Ether Cannon

Although Ether Cannon is yet another take on the Asteroids game type, you'll find that it doesn't play by its ancestor's rules. First of all, there's no avoiding collisions. Keep a close eye on your shields, which drop with each successive impact but recharge immediately. And run for it, because Ether Cannon's enemies and obstacles don't languidly drift through space. They come straight for you, looping and circling in hot pursuit.

You'll spend much of your time fleeing across the game's free-scrolling cosmos, assisted by a simple radar screen. Enemies drop upgrade points, which you can use at the end of each level to boost the power of your shields, engine, or turret. The controls, like every other aspect of Ether Cannon, are simple and straightforward: WASD for movement, and mouse and mouse button for targeting. M will mute the cool soundtrack and sound effects.

If nothing else, check out Ether Cannon for its screen-shaking concussion effects. You'll think someone installed a rumble pack in your monitor. I recommend widescreen mode, though the framerate may bog down on some PCs. For screenshots, click "read more" below.

If you'd like to suggest a free browser-based game for Act Casual, send a link and description to [email protected].