Spotted this in the Guardian here.
This has been a staggering year for freebie Flash games. If, for example, you miss out on Valve's Orange Box collection, which includes the brilliant mind-bending puzzler Portal, check out Portal: The Flash Version (tinyurl.com/2u6m2j) - a lovely 2D take on the game by two indie coders. If it's shooting action you're lacking, try The Last Stand (tinyurl.com/2mjwxy), a relentless zombie blaster with decent visuals and a generous stocking-full of deadly weapons. Even music games like Guitar Hero have their browser equivalents. Super Crazy Guitar Maniac Deluxe 2 (tinyurl.com/2crol8) is a keyboard-based rhythm action romp with 14 songs and a huge online following.
The Flash scene has also propagated its own fads and genres, often based around gameplay found in larger retail releases. This year saw dozens of "tower defence" titles, in which the player protects a citadel from encroaching invaders. This would be a mere snippet of a major real-time strategy title such as Warcraft, but in the Flash realm, coders have modified the idea into a style in its own right. My favourite is Onslaught (onslaught.playr.co.uk).
Elsewhere, one of last year's big Flash titles, Line Rider - a snowy level design challenge in which you drew ski slopes then let a physics-enhanced sledge plummet down them - has started a new craze for sandbox experiences. Free Rider is an utterly enthralling BMX version where you design a track then race along it collecting stars. An even better sequel has just been released, and can be found at tinyurl.com/2u4knu.
The visually accomplished Stackopolis, where you place blocks on an isometric grid according to an increasingly complicated blueprint, is much more fun than it sounds. I also love another physics-based challenge, Ramps (tinyurl.com/2vvnu9). If none of these do it for you, check out aggregation sites like Newgrounds.com and Kongregate.com, or play any of Ferry Halim's beautiful relaxing experiences on ferryhalim.com/orisinal.
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