I love casual gaming

I am an 80's kid. I like hair bands with skinny men in tight jeans, I miss Reganomics (I know, I know, but the man had a way about him you gotta admit), and I can still talk Valley Girl with the best of them. My favorite color will always be florescent yellow, I think leg warmers are cool and yes, I still want to stand up and cheer every single time an Olympic commercial comes on with Mary Lou Retton . No matter how hard my daughter tries to convince me flared jeans are all the rage, they will ALWAYS be bell bottoms to me and I will always hate them.


Along with my love with everything 80's, I also became infatuated with video games. Of course the big ones when I was a kid were Atari and Nintendo. Seriously, who didn't love Mario Brothers? The neighbor across the street had a Colecovision and I remember the graphics were INCREDIBLE.

At least to me.

Compared to the Atari.

Now that I am older and theoretically wiser, I find that video game consoles are confusing. I have a computer with internet access already, so do I want my gaming system to be web accessible too? Do I want it to play DVD's? Do I want a Wii, a PS3 or an XBox 360? There are games I want to play on all systems and let's face it, I am not willing to spend the bucks on all three. I myself am leaning towards the Wii, but no one seems to carry them.


So, while me and my crew debate on our new gaming system, I have taken to the internet for my gaming fix. I do have a PS2 and sure I can play those games, but that means I have to hook up the system, decide on which game I want, get all my munchies and drinks ready, find a comfortable spot and start to play. But on the internet, I pick the game I want from a vast array of games, I can easily start the game, I can easily end the game. The computer is already hooked up, my spot is already picked out and there is even a coaster already in place for my drink. The games are usually free, and even if they aren't I can at least try them for an hour to see if I like them. If I like the game but don't want to buy that's ok too, because in about 6 months it will be on the shelf at Wal-Mart in a nice little package for 1/2 the price.

I am a GENIUS!
So where do I go to get these great games you ask? http://www.reflexive.com/

In my house we call casual games "point and click" or as my S.O. likes to say "mindless clicking games". Yeah whatever buddy. Just remember level 10 ranger with the helm of brilliance ya dork.

I happen to LOVE my clicking games. If you would like to see what I am talking about, go to Reflexive and download Diner Dash. Its free to try.

I'll wait.
The story behind the game is you are Flo, an up and coming go-getter starting out as most of us did, in the restaurant business. There are a ton of puzzles to work your way through, clicking until your little heart is content. The gameplay is clear, the story is cute, the addiction is epic.

This is the game that got me started on casual gaming and it seems every game development company has a game that is almost, but not quite like Diner Dash. Whether you want to play a server, baker, gourmet chef, pizza cook or sandwich artist, there are a plethora of games to fulfill your need. And not just the restaurant business either. There are pet grooming, pet store owning, spa and beauty treatment, wedding and reception scenarios, hotel and resorts as well.



But those are another blog..



Have a great time killing time. And if for some reason you do get addicted, I did warn you.