Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

'Starcom' Lets Flash Fans Control the Stars

by Ben Deitz on September 9, 2010 at 06:40 PM

Starcom
In the never-ending battle between fantasy and sci-fi, we'll side with the latter every time. (And we'll take a sci-fi convention over a renaissance faire any day of the week, thank-you-very-much.) No virtual playground entertains like one inhabited by robots, astronauts, spaceships and ray-guns. With the recent release of 'StarCraft II,' we're jonesing for some free-to-play sci-fi excellence, so we've rounded up some of our recent faves. Fight baddies with helmet-mounted guns and laser ninjas, or help lonely astronauts and grappling hook-equipped robots traverse the galaxy.

While 'Starcom' may initially seem like a simple space combat game, it quickly grows into something much more complex. Players control their ship's movement using the WASD keys (as constant management of your inertia is a must), while the mouse determines aiming. Initially, players are given a single mission to complete in their immediate locale, but soon acquire a 'Nexus Navigator,' which warps them to different areas where they try to tackle new objectives. From their defeated enemies, players can collect various artifacts, weapons and money, with which they can purchase ship upgrades. We love how this game hearkens back to PC classic 'Star Control II,' but, even for those unfamiliar with its inspiration, 'Starcom' is a surprisingly dense Flash game worth the space (and time) exploration.

Starcom


Tags: flashgames, gamesonthego, space, star control II, starcom, StarControlIi, timewaster, timewasters, top, videogames

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular