A blog about casual gaming

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New game round-up 1

New game round-up 1

We have uncovered some casual gaming gems for you in this, our first round-up of new casual games to hit the world wide web.

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Published by Tasha on 16th November 2009

One thing that never fails to amaze me is the sheer quantity of new games pumped out by casual game developers each month. Sometimes I fret that I won't be able to keep up, and a great casual game will pass me by.

But, of course, this is a blessing rather than a curse, and it certainly made writing Casual Girl Gamer's first New Game Round-up a lot more enjoyable. My biggest challenge, I am thrilled to say, was not finding games to include but choosing which ones to reluctantly discard.

Anyway, without further ado, I present you with Casual Girl Gamer's Top 10 new games.

1GraveShift 2: The Sewers

The first Graveshift would very likely make my list of top ten Flash games of all time, so it was inevitable that I would be featuring this much-anticipated follow-up here. Unlike many sequels, GraveShift 2: The Sewers does not disappoint.

The developers have lavished the same love and attention that made the first game so fun. If you have the slightest affinity for isometric adventure games, you will love GraveShift 2. Play the game here.

2Cover Orange

There has been a spate of physics-style games similar to Cover Orange recently but none that I can remember has made me smile as much. Featuring the cutest oranges in Casualgamedom, great sound and a fun twist on the physics sim genre, Cover Orange is blessed with great puzzles and addictive game play. The game is worth playing just for the sound effects - the cute laughter of the oranges is particularly appealing. Click here to play the game.

3Tentadrill

Armor Games - the creator of such legendary Flash games as Sonny - rarely misses the mark with its games, and the company's latest offering - Tentadrill - is certainly no dud. Tentadrill is like an underwater version of the classic Defender but rather than being a spaceship you are a tenticle-like sea creature and rather than fighting aliens you have to contend with a stream of vicious fish

The game is quite tricky - contact with the stone walls strewn around the underwater world will smash your fragile body to pieces. But, thankfully, an RPG-style levelling up system quickly equips you with all the powers you need to survive in this hostile environment. Play the game here.

4A Dralien Day

I have to admit I am a bit of a sucker for point-and-click adventures, so given the slightest chance, I was always going to include at least one here. However, regardless of whether you are a fan of the genre, A Dralien Day undoubtedly deserves its place on this list.

With its cute cartoony graphics, the game reminds me of the legendary Journeys of Reemus. The puzzles - while not quite in the same imaginative league as Journeys of Reemus - achieve a good balance of fun and difficulty. Play A Dralien Day here. If you like the game, we recommend you check out our Top 10 Point and Click Games article.

5Mission 9 Ball

I really do not like pool sims (they are not a patch on the real thing) so it was somewhat of a shock to find myself really enjoying Mission 9 Ball. I am not sure what it is. Maybe I was seduced by the mellow bar music.

Or perhaps it was the slick graphics, the effortless game mechanics... Or was it the series of fun and challenging missions. In truth, I was won over by a game that does everything brilliantly. Dash it! Now, I have yet another excuse for staying in rather than going out and socialising! Mission 9 Ball can be played here.

6Wake up the block

There are two types of people in the world. Those who, on spotting someone asleep, go "ahhh, isn't that sweet", and those who regard a slumbering person as the ideal opportunity to get up to some mischief. If, like me, you fall into the "let's pour some ice cold water down his PJs" camp, then more likely than not you will love this game.

In Wake up the block, all the poor old block wants to do is sleep, but can he get some shut eye. Not with you around, that's for sure. In this fun, slightly-sadistic physics sim game, your task is to devise ever more devious methods to wake up poor old Mr Blockhead. Hee hee! Click here to play the game.

7Drastic Plastic

I know it isn't good form to say this in public but people who make robots are weird and scary. I am not talking about people who do it for a job - that is understandable. But those creepy individuals who scuttle off to their sheds every night and indulge in all sorts of hideous activities with a soldering iron.

And then, rather than being embarrassed by their revolting hobby, they want nothing more than to tell the world about it in TV shows like Robot Wars. Yeeuugh, the very thought, gives me the shakes. Why can't such people just stay at home and play Drastic Plastic instead. They get to fight robots all day long, and they don't have to freak me out by appearing on my TV. Drastic Plastic can be played here.

8Fly me to the moon

I don't really care whether this game is any good at all. Even if its game play stank to high heaven, its graphics made Manic Minor look like a work of art and its sound effects had my cat searching for a piece of rope and a hook, I would still have included it in this list, because Fly me to the moon has one of the cutest gaming protagonists I've ever come across.

A tiny performing mouse, for goodness sake. You can't get cuter than that. Thankfully, the game play is also great, the retro graphics are appealing and, I can ensure you, the music has not awoken my cat from its slumber. The aim of the game is to perform death defying acts in front of an audience in order to win as many fans as you can. Cute, cute cute. Play it here.

9Doof Ball

What is it about pub games that make then perfect for reinvention as casual games? There's pinball, darts, pool... and, oh, table football. The latter has probably been the least successful as a video game. But there is no reason why this should be the case, as the wonderfully named Doof Ball illustrates.

Featuring fast paced game play, a steadily increasing difficulty and a league structure to help you keep track of your progress, Doof Ball offers you everything you could want from a table football game, except perhaps a packet of pork scratchings and some drunken banter with your pals. Click here to play the game.

10Full Moon

This game is an object lesson in how, when done brilliantly, a simple concept can be transformed into a fun and engaging game. In Full Moon, a modern take on the point-and-click genre, our protaganist - a cute bunny - likes to collect things (perhaps he should have been a magpie!?).

It is your job to help him find these items by solving a series of puzzles. The puzzles range from the dead simple to the head-scratchingly difficult, providing a fun challenge for everyone from the novice point-and-clicker to the hardened veteran. Full Moon can be played here.


I hope you enjoyed this list. If there are any new games you think we missed out, please tell us about them in the comments section below. Happy playing!


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Published by Casual Girl Gamer on 19th November 2009
Thanks for the positive feedback, folks. We are thrilled that you are enjoying the site, and hope to bring you more great gaming content shortly!
Published by Jane on 19th November 2009
I love your site - found your RSS link eventually but maybe you should put it up at the top for more people to find! Thanks!
Published by Annonymous on 18th November 2009
cool site ! RSS please!
Published by Meman32 on 17th November 2009
Great website, it looks sweet. Full moon was incredible, but I'll have to try a Dralien Day. Maybe Cannabalt should have made it? Or Gravity Hook, that was a good one. It's a fairly thorough list though.

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