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ROM CHECK FAIL: All the best classic games in one - Time Waster

ROM CHECK FAILLook, we're going to admit something up front. ROM CHECK FAIL makes almost no sense as a game. But that doesn't mean it's not fun to play.

Here's the basic premise: let's see what happens if you cross a bunch of classic games including Pac-Man, Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Brothers, Defender, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Gauntlet, and a few others that we can't put our fingers on at the moment. The result is an unpredictable game that changes every few seconds. You haven't lived until you've tried shooting aliens to your left and right while using a Space Invaders style gun that only shoots straight up.

The game was created in three weeks as part of The Independent Gaming Source's Video Game Name Generator competition. The idea was to come up with a random name for a game and then design a game around it. All told independent game developers came up with 48 really odd little games that lived up to their really odd names.

[via Peter Kirn]

Creatonia: Free RPG for Windows Mobile and Palm

CreatoniaMobile game maker Inscenic has released one of the company's older video games as freeware. Creatonia is an RPG designed to run on Windows Mobile and Palm devices.

The game is pretty typical fantasy RPG fare. You get to customize a character which will wander through various quests while battling different creatures using weapons and magic. The graphics aren't exactly PS3 quality, but for a mobile game, Creatonia looks pretty good and is fairly responsive, even on older devices. And most importantly, while most of Inscenic's games cost between $10 and $15, Creatonia is now free.

The game supports Windows Mobile devices with 320 x 240 pixel or VGA displays, or Palm devices with 480 x 320 or 320 x 240 screens.

[via PocketGamer]

Are ad-supported video games the next big thing?

Battlefield HeroesLast year Electronic Arts released classic strategy game Command & Conquer as a free, ad-supported download. Now the company is going one step further with plans to release a brand spanking new game as a free download (with advertisements, of course). The New York Times reports that the upcoming Battlefield Heroes title will also allow users to spend real money to buy outfits, weapons, and other virtual goods.

The game is due out this summer. But more importantly, it indicates to us that EA, which regularly produces PC and console games that can sell for $50 or more sees the possibility of generating revenue in multiple ways. We doubt they'll stop selling high priced games anytime soon. But if the ad-supported model proves successful, it could expand the gaming market.

Right now, the folks who are willing to spend the money on bleeding edge games (and the bleeding edge computer or video game console that can handle them) are just the tip of the gaming iceberg. There are millions of people who are already playing simple, ad-supported online Flash games like Line Rider or the troubled Scrabulous. If companies with expertise in creating engaging, high quality games like EA are willing to use the same business model, many people who would never dream of dropping $150 to play Rock Band might be interested in downloading a first person shooter, RPG, or strategy game.

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