Online Games

If you are new to online games, this a brief guide for you. The proper definition of Online Games are games that are played over some form of computer network, generally the internet. However, we like to think of them as the most fun you can have by yourself...and thousands of other people you can join up with or battle against in the ever expanding global gaming arena. You can also visit our pages on Free Online Games and Online Multiplayer Games.

Fighting games are a popular genre of action games and much like FPS games, require quick reflexes and excellent timing.  The focus of the majority of these games is on close quarter combat, where gamers engage in hand-to-hand combat in the case of Beat ‘em up games or melee weapons in the case of Hack ‘n Slash games.

The popularity of these games came from the success of major titles such as Double Dragon, Mortal Combat, Tekken and Street Fighter. Sport simulations are also featured in this genre in the form of such games like Electronic Art’s Fight Night.

Much the same as with Shooter games, Fighter games have also made their debut as Massively Multiplayer Online Fighting games (MMO Fighting Games).

Never heard of World of Warcraft? Then read on, you’re missing out...

Role-playing games (RPG) owe their origin from traditional pen-and-paper role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, Vampire the Masquerade and Tunnels and Trolls. The characteristic of many of these games include fantasy settings filled with monsters, quests, and adventures.  Many of the games are also typified by a heavy medieval influence such as World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls and Diablo, but there are an increasing number of games set around futuristic or science fiction settings including Star Wars: Old Republic, the Fallout Series, Skyrim, Uncharted 3 and Mass Effect.

The Role-Playing games often present gamers the opportunity to develop their in-game characters by performing actions that accumulate experience points and these experience points are expended in developing the skills and attributes of their characters.

Although RPG continues to be a popular genre for single player games, it’s the introduction of the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) that has put this genre one of the firm favourites of online gamers.

If you enjoy this sort of game, by all accounts you will love Skyrim and Zelda: The Skyward Sword. Quite a few people will already be working on Skyrim mods, which will further extend the lifespan of this great game.

Ever fancied flying a spaceship, piloting a tank, managing a city or racing in NASCAR? Then this is the genre of game for you.

This is a pretty broad genre of games that appeals to gamers that want to simulate aspects of both real and fictional reality. This can include anything from city and empire building games like Civilisation, Age of Empires to games that simulate governments and business to games that simulate life.

Simulate life? Yes, simulation games have been created that allow gamers to model ecosystems, social interactions, genetics and more. Probably the most popular title in this particular sub-genre is Sims.

Other popular form of simulation games (sims) is Vehicle Simulations, where gamers can fly aircraft with Flight Simulators, race cars and even pilot spaceships.

Vehicular combat is also a strong theme that has come through in this genre with titles like Carmageddon, Spy Hunter and Mech Warrior.

The gamer that craves online competition for simulation games will also not be disappointed, as many massively multiplayer online variants have been created including MMO Flight, MMO Racing and MMO Sports games.

The latest title to hit the streets in this respect is the highly anticipated Need for Speed: The Run from Electronic Arts.

Strategy games have roughly evolved from their offline counterparts, the board game. The genre further splits into turn based strategy games (TBS) and real time strategy games (RTS). The key separation here is the RTS games don’t progress the game play incrementally in a series of turns, all the action is live. Many credit the introduction of RTS games to Dune 2, a popular game based on the series of books by Frank Herbert.

The general game play associated with strategy involves the gamer first exploring the game play area and from there, expanding their area of control, exploiting the resources of the areas and their control and eliminating their competition. Gamers continually are forced to make decisions to best utilise the resources at their disposal, normally under a continuously changing gaming environment, adapting to the tactics of their opponents. Good examples of RTS games include the popular StarCraft series, Age of Empires, Dawn of War and End of Nations.

Some of the most popular Strategy Game titles include those based on War Games. Here gamers have the opportunity to recreate key battles across history from feudal Japan to Vietnam, testing their knowledge of military strategy and tactics against those of history’s greatest military minds.

The rise of MMORTS games now presents the opportunity for gamers to test their skill against budding strategists from around the world.