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Every week, msnbc.com entertainment producers Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, Denise Hazlick, Paige Newman, Kurt Schlosser and Anna Chan weigh in on topics ranging from TV commercials to movie hype to the latest celebrity blunder. We're not ashamed to admit our love for bad TV or reveal what's on our iPods, and invite you to join the conversation via your comments.



Multi-link Monday: Online games we love

Posted: Monday, January 29, 2007 6:00 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Filed Under: ,

We'll resume the comics discussion in a bit, but on to Multi-link Monday for now. This week's offering has a theme: Online games. Some of these have been around for a while, but others were new to me. I want to remind readers too that you're welcome to suggest Multi-link Monday links, whether games or other fun, the idea being that we're looking for quick hits, fun sites to check out while you're taking a sanity break at work or just need to clear your head for a minute. Feel free to post your favorite sites in the comments. Don't like games? We'll get back to a regular Multi-link Monday next week.

• The first online game that got me addicted is still a goodie: Bejeweled, also known as Diamond Mine, asks you to swap two gems in order to make a path of three or more. They then disappear, more gems fall, and you keep on going until you can't make any more moves. I also like the variation on Bejeweled, Chuzzled, which features fat li'l fuzzballs instead of gems. The red ones remind me of Meatwad from "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." And here's a cute farm animal version.

• One of my co-workers still blames me for getting him addicted to WEBoggle (Update: Fixed the link!) a neat online version of Boggle. You may have to wait a few seconds for a new round to begin, but you're playing against other real people in real time, and can see how your score compares at the end of the round. Some of those incredibly high scores look fake to me, but I guess if you practice enough, you're bound to improve.

• If you're still missing the great arcade games of the 1980s, there are plenty of sites offering those familiar names up for online play or download. 80sMusicLyrics.com has a nice bunch of them, including Simon and Frogger. An even longer list of games is at this site, which is hosted by a Florida couple and their triplets.

• I'm terrible at this one: Defend Your Castle lets you pick up stick-figure invaders and shoot them through the air. You'd think stick figures would be pretty easy targets, but man, they took over my castle in no time flat. I'm a little better at Fishy, hosted by the same site, in which your little fish eats smaller fish to stay in the swim of things.

• This one is kind of a one-trick pony, but hey, it made me smile. Remember how simple Pong was? Even if you weren't very good at it, you can excel at Text-Based Pong.

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Comments

I am completly addicted to Cubis2. Another good one is Zuma.

Stephanie Nashville, TN (Sent Monday, January 29, 2007 11:18 AM)

I love the the nostalgic feeling of some of the online games (e.g. Pong). Great time-wasters when taking a break. MY latest link of the week for a quick time-waster: www.youstolemytime.com

Michael R, San Diego, CA (Sent Monday, January 29, 2007 12:28 PM)

Does anyone have any strategy hints for Bejeweled so that you don't run out of moves? The most I've been able to gather is to do all the moves available near the top of the board.

M. Powers, Quincy, MA (Sent Monday, January 29, 2007 1:01 PM)

Jayisgames.com is a good site for more time wasting.

Rob, Seattle, WA (Sent Monday, January 29, 2007 2:29 PM)

The USA Today Crossword is my favorite online game. The interface is excellent (and allows cheating) and the puzzles from Timothy Parker are always excellent.

Branda Freinze (Sent Monday, January 29, 2007 2:51 PM)

I like the Web based/Text Based Multiplayer games like Earth 2025 or Utopia. Both are similar to the Old Unix Hammurabi game that was a hit among College Kids a loooong while back who were playing that and Star Trek instead of doing the English CBT they had signed out the Computer terminal for. You are the Ruler of a Kingdom and you have to figure out your resources in such a way as to keep the people fed and protect them from invaders. You have to make trade and defense alliances with others to survive just like in the real world. Earth 2025 is a Scifi/Post Apocalypse type game. You can choose your type of Government. Each type has its own strenghts and weaknesses. Utopia is a Lord of the Rings Type Magical Fantasy and you can chose which of the LOTR races to be Human, Hobbit, Orc, etc. You get one turn an hour and bonus turns the longer you are offline. It only takes about 15 minutes a day to login and inspect the damage done while you were away and to issue new orders to your minions. It can get very addicting though. I have to quit every once and a while.

Skyler the Weird, Charlotte, NC (Sent Monday, January 29, 2007 2:52 PM)

You forgot my favorite, Text Twist. I can play for hours.

Frank Occhiogrosso, Bohemia, NY (Sent Monday, January 29, 2007 3:08 PM)

for those seeking interactive game with some recognition to brands, entrtainment and even silly fun, checkout www.kewlbox.com and www.boxerjam.com for brain teasers and other fun games!

Blockdot (Sent Monday, January 29, 2007 3:59 PM)

I don't know about anyone else, but I love Diner Dash.

Sarah, Euless, Texas (Sent Monday, January 29, 2007 4:02 PM)

I like to visit orbitzgames.com. Some of the games are pretty easy, some are hard (I still haven't figured out how to do the beanbag toss), but they are great time-wasters,uh, I mean, if you're on your break...

Barb, Memphis, TN (Sent Monday, January 29, 2007 4:16 PM)

I love Multilink Mondays and try to check out all the links. This week's about online games is neat. When I really want to exercise my brain I go to conceptispuzzles.com. They have everything from Sudoku to connect the dots. Many of their puzzles have appeared in Games Magazine.

Kim Sachs, Denton, MD (Sent Monday, January 29, 2007 4:23 PM)

My nephew and I wiled away Thanksgiving playing Kitten Cannon on http://addictinggames.com/ -- amusingly gory enough for an 11-year-old, not too gory for a 40-year-old. For online crosswords and other former pencil puzzles, I gave myself a subscription to upuzzles.com for Christmas. Tons of different crosswords (Jonesin is my fave) and other puzzles. My subscription gets me years worth of archived puzzles, but you can play demo and daily stuff for free.

Shelley, Skillman NJ (Sent Tuesday, January 30, 2007 2:07 AM)

coffeebreakarcade.com is one of my favorite

N.V. Cooks (Sent Tuesday, January 30, 2007 6:34 AM)

I've become addicted to QWERTY over the last couple of months. It combines the essential elements of Scrabble with a chance to chat online with your opponent. That addiction was validated last week, when, walking through an airport I saw an ad for an internet phone that said "go ahead and QWERTY". Guess I'm not alone....

Gary, Orlando, FL (Sent Tuesday, January 30, 2007 9:34 AM)

I am completely addicted to JT's Blocks! I can't stop myself! I start playing and then, suddenly, I've been playing for a couple of hours...

Tracy, Los Angeles, CA (Sent Tuesday, January 30, 2007 9:54 AM)

I spend my evening winding down on www.Pogo.com. You can play so many different solitaire, puzzle, board & card games with people all over th world.

Leslie, Austin, Tx (Sent Tuesday, January 30, 2007 9:55 AM)

shockwave.com and bigfish.com have some of the greatest games. I love Zuma, Pirates Plunder, Luxor (okay, anyone who has played any of these probably sees a theme - jewel swapping). I can play those games for hours on end.

Barbara, Olympia, WA (Sent Tuesday, January 30, 2007 4:36 PM)

Love crossword and other Yahoo games,particularly Bookworm and Flip Words and Trivia Machine.

Bill McGovern,Hoosick Falls,N.Y. (Sent Wednesday, January 31, 2007 3:12 AM)

My personal favorite is Jewel Quest. It's another jewel-swapping game on Yahoo! Games (you can also access it through CMT.com). The online version isn't as good as the full version, though, and I WILL be buying it one of these days.

Heather Evans, Chambersburg, PA (Sent Wednesday, January 31, 2007 2:24 PM)

as stated before, go with Earth 2025. games.swirve.com/earth That is the most addicting game ever. Play Alliance, Limited, or Earth Council, join a reputable alliance, and you have a game that can be loved for many different reasons from mathematical intrigue with the formulae to the political intrigue of interalliance relations and intra-alliance debates and power struggles. It is a game that you live.

Stephen Tash; Sterling Heights, MI (Sent Wednesday, January 31, 2007 2:32 PM)

Oh wow! Earth: 2025. That game is classic. Been playing it for about 7 years now. Check out the forums at http://boards.swirve.com/board.cgi?boardset=earth Try Alliance Talk or Earth Council Talk and make a post looking for an alliance. Like to war? Like to netgain? You can do it all!

Justin Nanu, Toronto, Ontario (Sent Wednesday, January 31, 2007 3:40 PM)

Earth:2025 is a fun text based game where you run a government and the idea is to become the nation who is worth the most in the world(server) either by resources or simply killing the other countries. The forum moderators are fun to talk to and some even play the game and watch to make sure that there are not people cheating... with the exception of Mickster of course :)

Despie, Cleveland, Ohio (Sent Wednesday, January 31, 2007 5:47 PM)

My favorite game site is www.orisinal.com

Melissa, Anderson IN (Sent Saturday, February 24, 2007 2:51 PM)

Check out BeSpelled on MSN. It's highly addictive!

Carys, San Diego, CA (Sent Wednesday, May 30, 2007 3:15 PM)

Date.com, the premier free online dating service that helps single girls, and guys, men and women, meet other singles, who may be looking for friendships, love, romance and marriage. Internet dating offering free online personals.

California, CA (Sent Wednesday, June 11, 2008 10:49 PM)



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