My Casual Games

Righteous Kill has a violent premise for a game, but it is a good hide and seek with some interesting police-themed mini-games. 

Step into the shoes of Erica Dean as she investigates crime scenes in New York City. It’s a man hunt for a vigilante on a killing spree through 16 locations containing over a thousand hidden objects. With the help of Sergeant Vasquez, Erica will use clues she collects in a number of detective-themed mini games. Inspired by the motion picture film, Righteous Kill features clips from the movie and 15 animated levels.

Although it is “inspired by” the movie coming out in September, Righteous Kill has mostly women in the story (as opposed to the movie, which stars Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro. The production values are good, including the sound and the visuals. Interesting mini-games include a fingerprint search, stopping a computer trace, and determining differences in a crime scene photo. 

Download the game free for one hour or buy for $19.95. BigFIshGames is also running a 40% off back-to-school promotion until September 3rd. Find out more about Righteous Kill here.

And geek week continues, with the Geek Hierarchy Chart.  Ever wonder who’s geekier than Trekkies at a convention? With this chart, you’ll know, and be able to pinpoint just how geeky you are. If you wanna know, I’m sort of in the 3rd tier, with my love of video games, sci fi fiction and lots of sci fi TV.

Another take on the internet community. This is what would happen if Google’s parents left town for the weekend. What kind of party would their kid throw? Very funny video, although not kid-safe at all.

G2 - Geeks Unleashed is an arcade-style game where you try to collect artifacts before your opponent can, thereby winning prizes. You play a geeky collector at a convention, desperately looking for the article that will complete your collection. In order to get that article, you have to “battle” other geeks in a puzzle/arcade game. There are also some mini games to play.

The game is cute and cartoonish, with some spoofs of convention goers. The gameplay is deceptively easy, and you do need to use some strategy to win at higher levels.  With 30 levels of gameplay, the game is short, but the production values are good, and you can play in various modes, including story, quick, and even 2-player.

A fun, funny spoof on geeks, their obsessions, and the conventions that let them be as crazy as they wanna be. G2 - Geeks Unleashed - download a free 1-hour trial or buy it for only $19.95.

This week, my geeky side is coming to the forefront. First up, a funny cartoon from xkcd about the online communities and their relationships. Enjoy! And be sure to look at the rest of the site for other funny strips dealing with some strange stick figures.

Rooms: The Main Building is actually a sequel to a free game released in 2006. In it, you are stuck in a mysterious town with lots of locked doors. Your only hope of escape is to play slider games, and win objects and keys. If you can find the 4 puzzle pieces hidden in the rooms, you can escape the town.

The sliding puzzles are clever. You have to get from where you are placed to the exit door in a set amount of time by sliding squares around a board. The only clue you have is in the background of the puzzle - if the background looks correct, you can get from one room to another. There are obstacles: you need to go up and down using ladders, and there are blocks on some of the pieces. But you also get a few nifty helpers, such as a teleporter and a wardrobe that switches squares.

As you solve the sliding puzzles (80 in all) you also collect items that will help you solve the other part of the game. This is the adventure mode. The street you are on has locked rooms. Once you get the keys to the rooms, you must solve a small adventure-like puzzle (use inventory object A on B, etc.) to find the puzzle piece you need to escape. Both parts of the game are a good mix - challenging and fun, but not too frustrating. The sliding puzzles go from very easy to harder as the game progresses.

One nice feature is there is an option to make your own level or to add a level from someone else.  If enough people play, this could lead to a fun extension of the game, and a chance to be creative with a level.

The production values are good on this game. The audio is very good, with a haunting soundtrack. The video is very nice, although a little dark. The game is made by a Korean company, HandMade Games, and that adds the only flaw to the game: the English translation is a little off, so there are some phrases that took me out o the game. Other than that, however, the overall look and feel of the game is great.

Overall, I liked this game, both because it is different from other games and for the nice way it is set up.  Download a free hour trial of Rooms: The Main Building or buy it for only $19.95.

The original game (called Rooms) is freeware. It is short, and the production values aren’t as good, but it is a good way to extend your sliding game fix. if you want to download it, click here.  Be prepared for a sort-of slow download.

I love the hidden object game Forgotten Riddles: The Moonlight Sonatas! It’s a twist on the traditional seek and find, since you have to solve riddles in order to find out what you can cick on. There are also many challenging mini-games scattered throughout the rooms of the Opera House that you are exploring. This is the second game in the Forgotten Riddles series, but it is, in my opinion, better than the first. The puzzles are good but not too frustrating, the story is engaging, and the technical effects (visuals and sound) are top-notch.

Francis von Amadeus was a child prodigy and talented composer. The city of Godesberg has given you access to his journal filled with secrets and riddles. Use the clues to detect hidden objects within the many chambers of the Moonlight Opera House. You`ll notice a gaunt, ghostly figure still graces the second floor balcony. Can you solve the mystery behind the Moonlight Sonatas?

Click here to download the game for an hour free, or buy it for only $19.95.

Are you ever in the mood for low-budget murder mysteries? The Stickman Murder Mystery site may be just the place for you. Sure it’s violent, but the victims are only stick figures.

You play a homicide detective who solves crimes for the town of Stickville. You interview suspects, collect evidence, examine the body, and profile criminals. Then, when you think you’ve solved the mystery, you submit the evidence to your boss, the Chief. If he believes you, you’re a star! If not, oh boy, do you get humiliated.

It’s a combination of campy detective stories, juvenile humor, and clever stories. All done with bright colors, and stick figures. Now, the graphics aren’t the best, and neither are the sound effects. It’s almost like a trip back to those text adventure stories, with some interactive features thrown in. i happen to love nostalgic games, so I was in detective heaven.

Another caveat: sometimes you have to answer a question to get through a certain point. For example, in order to use the MRI machine on a body, you must answer a question about gambling, pharmaceuticals, or something else. I think that orginally (or maybe even now) this game was used as a way to get people to click on links and sell stuff. I just treat these questions as a way to hone my research skills and be a better detective.

With titles like Stabbing in Stickville,  Drowning in Stickville, Cadaver at Stickville Dump, Arson in Stickville, and Manslaugher in Stickville, you’re in for hours of detective fun. And best of all, it’s free!  Click here to go to begin your detective adventure.

I was lucky enough to get to interview Cara Ely, producer at Oberon Games, and the creator and developer of Dream Day Wedding: Married in Manhattan and the rest of the highly popular Dream Day series of casual games: Dream Day Wedding, Dream Day Honeymoon, and Dream Day First Home . The cool thing about Cara Ely is that she is not only a woman working in the male dominated world of game development, she’s created and is creating a series of casual games that are one of the most popular among women.

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MCG: What does a game developer do exactly?

Cara Ely (CE): Game development teams typically include software engineers, artists, game designers and producers. I work as both a producer and designer, so I create and document the gameplay experience (design), and/or manage the development of the game design from start to finish. That includes scheduling, budgets, contracts, and making sure the team has everything they need to make the game.

MCG: What is your background, specifically relating to gaming?  Do you have programming experience, writing experience, etc?

CE: I spent many years in the entertainment industry as a talent agent, and then a casting director. I started in games in 2000, as an Associate Producer at Sierra Online; I wrote scripts, hired and directed voice actors, and helped manage the development process on a variety of casual games. I also worked with small teams to help design new games, or new features for existing games.

MCG: Why do you think that these games are so popular with women?  I know why I like them (easy to pick up and put down, clearly defined goals, a storyline and progression, ability to play with my kids), but is that the norm?

CE:  I think all of the things you’ve mentioned are keys to the success of the Dream Day games. But I also think the visual style is appealing – we really focused on making the backgrounds look sophisticated and beautiful. We also injected a bit of humor into the games, especially with the “crisis” levels; I think users like the fact that we aren’t taking things too seriously.

MCG: The games have themes that a lot of women identify with (marriage, honeymoon, first home).  Do you plan to continue to more themes (Baby, Job, etc)?

CE: I can’t go into detail about the upcoming Dream Day games just yet, but I will say that there are a few surprises in store! I don’t think people should make too many predictions just yet.

MCG: How long does a game take to produce from start to finish?

CE: Dream Day Wedding took about 12 weeks to produce, which is a very short development cycle, very unusual. We really wanted to launch the game on Valentine’s Day so the team did a lot of extra work to make that happen. A more “normal” development cycle is four to six months, depending on the game.

MCG: With the many similar games being made, how do you differentiate yours from the others?

CE: As I said, one priority for us is the quality of the artwork; we try to make the Dream Day games as beautiful as possible. We also try to create something a bit new and different with each game; for example, the dual-path “choose a house” mechanic in Dream Day First Home. I also think the amount of time and care we take with each game comes through in the final product. Every background, every “crisis” letter, everything the player experiences in the game, is something that the team brainstorms about, experiments with, and plays over and over again until we feel it’s just right. There are definitely a lot of great games out there, but I hope the fun and passion we put into the Dream Day games gives them that little something extra.

MCG: Have you ever thought of doing games for teens (my first date, first day of high school, graduation, college, best friends, etc.)?  I think the Dream Day concept would work very well for younger girls.  I have a young son who enjoys playing the Dream Day games with me.  We look for clues together, decide how the story goes, etc.  I spend time with him and he gets to use his brain on a non-violent game.  It works for us.  You may be able to appeal to girls the same way. It would be great to have a game that mothers could play with their daughters.

CE: We do hear from a lot of players that they play the Dream Day games with their spouses, children, even co-workers! You are definitely not alone in enjoying that cooperative play.  At the moment, I am not focusing specifically on making games for teens, though we do have many Dream Day fans in that demographic. That may be something we explore in the future, though; I think players of all ages look forward to their own particular “Dream Day” events.

Thank you for your questions! I am thrilled to be able to make these games, and hearing from the people who play them is one of the most satisfying parts of the job.

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Thank you, Cara, for a great interview! If you would like to download or buy the Dream Day series, click on the links below. And go to Oberon’s website for more information on the games.

• Dream Day Wedding: Married in Manhattan
• Dream Day Wedding
• Dream Day Honeymoon
• Dream Day First Home  

In the brand-new game, The Race, compete against five cut-throat teams in the worldwide adventure spanning 30 locations. Speed past spots like Niagara Falls in Challenge mode, or relax and explore at your own pace in World Explorer mode. Sleuth for hidden objects using tools like a magnifying glass and a compass, or hurl a bomb to knock off a team in the lead. Blaze through 120 rounds in The Race World Wide Adventure and sharpen your scouting skills.

Download a free 1-hour trial or buy for $19.95 today.