Games with Potential

So first and update on learning flash. It's coming along great actually! I'm still super surprised how fast you can learn it. And there have been some bumps in the road. (Like forgetting you had to publish a flash project when including AS files to test them.) So I'm going to hang out in some more flash IRC channels, and subscribe to a flash board or two so I don't get stuck so long on these little issues.

But with the speed I'm doing things I might be able to make a micro game each week. And by "micro game" I mean simply something messy to show how fast you can learn simple concepts in flash. First one would be bread and butter for flash games. The framework for a "tower defense" game. With luck I should have something to show you this sunday.

Here's an example of a very simple tower defense game with pretty crappy graphics. Let it's so deep that the gameplay wins you over.



Play Onslaught 2 here

Actually that brings me to my next point. I've been looking at games that are really fun. Yet have horrible graphics. That seems to be one of the main indications for me on how fun they are. If the concept is THAT good where you can play a game with terrible graphics. Perhaps even buggy and incomplete, yet its TONS of fun. You have an excellent game concept on your hands.

So I wanted to get feedback from you guys. Have you ever seen any games out there like that? Games that had so much potential, yet their graphics mainly just weren't up to snuff. Or perhaps enhanced by the fact their graphics were so simple?

Here's a winner of one of the 2010 Independent Games Festival for best student game.




Play Continuity Here

So let me know what you think. What are some excellent games without much in the way of graphics? (Or anything other than gameplay)