The Verge - Play This

'Rebound' is a maddeningly simple physics game

2013-05-19T20:20:01Z

Sometimes the simplest games are the most difficult. That's certainly the case in Rebound, a game in which the only goal is to get a pole as far to the right as possible, but where actually getting very far is incredibly challenging. The trick is that the pole's only means of propulsion is bouncing off of the ground, and your only way to control it is by rotating it left or right. Grappling with the physics is hard enough, but then the game throws barriers in your way and slowly the ground will literally disappear beneath you. It only takes a few seconds to play, but actually making progress in Rebound will take a whole lot longer — check out the Windows, Mac, and web versions at the source link below.

Helplessness, despair, and Street View come together in 'GeoGuessr' Google Maps game

2013-05-12T23:02:04Z

Google Maps is usually for helping you navigate, but a new game based on Street View is about being almost hopelessly lost. GeoGuessr drops you at a random Street View location across the earth, leaving you to move around the map as much as you'd like before ultimately taking a guess at where you're actually standing. Though you'll occasionally get lucky and start off right in front of a hotel billboard printed with a city's name on it, for the most part you'll be wandering around country roads, scrounging hints off of signs and license plates, and trying to make it back to civilization. Though GeoGuessr a relatively simple game, it almost recalls the confusion and wonder of Myst, right in our own world. The game runs through five rounds of guessing before giving players a final score, though unfortunately, there's no built-in leaderboard yet to show how you stack up against fellow lost travelers.

Point and click to take down Nixon in 'Watergate: The Video Game'

2013-05-07T02:48:07Z

Bob Woodward, the Washington Post reporter whose work with Carl Bernstein on the Watergate scandal played a pivotal role in President Nixon's eventual resignation, isn't the most obvious choice to star as a video game protagonist. But thanks to a burst of inspiration from writer Samuel Kim — "Hey, there ought to be a sequel to Shadowgate called Watergate!" — that's exactly what's happened.

Watergate: The Video Game plays like a classic point-and-click adventure at first, with Woodward assigned to cover the infamous break-in at the DNC headquarters — but, as Kim tells Motherboard, this makes for a "soul-crushingly boring video game." What could not be described as soul-crushingly boring, however, is the surreal turn that Watergate quickly takes, involving an acid trip represented by a Mega Man shooting game, an graphic fight to the death with White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman, and a Punch-Out!!-style punch-out with Nixon himself.

Watergate should appeal to alternate historians and video game archivists alike: it features many other references to other Nintendo games, including audio cues lifted straight from the likes of Zelda and a cameo appearance from a certain pair of plumbing brothers. You can play it for yourself at this link.

'Drop' is a finger-twisting minimal masterpiece from 'Minecraft' creator Notch

2013-04-29T03:18:26Z

Markus "Notch" Persson, the man behind Minecraft, has launched a new browser game called Drop. While the stark graphics are based around a cube, that's about the only similarity you'll find with his previous block-building sensation; Drop is a game about typing speed and word play. One by one you type letters that form an endless spiral of words, but let one pass you by and it's game over—Persson cites Super Hexagon as an influence, and much of that game's DNA shines through in Drop's unforgiving rotations, simple visuals, and pulsing soundtrack. There's little reason not to check it out; the game is completely free, and your first attempt is only likely to last a few seconds.

The inspiration. Also, super hexagon. Also, the fez ending. twitter.com/notch/status/3…
— Markus Persson (@notch) April 28, 2013

Play this: 'Robot Unicorn Attack 2' is an iOS runner with space whales and Corey Hart

2013-04-25T15:13:04Z

The unicorn is back. After a series of spinoffs and even a Samsung clone, Adult Swim's endless runner Robot Unicorn Attack has returned with a full, proper sequel. The core gameplay remains the same as in the original browser game that wasted so many of our hours back in 2010: the unicorn will run automatically, while you control the jump and a dash attack. But while it controls the same, the game has also been fleshed out with a number of new ideas. You can collect coins that can be used to customize your robotic steed with everything from a flaming tail to demon wings, and there are missions that you can complete to unlock new content and abilities. There are even enemies now in the form of giant, laser spewing golems.

A cyborg-unicorn-whale

The visuals have also received a much welcome makeover. The unicorn itself is much more detailed and fluid, and the painted backgrounds are so beautiful you might just find yourself distracted from the actual game — especially when a cyborg-unicorn-whale flies past. Unsurprisingly, the modern updates also include in-app purchases. Robot Unicorn Attack 2 is free to play, but you can buy in-game currency with real money, as well as spend some cash on licensed music. The original game was notable in part because of the sweet sounds of Erasure's "Always" in the background, but this time you'll have to pay $0.99 to hear them. You can also purchase "classic" hits from the likes of Corey Hart and Slade. The game is currently only available on iOS, but if it follows in the footsteps of the original, it probably won't be long before we see it on other platforms as well. Check it out now at the source link below.

Play this: 'Natural Selection 2' is free on Steam this weekend

2013-03-23T19:12:02Z

Indie developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment (UWE) is making Natural Selection 2 free-to-play this weekend through Steam. Natural Selection 2 is a unique, fast-paced, exhilarating game that blends real-time-strategy with traditional first-person-shooter mechanics. Originally a popular modification for Half-Life, the game pits teams of aliens against marines, with each attempting destroying the enemy's base while protecting their own. It was released in October last year to a chorus of positive reviews, and for good reason — it offers some of the most original FPS team combat on the PC right now. The game comes with a steep learning curve, but there are plenty of beginner-friendly servers for new players.

The free offer is timed to coincide with the PAX East games expo, where UWE is showcasing an update to the game that rolled out recently. If you enjoy the free trial, UWE has also cut the price of the full game to $12.50, down 50 percent from its regular price, for the weekend.

Chrome Experiment turns any website into a playable marble maze

2013-03-21T15:32:58Z

Google is having some fun showing off what Chrome can do — the company today released a new Chrome Experiment that transforms websites into a playable marble maze. World Wide Maze breaks down the elements of a webpage, and uses them to create a floating obstacle course for you to navigate a rolling ball through by tilting your smartphone. The experiment wirelessly syncs Chrome on a desktop with Chrome on a mobile device, displaying the game on the larger screen and using the mobile device as a controller.

The game is complete with collectible gems, a goal for you to roll your way toward, and a score board. While the idea may stretch back to tabletop labyrinth games and video game classics like Marble Madness, the experiment most closely resembles Sega's arcade hit Super Monkey Ball. Google's Chrome Experiments program is a collection of publicly submitted projects that show off what the web can do — but Google itself likes to jump in every once in a while. Chrome Experiments came to mobile in June of last year, and World Wide Maze might be the most fun use of it yet.

Play this: 'Super Stickman Golf 2' is like regular golf, but crazy

2013-03-15T15:02:04Z

Fishing isn't the only mundane sport that can be improved through the power of video games: golf gets better with an ample dose of crazy, too. Available on iOS and Android, Super Stickman Golf 2 is the follow-up to the beloved original, and it doesn't mess with the formula too much. You'll still be trying to get a ball in a hole while navigating courses that would give even Super Mario a headache, using simple but intuitive controls and helpful power-ups.

What the sequel does, though, is add more: more crazy courses to play through (including one particularly clever section inspired by Portal), more nifty power-ups to use, and more hats to buy and stick on your tiny golfer. There's also a lot more challenge, with some incredibly devious level design involving everything from sticky walls to lasers. The game also includes two different ways to play with friends: a turn-based mode lets you take turns and compete at your own pace, while the race mode (unfortunately only available on iOS at launch) puts the focus on speed. You can check out Super Stickman Golf 2 at the source links below.

'Auti-Sim' conveys the discomfort of auditory hypersensitivity

2013-03-05T09:18:31Z

If you’re in the mood for a couple of minutes’ worth of unsettling gaming, look no further than Auti-Sim, a game designed to illustrate auditory hypersensitivity, a common condition in autism spectrum disorders. You play a child in a sunny playground full of other noisy kids, free to move around and explore the environment. But as you approach, the playful screams turn to piercing shrieks, and the sounds of ABCs being recited become unbearable. The screen fills with static to further convey your discomfort, only subsiding when you move to a quieter corner of the playground to cool down.

Designed to 'irritate the hell out of your senses'

As reported by Ars Technica, the game was created by a three-person team as part of Vancouver’s Hacking Health hackathon. Now that a trial version has been built, the team plans to develop a longer game, with more settings, deeper gameplay, and intelligent characters. It may have "sim" in the title, but team lead Taylan Kadayifcioglu tells Ars that rather than simulate what hypersensitivity actually feels like, the was goal was to provoke a similar kind of discomfort in neurotypical people. In other words, Auti-Sim is designed to "irritate the hell out of your senses."

Play this: 'Bombermine' is a chaotic, massively-multiplayer mash-up

2013-02-28T18:52:02Z

Bombermine is an addictive amalgam of Bomberman, Minecraft, and pop culture that lets 1,000 people play together, all in your browser. You won't be crafting diamond pickaxes, but you will be blasting through ore, gold, and your opponents to score points — all while occasionally morphing into a Nyan Cat or Kenny from South Park. The site launched in beta earlier this week and can be little rough around the edges, but the throwback style and classic Bomberman feel are easy to get lost in. Just don't get too comfortable; with a thousand players alongside you, you aren't going to survive for long.