Bitmob.com

Sometimes the silliest of pursuits are the most effective for wasting time. Take Extreme Heli Boarding. It is a one trick pony (or snowboard), and can be incredibly frustrating. I wish I had opportunity to practice my winter sport skills, as they would do me wonders, stuck as I am in the Swiss Alps.

Oh, if I could only waste a work day. While you may be troubled with the fact that you have many tedious hours to avoid, be thankful that you do not have to waste a hiding-from-the-clutches-of-an-Eastern-European-Despot day. I ensure you, it is not as pleasant, nor as adventurous, as it sounds. Be that as it may, I present the game Intrusion.

9 Bricks that takes a singular, easily identifiable idea, and executes it to perfection. The game takes the iconic Tetris parts and puts them in reverse. Instead of clear lines, you have to build a tower.

The "games' as art argument is quite unnecessary, especially when you spot a little gem like The Company of Myself. It is a short flash game and can easily be played in under 30 minutes. So hit that link, and go play now. I'm warning you, I'm going to ruin it.

Based on the well established Warlords: Call to Arms strategy game, Warlords: Heroes puts you in the shoes of one of the mindless grunts you sent to die in the first game. While there's all sorts of story about races and countries and all that useless junk, this game is a simple brawler, with many upgrades, moves, and NPC fighters.

It's hard to define a good game. Partially because there are some many different ideas and designs that provide for a good game, partially because it is hard to actually articulate what is fun about an experience. You can go round and round with arguments, but more often than not, there is a "je ne sais quoi" and X-Factor.

Puzzle games are great time wasters, especially ones as simple as Filler, a game I have lost hours to. The concept is sublime and the execution is excellent.

Episodic gaming is alive and well -- as downloadable content.

Episodic gaming is a failure that hurt gamers.

Waste your work day with the free Dino Run

I have a weak spot for the "shoot stuff from the left and make it go as far right as possible" genre. I also have a weak spot for beautiful hand drawn flash games. Newgrounds put the two together in this lovely little flash game, Toss the Turtle.

I was wandering around the internet looking for some gift ideas for my daughter's first birthday, and I found a Best of 2009 list featured at Toys R Us Canada's website. Of the 19 games listed (with no rhyme or reason), 11 are licensed titles, including some Tinkerbell game. I'm not sure, but I think that particular title flew under the radar.

Game of the Year Awards... Yawn. Everyone does it, and they pretty much look the same, across the board. So when Giant Bomb came out with their list, they supplemented it with five days of audio podcasts... and a 4 hour session deliberating on their game of the year, I was totally on board.

The origin story of Bitmob, in comic form.

I can tell you right now why this was an issue. People recall wonderful times sitting in the same room playing Starcraft on LAN. And, given Blizzard's track record, they don't expect a revolution in terms of game design when Starcraft 2 finally hits. Just slight tweaks and improvements. So they expect the same experience. But c'mon now.

s Microsoft managing the message properly? Did they actually fix the problem? Maybe we are just resigned to the fact that our Xbox 360s have a limited life. And maybe we are just sick of talking about it. Either way, The Red Ring of Death controversy is well past its prime.

Wii Motion Plus is actually a good thing. As opposed to most peripherals that are made for the Wii, it is not 100% plastic/0% useful. But here's the deal: 3 years after Nintendo talked about motion control, they finally deliver. The worst part? To have a fully functional fully compatible controller, you now have to spend $100.

I am a Beatles fan. And I don't like big bulky plastic shit. So when the recreated "instruments" came out with The Beatles: Rockband, I was unsure what to think about it. After some soul searching, I finally decided that this was very cool, insofar that I love history, and this drum kit makes for a loving tribute to the world's greatest band.

Data mining Google to gauge the pressing issues facing the big three game console makers. So...how about that PlayStation 4?

Yes, we all give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt, but New Super Mario Bros. Wii was pushing it. A reimagining of a reimagining? That cow has to be milked by now! Nintendo doesn't believe so, and you know what? They were right.