Free Games - Cafe.com Online Game Blog

Monday, Monday, Monday!

I hate Mondays. You hate Mondays. We all hate Mondays. So whats a girl to do? Well, every time I'm dragged kicking and screaming away from my playstation and into a new week, I try and list at least three reasons why I'm glad this most heinous day of the week has once again rolled around.

Here's what I managed to come up with this time around:

1. one week closer to the release of The Dark Knight (Christian Bale in spandex. Squee!)
2. one week closer to DexCon 08 (You better believe I'll be there!)
3. .... Umm.... well...

Yeah, you know what? Mondays suck. If anyone needs me, I'll be buried in Absolute Solitaire.

And Now For Something Completely Different: Why Xbox Live isn't Free

I'd like to take a day off from my usual casual game focused ravings to discuss an interesting topic near and dear to my heart.

I found this article while I was digging around Gamesradar last week, and I've been meaning to bring it up. Why don't you all take a look, then come on back. Go on, we'll wait.

......

Back? Ok then.

So what do you think? I don't mean to be ragging on Xbox Live by the way, which is of course a fantastic system that was really a frontrunner for online communities and downloadable content, but it doesn't really seem like you're getting much for your buck when you consider these services are available free elsewhere.  Especially for PC gamers, who are starting to get tangled up with Xbox Live and have access to most of the same game as Xbox console players, is there really any point to making the Live connection when you could be using Steam (and by the way, for those hard-core gamers out there who aren't a part of Steam: WHAT, ARE YOU LIVING UNDER A ROCK? LOG ON!)?

On one hand, Microsoft is picking up a huge profit  while kind of sticking it to the users who could be getting this stuff for free elsewhere. Bad for gamers. On the other hand, Microsoft uses that money to maintain the Live hosting itself, instead of charging the third-party developers, which allows them to put more money towards creating the games and also helps smaller companies and independents get into the mix. Good for gamers. Except the Steam development tool Steamworks still does it better. And it's, you know, free.

So what do you guys think? A  well-built and well-running service that has the double benefit of providing an advantage to developers, which is always good for users, but of course is in the end hosing those same users; or free and open systems like Steam, PlayStation Network, or even cafe.com that provide the same slick solutions for players without charging them a cent and passing the cost onto the developers instead, saving the users money but discouraging smaller companies from getting in on the act.

Please post in the comments section, I'd love to hear everyones opinions.

Un-solitary solitaire? Yes please!

You know, I'm as much a fan of solitaire as the next gal. Whether its killing a few minutes before going to bed, bored at work, or just trying to give myself a bit of a challenge, there's nothing like a good old game of classic solitaire. But sometimes, solitaire is just so... solitary. And boring. Even the versions you find online, like the one at the MSN Game Zone (which, by the by, has an absolutely hideous color scheme, requires an installation even to play online, AND, surprise surprise, will not run on Firefox) offer zip and nada in the added fun department.

Enter Absolute Solitaire at Cafe.com. It takes the classic solitaire game and gives it that multi-player punch that Cafe does so well, and with boosts like Mirror and Three Card to use against your opponents, its a whole new card game. Even when I do feel the urge for some alone time, Absolute Solitaire's beautiful customizable backgrounds and card faces stand head and shoulders above any others I've seen.

Forget those boring, drab solitary-solitaire games. Try Absolute Solitaire for an absolute awesome time!

Always 100% Free, only at Cafe.com

June's Cafe Spotlight

Hear ye, hear ye, one and all! Back by popular demand it's... The Cafe Spotlight! Once a month, we train our sights on Cafe.com's biggest fans. This time around, we're talking to robertp223, a familiar face in the Cafe game rooms.

1. So how did you find Cafe.com? By accident, actually... I was bored at lunch and looking for Battle-Ship online, and stumbled across Cafe.com.

2. What attracted you to the site? Great people. Competitive, and really good sports. Speaking of which, props to: JamieLea, nalojojo, tink, Cheri, and SML.

3. Other than Battle-Ship, what's your favorite game at Cafe.com? Temple of Mahjong, definitely.

4. Which boost do you use the most? Shuffle and Pocket. They're really helpful when you're stuck.

5. Which game are you best at? My favorite, Temple of Mahjong. I've tied for top honors, and my fastest completion time is 2 minutes 16 seconds.

Wow, 2 minutes 16 seconds? Nice job robertp223! We're all glad you found Cafe.com, and I'm happy you found so many great people to play with. After this Spotlight, I bet you'll have even more people challenging your Mahjong supremacy. Good luck!

Pancakes

Nothing new to report today folks...

...So here's a bunny with a pancake on his head.

For more fun animal pictures, play Together Jigsaw at Cafe.com. It's fun, fuzzy, and free!

Sudoku: A time and a place for everything

You know, it's not often I ever find myself DISCOURAGING people from playing casual games, but my daily sweeps of internet news sites yesterday yielded this little gem:

Trial aborted over Sudoku-playing jurors

People, please. There is a time and place for everything. On a sunny day in the park? Sure! Long bus ride home? Absolutely! During evidence presentation in a multi-million dollar drug trial? Not so much.

Sudoku Arena at cafe.com is pretty awesome, and a must try for any Soduku enthusiast. Boosts, multiplayer, different game modes, its great! But please, play responsibly!

Play Sudoko Arena today!
(But not if you have jury duty).

Beat the heat

Good grief, how about this heat?? Too much for my northern bones, I can tell you that. My recommendation for keeping cool? Staying in and playing some free games at Cafe.com of course! My friends and I are going to log in to Bubble Bubble and pretend we're gliding around in the cool, refreshing waves: all without worrying about getting a sunburn or sand down our suits. After that, it's over to Town Square to match wits under the cool city lights. No suffocating NYC summer heat for us!

Take my advice: Ice up your coffee, pull down the shades, and wait out that heat with your pals at Cafe.com. You'll be glad you did.

Terrific text teasers

Hello out there in cafe land! Hope everyone had a nice weekend. I know, I know, it's already Tuesday, but my brain is still dragging like its Monday. Luckily, I know just the ticket for jump starting the ol' noodle: Text and brain games at cafe.com! They've got lots of ways to tickle your thinking, and best of all are Rising Words and Word Tour. Alone or with friends, if they don't get your brain warmed up and moving, nothing will!

So go ahead and check 'em out. And while you're there, don't forget to try other great brain-teasing games like Sudoku Arena and Together Jigsaw.

Exercise your brain for fun and for free! Only at Cafe.com.