Tinker and Hold 'em coming to Games for Windows - for free! originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ah, Evony. Sweet, sweet Evony. Chances are if you've been online for more than a day or two and you dare step outside the sandbox of Gmail or Facebook and into the seedy underbelly of the beast, you'll have seen the Evony ads.

Take a good, long look at the advert to the right -->

OK. Now what're you thinking? BOOBS? Voyeuristic pleasures of the flesh? 'You know, it looks like she's sleeping... or enjoying herself... or both...'

To be fair, this one actually includes a brief description of the game itself ('build your empire'), but later versions aren't quite as subtle (probably not work-safe).

But we only have ourselves to blame. You see, Evony's marketing ploy must be successful or they wouldn't still be doing it. Sex sells, gentlemen. The promise of sex sells even better! Seriously, a girl pleasuring herself couldn't be further from the truth in the case of Evony, but the image hits your eyeballs and heads straight on down to your animalistic hindbrain. Before you know it -- before your rational, sensible, Internet-savvy brain can kick in -- you're clicking the ad. You're probably clicking her boobs even. It's OK -- we all do it. That's why such ads exist.

You've just been had by the Internet. But who's to blame exactly? Us, for being weak and driven by our biology? The scrupulous Web service providers that hire advertising agencies to shoot girls in skimpy panties and low-cut dresses? None of the above, I'm afraid. The inherent freedom of the Internet comes at a price, and if you think those money-grabbing bastards aren't going to milk it for all its worth, you'd be wrong.

Think about it: if the ad showed a girl gouging her eyes out and eating poop from a cup it wouldn't get quite the same click-through ratio. Why not boobs? Why not delusions of grandeur? Why not promise things you can't deliver on? Why not LIE? Who is going to stop them?

The Internet, in its rampant, unmonitored, ungoverned and anarchic state is full of examples like Evony. Lose 15lbs in 15 minutes! You've won the lottery! Click this irritating and epilepsy-inducing banner to collect your prize! Scan your infected, virus-ridden computer now... and get a bonus malware infection for free! Evony, unlike other cowboys, at least delivers a small portion of its promise -- you can play it in a browser after all -- but that's not the point.

The point is: the Internet is simply too good to be true. The problem is not that there's fake stuff out there -- there will always be fake stuff -- it just happens to be damn hard to separate the good stuff from the fake stuff. You never quite know what you're going to get after you click a link.

So remember, if something is FREE!!! or relies on a picture of BOOBS, it's too good to be true.

In fact, if you don't want to be fooled by advertising, just download whatever we feature here at Download Squad -- I guarantee we'll never sell out and recommend a boob-branded download.

Free boobs: It's too good to be true originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Zune HD software update brings 3D games, widescreen keyboard

Zune HD software update brings 3D games, widescreen keyboard originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Did you know you could play Commodore 64 games on your iPhone?

Did you know you could play Commodore 64 games on your iPhone? originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Phytrix

Phytrix: a Tetris-Meets-Match-3 Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Max out your World of Warcraft character with a free, open-source application called Rawr

Max out your World of Warcraft character with a free, open-source application called Rawr originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

RPGs like Fallout and Oblivion coming to your iPhone? originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Everybody loves a good Time Waster. Everybody loves ninjas. And everyone loves solving mathematical equations, right? Number Ninjas is all this goodness rolled up into one slick little Flash game!

You play the number one, armed with a ninja's favorite projectiles: throwing stars. And by "stars" I mean +, -, /, and *. To complete a level, you've got to defeat enemy numerals using the correct operator to satisfy the equation in the bottom right corner.

Sure, nailing this eight with a + would do the trick, but who knows what other numbers lurk around the next corner? Perhaps there's a two waiting to pounce? Who knows how many other nasties this guy brought to the fight. Getting the correct mix may take you a few tries on some levels, but I didn't find the process frustrating.

If you want a good way to keep your brain limber for a few minutes, Number Ninjas is a good way to do it.

[via JayIsGames]

Number Ninjas is an addictive, equation-solving Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Unreal Engine developer kit now freely downloadable

Unreal Engine developer kit now freely downloadable originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading RunMan: proof that shiny graphics are not required to make a good Time-Waster

RunMan: proof that shiny graphics are not required to make a good Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Maybe I'm old, but I remember back when arcade games were not powerful enough to do 3D video. Then one day along came a new technology called vector graphics, and 3D games became (sort of) possible. Instead of seeing a fully rendered 3D model of the various objects in the game, you instead would be presented with wireframe representations. Still, in its day vector graphics were amazing.

Fast-forward to today, and you can play a modern game based on classic vector graphics. Vector Conflict: The Siege is a shooting game where your goal is to protect your outpost from an ever-increasing onslaught of enemies. You are literally surrounded on all 4 sides, and need to carefully plan your movements between views (north, south, east, and west) to ensure that none of the baddies sneak up behind you when you are not looking.

Playing Vector Conflict is made quite enjoyable by the forgiving shooting mechanics. As long as you are aiming near an enemy, your weapons will lock on and make destroying it easier. If it sounds like the game is easy, think again. The sheer volume of enemies attacking will make sure that you are never bored.

Make sure you play Vector Conflict with the sound up, as it has one of the most engaging soundtracks of any time waster I've played. In fact, you can download the tracks if you enjoy them as much as I did.

Vector Conflict: The Siege is an old-school, Battlezone inspired Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Holiday Gift Guide: five awesome Steam games that make great gifts

Holiday Gift Guide: five awesome Steam games that make great gifts originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Egoboo is a fun 3D Rogue-like game for Windows, Mac, and Linux originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The biggest ban ever: no more World of Warcraft in China originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Small Worlds is a beautiful and uniquely relaxing pixel-art platform game created for the Casual Gameplay Design Competition. The point of the game is to move around exploring each level to find he exit.

Though Small Worlds uses the typical side-scrolling view of a platform game, what makes it unique is that you start each level zoomed in tightly on your very simplified character, and you can only see the area immediately around you. Moving about reveals more of the level to you, and the camera pulls back and back so that you can see the big picture of the level you are exploring.

Small Worlds is all about exploration. You're not dealing with the plethora of bad guys that most other platform games have. Instead the enjoyment of the game comes from discovering just where you are, in a relaxed, distinctly non-anxious state.

If most video games make you feel agitated, Explore may just be the game for you. It's a charming little distraction.

Small Worlds is a stylish, pixelated Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Have you ever wondered just how big a red blood cell is in comparison to a grain of salt or the influenza virus? Now you can, visually, using the Cell Size and Scale page on the University of Utah's Genetic Science Learning Center's site.

To be honest, I wasted a bunch of time using this page to look at the various sizes of things, though I can't in good conscience call it a Time Waster. It's too edumacational for that.

I'd love to see this same approach extended to things at a macro size, so that you could zoom from a carbon atom all the way out to the universe. But for now, I'll take this.

Cell size and scale viewer originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pandemic 2 is a strategy game where you play the part of a virus, bacteria, or parasite. The goal of the game is to infect and then kill all of humanity.

At the start of the game you choose to be either a virus, bacteria, or parasite. Each has their own unique characteristics, like being more or less virulent, and mutating slowly or quickly. Once you've chosen the type of pandemic you represent, you move into the gameplay.

The game starts with you infecting a very small number of people in a specific country. You can then increase the rate of infection by purchasing symptoms, resistances, and modes of infection like airborne and waterborne. You can also slow things down by getting rid of a symptom or resistance, but doing that also costs points, so you need to be careful not to waste your moves.

Pandemic 2 ends when either you win by wiping humankind off of the face of the planet, or the humans successfully develop a vaccine and prevent you from infecting everyone.

There are two modes of play, the traditional simulation mode, and a shorter, simplified mode. The short version of the game can be played in about 10 minutes, making it a good coffee break game.

Pandemic 2 - Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I didn't really know what to expect as Inculcation loaded up. 'Best played in the dark with your sound turned up loud' the loading screen tells me. Gulp. I'm not a fan of horror films or games. I accidentally scroll down a bit while it's loading and see a small snippet from the game's author: 'A Point & Click survival horror inspired by Silent Hill, Resident Evil and Exmortis.' Oh shi--

Scare yourself senseless with Inculcation -- Halloween Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Halloween sale at PlayFirst -- games 50% off originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Red Remover

Red Remover gets a Halloween costume and new levels - Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.