able to stop playing. Also, notice the special guest appearance in the second screen (the one you start on). I think many of you will recognize who it is.
 If you think that's all the punishment there is, you'd be wrong...dead wrong, because Messhof Games just released the sequel, Punishment: The Punishing, last week. The sequel does not play as many tricks on your mind, but it has its fair share of mind trickery (just wait until you get to the third screen in the game). Oh, and this game has one added twist that drive you up the wall more than ANYTHING in the first game. I can't say what it is because I want you to scream out obscenities when you discover it. Again, this game will drive you insane, but it's so addictive.
So, that's it for this week. Comment on the article with your thoughts on the games, high scores you wish to share, or total frustration with Punishment.
One more thing before I go. Mark August 30 on your calendar because I have an extremely special article planned for that day, and you will not want to miss it. It's so special that I'm going to start working on it this week.
Until next time, keep it on channel 3!
The internet. In addition to being a great resource for funny videos, email pyramid schemes, and pr0n, is a great place to find games. This series will feature the best in free and independent games from all over the web, and bring you up to date on indie studios who are bringing their work to consoles.
 The first free game of the week is called 3D Logic by Alex Matveev, and can be found at this site. The object of the game is to link together every pair colored squares on the cube. For example, in the screenshot, you have to link orange to orange, purple to purple, blue to blue, and so on. Sounds simple right? WRONG! Later levels will require you to think outside of the box and use very indirect ways of linking them together. I've been able to reach level 18, but after that I get stumped. Thank God for the continue feature.
 Our next game this week is Amberial by OddGoo, a rather fun platformer with very simplistic controls. All you need to do in this game is move left and right to reach the goal. However, you must use your ability to bounce to help you reach your destination and avoid obstacles. This is one of the most enjoyable Flash games I've played in a while. It's not entirely original since there are a billion platformers on the net, but this one is different because you must actually use your environment and the objects in it in order to reach the end of the level. There is also added challenge if you try and collect all the Ace symbols. I must caution you however, this game is addictive as crack, so make sure you have some time you can easily waste before playing this.
 The internet is full of clones of other, more famous games. Flash Flash Revolution is one of the most well-known and well-regarded clones on the internet. As you could figure out, it is a clone of Konami's Dance Dance Revolution series, developed in flash. There are three different versions of FFR on the site, and all of them have something different to offer. Try fooling around with all three of them, and make an account if you want. With an account, you can keep track of the scores you get and buy songs using credits you earn in the FFR store. The only downside of the game is that many of the players have crazy skills, and a lot of the site is kind of geared towards them. However, for us who will never be as good as <![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/HxRhf61rdFI&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/HxRhf61rdFI&rel=0</a>]]>, there are a bunch of easier songs to get you used to playing. Check out the Arcade section of songs in the first FFR version on the site for a bunch of fun game remixes to play. I'm signed up on the site as tondog38. If you sign up, shoot me a message there and we can set up challenges or something.
 In honor of 300 coming out on DVD, Blu Ray, and HD DVD last week, the final game of the week is the aptly titled SPAAARTA!!! It's not the best game in the world, but it's cool if you're a fan of 300, mainly so you can kick some Persians into the hole and scream THIS IS SPAAAARRRTAAAA! The controls are simple, move around with the arrow keys, kick some ass with the S key, and do a little dance with the A key. All you need to do: kick the Persians into the hole and inform them that THIS IS SPAAAARTA all while not kicking your fellow Spartans.
Keep it on channel 3 for more fun, free games next week. Until next time, have fun.
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