OK, so you’re in between 3 or 4 projects, and your Attention Deficit Disorder has caught up with you. You need something quick that you can do, something to get your mind on something else before going back to the projects refreshed.
I’m here to tell you some of the best ways to do that! Why spend that precious in-between time trying out a game you find soon enough is more frustrating than relaxing? So, here’s my list of my favorite 5-minute games.
XBOX 360 Arcade games:
Hexic
I believe this game came free with the 360, as I have never been on a 360 that didn’t have it. Despite it being one of the first, it is by far one of the best. It can be a quick game of beat the clock, or an ongoing montage, where you can switch players and go for hours if you’d like. It contains all the best things about a game in a tiny little box: It is making order out of disorder (like Ymiris’ defrag-watching fetish), It is colorful & has definitely pleasing and rewarding sounds, and it requires puzzle-solving to get good at. The achievements are not incredibly easy to come by, just try to get a black pearl.
Uno
Yes, this is the game you played as a kid. Simple gameplay makes it good to just pick up for a minute, but sounds, backgrounds, and some added graphics make it quite a bit more fun, especially if you can get a group game where the deck is not the default one. I love the Kameo colors and sounds, and my daughter enjoys being able to talk to other people (after turning off video and my approving who the people are, of course). The one downside is that while playing other people, you do get some people that are most certainly not appropriate. I suggest playing with friends, or making the sound come through the headphones, then not wearing them. I definitely suggest turning off video.
Heavy Weapon
This is a simply side-scrolling end-of-the-world tank shooter. Up to 4 people can play at once, and it is more reminiscent of Space Invaders: just keep shooting no matter what. It does get boring after a few repetitive boards, but it is good for a quick distraction.
Lumines
OK, I have heard the internet go crazy for this game, but honestly I found it annoying and frustrating. It is something like tetris, but the music is repetitive and hypnotic. The gameplay is fun for a while, but I found I’m too used to creating shapes instead of simply squares, so after about 2 boards, I wrote it off as one of the most annoying games I’ve ever played. However, with the recent craze, I cant’ have a complete list without at least mentioning it. Give it a try & let me know I’m just touchy. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
ONLINE games:
Kdice / Dice Wars:
Remember Risk? The game where you own countries, and the more countries you own the more guys you get to go attack the neighboring countries? OK, now imagine that instead of men, you get dice.. that being the number of dice you get to roll to see if you take over or not. That’s Dice Wars. For a game in between working, I suggest the one-player version (Dice Wars), but for when you have about 15 minutes to really sit down & play, play Kdice, the multi-player version. I usually play kdice while cleaning the kitchen… it’s somehow a satisfying multi-tasking.
N game:
This game has become so popular, it will be on the Xbox 360 fall 2007. This is a great Pac-man-becomes-a-ninja game, where you are a ninja (N) that defies gravity, for the most part. Jumping and falling and bouncing off the walls collecting dots, and eventually avoiding heat-seeking missles and lazers. It takes a few minutes to get the controls down, but after that you’ll start finding reasons that work is slow ..
Sudoku:
If you haven’t already played this, you are really REALLY behind on the time. It’s something of a tic-tac-toe or chess against numbers, I suppose. This game is the new Crossword puzzle, with less dictionaries. I do highly suggest it, especially number-logic. But do beware, once you get it down & realize you’re being timed, you’re going to have difficulty coming away.
OK, that’s it for now. I’m hoping to try out the wii arcade soon, but no promises. I have lvl 66 to get in WoW, an actual attempt at the new Zelda, WiiPlay, and whatever Vidar comes up with next… I’m swamped!