Steve Bass's Home Office: Have a Deadline? Play These Games
Classic arcade games, chicken puzzles, simulations, newest free stuff.Steve Bass
I picked up the phone after one ring and didn't bother saying hello. "Hey, I'm not late again, am I?" It was my editor calling, nearly a week before the column was due.
"How'd you know it was me?" he asked. The poor guy still hadn't figured out I have caller ID. Then again, trying to explain something that high-tech would take hours. "Vibes," I said, "and that whiff of cigar smoke coming through the wires."
"Whatever," he said, his brow probably furrowing tighter than an IT guy supporting OS/2 users. "Okay, Bass, I'm going to regret suggested this, but here goes: Anything we can do with free online games, downloads, gaming gizmos, and Web sites for adults?"
Sure thing, I thought, and realized I could get away with murder because this was probably suggested by my boss's boss. So here goes, folks, games and novelties to keep you occupied well past deadlines, through boring teleconferences, and beyond silly staff meetings.
Many of the online game sites I describe demand lots of bandwidth to get started; some use Java, others Flash. But once they're up and running, you shouldn't have much trouble even on a dialup account.
Fair warning: In addition to the usual stuff, I'm going to go out on a short limb and provide a few diversions that you may find mildly risque. I'll let you know beforehand; if you think you'll be offended, you've got to promise not to click the link.
A Few Classics
It's risky to do a column about games without mentioning Pac Man. So start by flashing back to Pac Man. And don't stop there, check out Coffee Break Arcade.
I have other favorites, video games that cost me hundreds of quarters and dozens of lost hours at the arcade. For this column, I killed 2 hours reminiscing about the eighties and playing Defender, Missile Command, Space Invaders, and Joust, each with its original sounds. (Remembering these games and feeling kind of old? Good, join the crowd.) These games, as well as their DOS equivalents, are available for download. Hint: The Shockwave games on this site seem to load faster than Java games.
Here are a few more blasts from the past:
There are plenty more games like these at Free Arcade's main site.
Although they're not exactly classics, online puzzles might appeal to you. Perhaps one with a Kentucky Fried Chicken theme? Yes? Then you'll like the Chicken Cam's Jigsaw Puzzle. Yep, this site presents a streaming video of a chicken farm, and includes puzzles for adults and kids. (If you're feeling adventurous, click on the Millipede Cam.)
PCWorld.com's Gaming Collection
I didn't have to do much digging to find a good variety of games on PCWorld.com. Our Grace Aquino rounded up a bunch of editors (actually, rescued them from a staff meeting) and asked them what games they liked. I find Harry McCracken's 80's Classics pick and Dennis O'Reilly's card games the most appealing. See what else they suggest in "Online Game All-Stars"--and make sure to jump to page 2 and check out "Gaming Advice: 5 Tips For Smooth Game Play."
If you're into shoot-'em-ups, we have a decent collection of freebies, including Quake III: Arena and Visual Pinball. Go to this Web page and scroll down to find them both.
You'll find demos of Doom, Duke Nukem, Half-Life: Opposing Force, and others in a collection called "Our All-Time Favorite Action Games." BTW, just because they're demos doesn't mean they're not worth trying. For some of us (moi included), getting through the demo levels is enough of a challenge.
A good simulation game is just the thing for a busy Monday morning at the office. Take a look at some of our current offerings, including Interstellar Trader, Super 1 Karting, and Virtual Stratton.
Some of you are experimenting with Linux boxes, and I don't want you to feel left out. Our Linux maven Alexandra Krasne explains how the Mandrake Linux Gaming Edition lets you "Play Windows Games on Linux PCs."
Dig this: You might be curious to see if some of your personality characteristics match up with a video game character. If you are, visit the "What Pre-1985 Video Game Character Am I?" quiz.
Next week I'll bring you interactive online gaming, Microwaves, hardware for gamers, and a poke or two at Billionaire Bill.
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