BatmanThe games industry has churned out several games based on comic book hero licenses and the vast majority have…well they’ve sucked. You can hardly have missed all the attention that Batman: Arkham Asylum has been getting and you may be wondering if it’s really that good. Yes, yes it is that good, go now and buy it and take a couple of days off work to immerse yourself in the world of the dark knight.

Batman has always been the greatest superhero because he inhabits a world with a gritty, nasty, violent realism to it and he is just a man. He wasn’t exposed to radiation, he didn’t come from another planet, he is just filthy rich and insane because he saw his parents gunned down.

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I tend to like Civilization style games; I've liked them since before there was a Civilization game, in fact. But there's a Web-browser MMO game that I find more than a little distressing. In its current version, it's called Evony; the Chinese company that owns the game and site originally titled the game Civony; in [cough] respectful homage, I'm sure, of Sid Meier's Civilization. It's a real-time strategy game. The underlying game conceit is medieval civilization; it's a typical online pseudo-medieval feudal warfare game, first created in the venerable Apple II game Santa Paravia by Reverend George Blank. Basically, you settle a city, plant crops, harvest them, and exploit natural resources while you fortify your city and raise tropps—until you can invade your neighbors, or settle new lands.

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Food for your head and free rice for the hungry! It's the online trivia game that builds and re-builds your I.Q. one question at a time! For every correct answer, the site feeds 10 grains of rice to the poor. Choose from many subjects on which to test your skills! Playing the game is absolutely free and the rice is paid for by the sponsers that advertise on the site!

Some of the subjects to choose from are:

1- Art: Famous Paintings

2- Chemistry: Chemistry Symbols (basic list)

                          Chemistry Symbols (full list)

3- English: Grammar

                      Vocabulary (I love this one! It is like getting a brain massage!

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Usually I feature games in this column that are just plain fun. While there were plenty of entertaining titles in August, I'd like to focus on something a little different this time around. Namely, innovation. Browser games have to strike a balance between themes and premises that are familiar enough to hook players quickly and concepts that are new or somehow different enough to stand out from the crowd. Hundreds of new games get uploaded every month and though many of them aren't very good, the sheer volume makes up for the lack of stiff competition. In an attempt to grab attention, new ideas get tossed around a lot. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't, but most of the time they end up somewhere in the middle. Let's see what August had to offer in the new department.

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The world of Massively Multiplayer Online games is dominated by popular titles with subscription fees. In return for a monthly fee gamers get access to constantly updated worlds but what if you don’t have any spare cash? Don’t worry there are plenty of MMO games out there that you can play for free, some are completely free and others have optional additional content which requires a subscription or one off fees. The good news is the extra content is usually just cosmetic so you can enjoy the core gameplay for nothing. Here are five free MMO games worth checking out.

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The web series is quickly becoming a viable entertainment medium. Like Youtube with a comparatively high budget, these scrappy independent shows connect with an entire generation who prefer quick shots over longer, more traditional styles. Undoubtedly one of the most successful web series ever created is The Guild, Felicia Day's on-the-pulse sitcom about a group of socially maladjusted World of Warcraft addicts. The Guild is set to premiere its third season on August 25th.

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An overwhelming majority of video games have something to do with making some kind of adversary shuffle loose this mortal coil. While I personally have no moral objection to computerized depictions of violence, I'll admit that shootin' dudes and making things 'splode real good gets a little tiring after a while. That's why non-violent video games exist. Unfortunately, non-violent games tend to be less than action-packed. Most of them are sports titles, abstract puzzle games or building simulators. The following are three peaceful games that don't give up excitement in exchange for a low body count.

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A new video game inspired by the Swine Flu pandemic has hit the internet! http://www.thegreatflu.com Where you, too, can play at controlling the flu pandemic of your choice, from spreading worldwide and causing unforseen death and devastation, like it is in real life. This game has been created by Dutch researchers to raise awareness and can only be played online, free. While the World Health Organization (WHO) denies intimate knowledge of the game, it does tell us that to date there have been 1,462 deaths and 178,000 cases of swine flu since April. 

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Last month I selected games for the Browser Game Roundup that exhibited how far the medium has come in terms of nuance, complexity and graphics. In July, I found a series of games that were wonderful for their simplicity. Whether top-notch professional endeavors or endearing labors of love, the quick but engrossing games that pop up online are consistent sources of idle entertainment.

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PrototypeIf you are looking for some uncomplicated action fun then the third-person thriller Prototype could right up your street. You play as Alex Mercer and must unleash your wrath on New York against the corrupt government that experimented on you. As a powerful shapeshifter you take on the might of the US army in the midst of a mysterious virus outbreak which is mutating the population. This is exciting, fast-paced and extremely violent.

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