If you are not a “Grand Theft Auto”/”Halo” kind of person, you might think the video game system you bought for the kids has nothing much for you. Sure, those “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero III” games are fun (and expensive), but you’re more of a “Bejeweled”/”Zuma” fan who likes to match gems or shoot colored beads for a few minutes on your cell phone or computer.
Well, move over, kids, and let go of the controller, because the console-driven game has changed.
The three big game systems — Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PlayStation 3 and, starting Monday, Nintendo’s Wii — now all offer casual games to download from the Internet for $10 or less. These are aimed at the folks who enjoy arcade or puzzle games on their phone or computer but want the convenience and eye-opening appeal of playing on their television screen.
While you can find great games to play at sites such as miniclip.com, orisinal.com, pogo.com, instantaction.com and kongregate.com, you won’t find the WiiWare or PlayStation Network or Xbox Live Arcade games with your computer. You’ll use the console to connect to Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft servers.
One of my favorite games is the beautifully simple “Echochrome,” downloadable from the PlayStation Network. Tilt and move an Escher-style platform to help an artist’s mannequin walk from one destination to another. By changing your perspective of the platform, you hide pitfalls that could cause the mannequin to tumble off into space. Minimalist and elegant, “Echochrome” features surging chamber music that reminds you you’re a long way from hack-and-slash, shoot-’em-up games. Titles covering puzzles, sports, racing, trivia, cards and more compete for your attention.
The variety of offerings is staggering (though not all games are available on all consoles), and games are added often; on Xbox Live Arcade, for instance, you can find arcade favorites such as “Frogger,” familiar titles such as “Zuma” and “Uno” and trivia games such as “Wits and Wagers.”
In competition with million-selling titles such as “Halo 3” and “Grand Theft Auto IV,” a little gem such as “Echochrome” would be overlooked. That’s the joy of casual game portals; they are places for quirky games that are comparatively inexpensive to create and appeal to a very different audience. They don’t have to be financial blockbusters.
But they still are a good investment for the likes of Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony, who hope to reel in casual gamers happy to buy several $10 arcade games and keep them just as hooked as the hard-core gamers who spend $50 to $60 a pop for the latest big-name title.
For many months I’ve been downloading and playing games from Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. I can’t wait to try WiiWare — it was scheduled to go online before this article went to press, so I haven’t had a chance to get my hands on it — and I have been playing old-school downloads available on the Wii’s Virtual Console since the Wii’s release in 2006. Some WiiWare games are promising. “Major League Eating: The Game,” for instance, looks like silly fun in which you enter a variety of who-can-eat-the-most competitions, stuffing your gut and belching your way through mounds of pizza, mini-burgers and hot dogs.
Fun that’s gross and engrossing — even a “Halo” fan can get into that.
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Getting the games
Here’s what you need to download games to your console:
* A broadband-connected PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or Wii
* A free account on the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live or WiiWare
What you’ll do
* Search the casual game portal on your console for a game to play. You’ll be confronted with a host of familiar and unfamiliar titles. Fortunately, you can download and try free demos (you get a small part of the game; you’ll have to pay for the rest).
* Using your game controller, download a compressed demo to your console. With a button click, you can uncompress it so you’re ready to play.
* Keep the file as long as you want; you can delete demos to make room for others you want to try.
* To buy downloadable casual games, you can use your credit card to buy points, then use points to purchase games. (You can also go to a store that sells video games and buy debit cards preloaded with points that can be spent to download games). A dollar buys you 80 Microsoft Points, and games cost 400 or 800 points, or $5 to $10. On the Wii, a dollar buys you 100 points, and games cost 500 to 1,000 points.
Because the games cost about the price of a movie at the cineplex, the temptation of impulse buying is great. The game systems have parental controls to prevent kids from purchasing games like crazy.
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Games you should try
Reading about games is like hearing a friend describe a concert: It’s not like the real thing. Here is a handful of the hundred or so games I’ve played or look forward to playing. You can search YouTube for clips to see the games in action, and you can download demos to try before you buy.
Echochrome
PlayStation Network, $9.99
What’s the deal? Help an artist’s mannequin negotiate a 3-D platform suspended in air. Tilt and move the platform so that what once was a gaping hole appears to be covered by a beam. It’s all about perspective.
Pixel Junk Monsters
PlayStation Network, $9.99
What’s the deal? Defend helpless forest critters from invading spiders, flying things and other assorted miscreants. How? By turning trees into cannons and other armaments that reduce marauders to coins and gems you collect to buy better weaponry.
Rocketmen: Axis of Evil
PlayStation Network, $9.99
Xbox Live Arcade, 800 points ($10)
What’s the deal? In this witty, spirited, comic book-style romp, you’re often surrounded by hordes of enemies. Luckily, you have a variety of cool weapons that shoot in all directions as you defend the galaxy from evil. For you old-school arcade gamers, think Technicolor version of “Robotron 2084” in CinemaScope.
Target Toss Pro: Bags
WiiWare: Date and price to be announced
What’s the deal? Incredible Technologies — the folks who brought you the “Golden Tee” arcade golf games — has converted a family back yard beanbag-tossing pastime into a WiiWare game. It’s “Wii Bowling” taken to the next level, with dramatic, fun-spirited color commentary.
Wik: Fable of Souls
Xbox Live Arcade,
800 points ($10)
What’s the deal? Swing by your tongue up and down trees to collect grubs for your companion, Slotham, in this oldie but goodie. It’s a tricky rhythm to get into, but once you do, your fingers know what to do even before you do. It is Zen-like bliss achieved when mind and body are in harmony. Think I’m kidding? Try the demo.
