Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster

David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.

[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]

Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster

David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.

[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]

Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster

David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.

[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]

Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster

David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.

[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]

Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster

David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.

[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]

Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster

David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.

[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]

Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster

David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.

[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]

Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster

David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.

[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]

Drawminos: domino knockdown simulator! - Time Waster

If you're like me, you rarely played dominos properly as a kid. Instead, you just built elaborate chains and knocked them down, Domino Rally style. Drawminos is a site that lets you virtually relive those fun times, building and saving different domino setups, so you can watch them fall whenever you want. The best part? You don't have to set the dominos back up when you're done.
If I have a complaint about Drawminos, it's that it's tedious to pick up a new domino every time you want to place one. It would be fun to have a domino tool you could just hold down and drag. I guess that part of the simulation is a bit too realistic for me. On the other hand, you won't run out dominos like you would in real life.
[Via: Download Squad ] [Tag: dominos, drawminos, game ]

5 Fun, casual Steam games you can give for under $20

If you're a gamer, chances are good you've bought something from Steam - Valve's "Nexus of PC Gaming." If not, it's a great place to purchase some inexpensive and extremely fun games. Steam, of course, offers a gift purchase option, making it an ideal spot to find a nice, cheap gift for that special someone on your list.
Steam has tons of casual, fun games in its library - here's my list of five titles under $20 that are sure to provide some maddeningly addictive fun. Hardware requirements for these are fairly light, so they should run on just about anyone's desktop or laptop (provided they're running Windows).

World of Goo ($19.99). Sure, its cartoonish 2d graphics are cute, but this is one seriously smart physics puzzle game. Stack the little goo balls to build structures and reach the goal - it sounds easy, but World of Goo is as challenging as it is whimsical. Finessing your structures into doing what you want takes patience and requires some serious thinking at times. This one's a great choice for anyone who enjoys a good challenge.

Audiosurf ($9.99). This is one ridiculously cool racing game. Audiosurf dynamically creates courses based upon the music you're listening to while you're playing. There's definite cool factor in seeing your favorite tracks rendered as, well, tracks. Race to your favorite song, then see how your score measures up to other players online. The game includes the Orange Box soundtrack - which features Companion Cube's stirring rendition of Still Alive.

Eets ($9.99). An oldie but a goodie, this one gets referred to as a sort of Lemmings/Incredible Machine hybrid. Lead your Eets on the correct path to win levels and alter his mood (and reactions) by feeding him marshmallows. Like World of Goo, don't be deceived by the cuteness - Eets' puzzles get complex and can be extremely challenging. There are also 200 additional player-created levels to download to extend gameplay.

Mr. Robot ($9.99). HEL-9000, the computer brain in charge of the starship Eidolon, has gone evil, and it's up to Asimov to save the day. The game combines puzzle and RPG elements into a enjoyable but not frustratingly difficult package. Mr. Robot has received tons of praise for providing a simple, vintage-style gaming experience (think C64 and Atari) and stunning visuals. While it might not be overly complicated, it's 200-plus levels will provide plenty of game play.

Bookworm Adventures Deluxe ($9.99). Almost two years old, Bookworm is still a killer word game. In this edition, Lex is on a mythical journey and he can earn power ups to boost his word-powered attacks. It's a little bit of strategy and a lot of Boggle/Scrabble word building skill. Coping with time limits and still coming up with high-powered words can actually get very intense. There are three mini games and a survival mode to play as well.
Have another recomendation I missed? Share it with our readers in the comments!
[Via: Download Squad ] [Tag: games, gifts, hgg, holiday-gift-guide, steam ]

Guess The Google - Today's Time Waster

Quick, what do the twenty images above have in common? If you guessed they're all images pulled from Google Images, you guessed right. But that's not the answer we're looking for. The correct answer is Windows. And now you pretty much know how to play Guess the Google.

The game picks a random word, performs a Google Image search, and then gives you the results. You have 20 seconds to figure out the original search query. The faster you figure it out, the more points you get. The game is simple, but surprisingly addictive.

[Via: MakeUseOf ]
[Tag: ]

Nominate the best for the Flash Forward Film Festival

Flashforward2008 is going to be in San Francisco this August. This annual conference is directed at Flash designers and developers and those who aspire to be called a designer or developer. Every year Flashforward features a Film Festival with open nominations of the best Flash content out there. In 2008 the categories have changed to the following:

1. Application
   
2. Cartoon/Story/Narrative
   
3. Code
   
4. Experimental/Art
   
5. Game
   
6. Motion Graphics
   
7. Navigation/Experience
   
8. Sound
   
9. Typography
   
10. Video

Anyone can submit links to Flash based works in all categories that are 'innovative and compelling.' Previous winners include Paper Vision 3d, the MoMA Contemporary Voice exhibition, and the amazing Tokyo Plastic. If you do submit a nomination to Flashforward2008 via the official film festival page, please let us know in the comments below with a link. The deadline for nominations is Father's Day, June 15, 2008.

[Via: Download Squad ]
[Tag: ]

Chronotron- Today's Time Waster

Chronotron is a trippy puzzle-solving game where your player's movements are recorded and then repeated when you warp back in time. It may sound confusing, but play a level or two and you'll quickly understand.

Basically you move around the level and carry out a set of actions that should ultimately help you collect the circuit board required to "skip" to the next level. The problem is, those actions won't be enough on their own, so you'll have to warp back in time. When you go back in time, your previous movements are replayed, but you can also move independently of those movements to work in tandem with yourself (or multiples of yourself).

For instance, in the first level there is an elevator that you must use to get to the circuit board. You cannot jump high enough to reach it, and the switch that operates the elevator is too far away from it for you to use it effectively. So, you move your player onto the switch and wait a few seconds, then you move to the time warp. You'll warp back in time to see your first player moving to jump on the switch while you move your "new" player to the elevator to lift you to get the board. Then you can go back to the time warp and move to the next level.

If you you mess up your early actions, you can restart the level. There are 35 levels to keep you busy, and the last 7 are labeled "impossible." We haven't made it that far, but we fear that the amount of time warping that must be necessary in those final levels may cause a black hole.
[Via: Download Squad ]
[Tag: ]

The Beard - Today's Time Waster

The Beard is a unique time waster in that it is actually possible to be beaten in a relatively short amount of time yet still be totally enjoyable. So instead of spending your entire day wasting time, just get the instant gratification of sweet victory and move on.

The premise is this: you are a knight fighting a giant floating head with a beard in a side-scrolling environment. Think of it as a boss you would encounter in Mega Man and other comparable titles. The "Beard" has a number of moves that you have to dodge as you try to get close and take a swing at him with your plunger or magic bolts. As you get hits you also get experience, which cause you to level and get better weapons with more reach.

The learning curve is fairly easy, and the game's animation and sound effects make for quick and gratifying gameplay. But, you do only get three lives, so expect a fair number of retries before you lay the Beard to rest. And yes, fighting a giant floating beard is actually more fun than you might imagine.
[Via: Download Squad ]
[Tag: ]

Launchball- Today's Time Waster

Launchball is a fun, smart, and polished game courtesy of the Science Museum in London. The game uses a common premise: coax a ball into a goal. The objects you can use to accomplish this task though are based generally on electricity, magnetism, and mechanics.

There are basic shapes like "ski jumps" and ramps, but there are also batteries and steam generators (which also require a water tank and fire) to power magnets and fans. There are switches, springs, cushions, and rubber blocks. Each level provides you with a certain set and quantity of objects to help you get the ball in the goal (not all objects need to be used though).

If you take a few seconds to create a free account, you'll be emailed a code so that you can login at a later time and resume where you left off. Otherwise you have to play through all of the levels each time. There are three main categories of levels: tricky, sneaky, and crafty.

You can even create your own levels and share them. In the "Extras" section, you can play levels that were created by players.


[Via: toddkedwards ]
[Tag: ]

Launchball- Today's Time Waster

Launchball is a fun, smart, and polished game courtesy of the Science Museum in London. The game uses a common premise: coax a ball into a goal. The objects you can use to accomplish this task though are based generally on electricity, magnetism, and mechanics.

There are basic shapes like "ski jumps" and ramps, but there are also batteries and steam generators (which also require a water tank and fire) to power magnets and fans. There are switches, springs, cushions, and rubber blocks. Each level provides you with a certain set and quantity of objects to help you get the ball in the goal (not all objects need to be used though).

If you take a few seconds to create a free account, you'll be emailed a code so that you can login at a later time and resume where you left off. Otherwise you have to play through all of the levels each time. There are three main categories of levels: tricky, sneaky, and crafty.

You can even create your own levels and share them. In the "Extras" section, you can play levels that were created by players.


[Via: toddkedwards ]
[Tag: ]

R.O.B.O.T. - Today's Time Waster

If you have a penchant for survival/defense type games, R.O.B.O.T. (Relatively Obedient Being Of Thought) will be right up your alley for your time wasting needs. It is basically a cross-over of both a defense game and a survival game (which intrinsically overlap as it is) in which you utilize both manual movement and firing with turret placement to advance through levels.

The premise appears to be that you are a Robot defending a heap of rubble and dirt, or getting attacked on top of it, however you like to think of it. As you kill enemies and progress through waves, you are able to buy upgrades for you plasma gun (your primary means of disposal), your treads, a placeable (and enhanceable) turret, as well as your shields, armor, and an EMP shockwave for use against heavily shielded enemies. Of course, the waves continue to get harder, with more enemies coming in all shapes and sizes and attack styles, which keeps things interesting.

Once you progress a fair bit into the game, it is fairly difficult even on easy, but if you feel that does not apply to you can go all the way up to Insane difficulty. But, regardless of the difficulty your play it at, it's all very forgiving since you can always continue from the last wave you managed to clear.
[Via: Download Squad ]
[Tag: ]