Unity - Great 3D Games On Multiple Platforms & Browsers

Although 2D games can be pretty entertaining, I think we can all agree that the future lies in the use of 3 dimension.

We aren't only talking about desktop/console gaming though, but also about in-browser gaming.

In-browser 3D gaming isn't new. This was previously possible through other plug-ins like Adobe ShockWave. A nice example of this can be found here; the 3D first person shooter 'Phosphor'.

ShockWave isn't the only competitor however. Unity, a gaming engine accompanied by a much more powerful browser plugin has all needed power to conquer the field. Did you think browsers and great 3D graphics didn't go hand in hand? Think again.

Unity Game Engine

I started the Unity demo Tropical Paradise to get a peak of Unity's in-browser gaming capabilities. After ten to twenty seconds of loading time, I get dropped somewhere in the South American wilderness. Birds are singing. After walking around for a while, I decide to jump into the water. While I'm swimming, I get to thinking of Far Cry. A group of birds fly over my head. This is Unity.

Try out the Tropical Paradise demo for yourself here.

Unity is a "multi-platform game development tool", with a great 3D engine. It can be used to develop games for Windows, Macintosh, wii, Web or iPhone (though all development is done on Macs). For more information on the development part, check this page.

Unitey Games

Several Unity games were released for free. We'll have a quick look at the major ones below.

Avert Fate (Win + Mac)

"Fight off killer droids and airborn drones with heavy weaponry, while exploring a next-gen environment. Can you beat the gigantic boss robot in a final, earth-shaking battle?"

Avert Fate is Unity's graphical showcase. It's to be downloaded on your PC or Mac (88 MB), and can be played in resolutions of up to 1680x1050.

Off-Road Velociraptor Safari (Web)

Nope, you did not misread that. This is a game in which you drive big terrain vehicles with dinosaurs in them. People will never run out of crazy video game ideas.

It's a vehicle combat game in which you have to collect as much points as possible within a given time by performing extreme stunts and hunting down other velociraptors.

This game requires the Unity plugin, which can be downloaded on the website.

Gooball (Mac)

Gooball was one of the first games to be developed using Unity. It has been released on Mac OS X.

In Gooball you play the role of an alien, stranded on earth. When discovered by the CIA, you crawl into your protective protoplasm ball and try to get the heck out of there.

In Gooball, the player tilts the world and tries to navigate the ball through the environment. Several other similar games have used this concept, like Super Monkey Ball.

Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall (Under Development - Win + Mac)

FusionFall is an under-construction game by the Cartoon Network. It will be a Massive Multiplayer Online game, with kids from 9 through 14 as its main audience.

The game will be released in January 2009 and will feature famous characters from Cartoon Network cartoons.