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You’ll see some big changes on MSN Games today as well, but they go way beyond just a fresh coat of web-paint! For months, we’ve quietly been working on a project to improve our site and make it even easier for you to find your perfect game, and today we finally get to unveil the results. Needless to say, everyone here is very excited!
It’s all about you!
Remember those little pop-up boxes that asked you to take an MSN Games survey? Well, here’s where we offer a heartfelt “THANK YOU!” to everyone who clicked through and responded. From the moment our tech folks devised a plan to redesign our site, we knew that player opinions were going to be critical in deciding what elements needed to be changed and which ones should be left alone. After all, who knows the ins and outs of MSN Games better than the people who visit every day to indulge their playful sides? When all is said and done, this is your site, and any changes we make should be tailored to suit your needs.
So what did we discover through all this research and survey-taking and letter-reading and general investi-ma-gation? Three things: first, that most folks would rather spend time playing a game than looking for one. (Not a huge surprise there!) Second, that where website navigation is concerned, more organization = good organization. And third, that people seem to love badges even more than we thought they did… and that’s saying something.
Practical upshot? Just take a tour of the site today, and see for yourself! A few highlights:
Improved front page
Games, games, everywhere! No matter what you’re looking for, it’s now a lot easier to find. In addition to the top games in each genre and the most popular free games on the site, you’ll find quick-access links to the newest and shiniest of games, or games that only take a few minutes to play, or puzzles that are updated daily. Want more of a particular type of game? Just click through to the new genre “hub” pages and play to your heart’s content!
New Community page
My favorite section, of course! The Community page highlights all the latest MSN Games news, feature articles, player forums, free stuff like wallpaper and icons, new game hints, and my very own Coffee Break. If you want to know what’s new and different with our games or our site, this is the first place to go.
Bigger, better, badder Badge album
How cool is this? We’re feeding your badge craving like never before, with one-click access to the latest special badges right on the front page of MSN Games, plus some major improvements to your personal Badge Album! I’m not even going to try to list all the changes here; this is something you need to see for yourself. Seriously!
Remember, though, while you’re playing around with the new features and leaping straight into your favorite games: we would never have known what needed changing if it hadn’t been for your feedback. So the next time one of those little survey boxes pops up on your screen, please take a few minutes to answer it! After all, the moment we’re finished with one update, we’re already looking forward to the next one… that’s the only way to make sure you’re always happy with MSN Games!
The Really Spiffy Game of Oz
Okay, so… wow. It’s not often that a game truly surprises me. Small surprises, sure: a new feature here, a funny reference there, or a sequel when I hadn’t been expecting one. But that’s minor stuff, like opening the door to discover that your dinner guest was thoughtful enough to bring a bottle of wine. Big surprises – grand surprises – are another matter entirely. This past Saturday afternoon, I thought I’d pass a bit of time playing Emerald City Confidential; to continue the previous metaphor, it was like opening the door and finding that your expected dinner guest had been run off by two beloved and boisterous friends you hadn’t seen in years. And they brought a barrel of rum.
Why, hello there, adventure game! It’s great to see you, land of Oz! Please come in and make yourselves comfortable! You know you’re always welcome here. Where the heck have you been?
In all honesty, I had begun to fear that the traditional adventure game was not merely missing, but long since dead. As videogames go, this was my first love, ever since the early days of Zork, green screens, and 5.25” floppy discs. Once upon a time, you couldn’t swing a virtual cat without hitting a bevy of adventure games; companies like Infocom, Sierra, and LucasArts made their mark on game history by populating the genre with characters and worlds of every variety. Sadly, as computer graphics became more advanced and processor speeds increased, action games and RPGs pushed adventures out of the limelight. Oh, they hung on for a while – swapping keyboard input for mouse-click menus and experimenting with new types of puzzles – but eventually they all but vanished in a puff of nostalgia.
And if I was surprised to see an honest-to-gosh modern adventure game standing on my doorstep, I was positively shocked to discover that it takes place in Oz. Does anyone here remember Oz? No, not the watered-down, singing-and-skipping variety you see every Thanksgiving when TV networks can’t seem to get enough of that fluffy Judy Garland movie. The real Oz, as envisioned in L. Frank Baum’s original novels, is rich, dark, and odder than a three-legged Cuttenclip, and that’s much more the sort of Oz you’ll find in Emerald City Confidential. Of course it’s all mixed up a bit, and the game’s theme is very hard-boiled-detective, but for any true Oz fan there’s a flash of recognition in every scene and a giggle in every characterization.
If one of those Oz fans is you, I can’t wait to hear how you like this game. And if you’ve never had the opportunity to read Baum’s magnificent works, please make all haste to the Project Gutenberg website, where you can download free copies of each and every Oz book, since the US copyrights have long since expired. Then, once you’ve enjoyed your way through those, come on back and try Emerald City Confidential!
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