www.Multiplayergames.com - Multiplayer Games

A blending of social networking and pick up and play flash titles, Café.com manages to carve a niche for itself. The games range from fun to miserable, but the ease of use means you don’t have to spend too much time on anything lackluster.

Café’s design is simple and clever. The visuals are distinct, and the easy on the eyes color scheme matches the playful mood. The vast majority of the games are free to play in your browser via Flash. Load times are quick and painless. A small selection of downloadable games offer the usual trials and some familiar titles such as Jewel Quest and Luxor.

Registering is a simple process, though when you arrive at the option to let people know more about you, it’s absurd to think that phone numbers, a full address, and more is required before continuing. Why force the user to input information they don’t feel comfortable with?

Multi-player games run smoothly, though rooms are currently light on users. Casual fare such as Sketch-it are fun time wasters and seem to regularly draw people in. Those not interested in the multi-player aspects can take on a number of single player titles,

You can create an avatar for use on the site, though this proved troublesome to get working. It requires an additional software download which failed to load a needed pop-up window in either Firfox or Internet Explorer. Regardless, the site still tracks stats and accomplishments with or without an avatar. An option to simply upload photos also exists, so if technical issues are giving you problems, this social networking stand by is always available.

Café.com makes its money through power-ups, or additional items for your avatar. These give various advantages over opponents, and sadly drops those not paying into a troublesome scenario. Lobbies could become a game of chance in that you’ll want to avoid those who have paid money for special items instead of socialize with them. Still, there’s a business to run. Prizes will be offered in the future, though the site has no indication of what these will be or how to earn them.

Café.com has the idea and the basics. The games offer some entertainment value, and with more users, will offer a basic networking experience for a specific casual gaming market. As of now, the site is full of potential and with one breakout game in its library, the site could take off.