Tower Defense games are a favorite genre choice for many flash game creators, because despite its simple rules, it offers plenty of room for design and complexity. Plus, shooting things is a rest-assured, sound basis for fun. Still, defending your base with turrets doesn’t always have to be same thing as you’ll see this weekend. We’ll be touching on some browser defense games, of which two have been created in Flash, and one in Microsoft’s new Silverlight technology. They’re all free and quick to play, so why not give them a shot?

Astro Attack by Neoraptor
Aliens are making their way to Mars, and it’s your duty to put a stop to them. What’s unique about this defense game is how the planet’s orbit comes into play. The battle stations you control revolve around Mars gradually, which means as the game progresses, you’ll find your strategic position changing. Also, the missiles you fire are affected by the planet’s gravity, so they tend to arc as they’re pulled towards it. The gameplay is rather simple, but that’s enough to keep you entertained during a little coffee break.

Mountain Pass Tower Defense by Heroic Virtue Creations
Creatures will attempt to traverse a grey, cold and rocky mountain pass and it’s your objective to prevent them from doing so. The gameplay for this title is rather predictable, as far as conventions about Tower Defense games are concerned, but it’s free, so there isn’t much to complain about. What’s fancy though is how you have the freedom to position towers as you like them, and that’s crucial if you want to go far in the game. A large part of the strategy involves forming long, winding, narrow mazes that the creatures have to navigate through, hence exposing themselves to your tower fire in the process. It comes with three difficulty levels’ replayability.

Snafu Tower Defense by Digital Machina
“Snafu” is an acronym from military slang, spelling “Situation Normal: All Fouled Up”. The game is presented in a modern war setting, and your goal is to prevent enemy troops from passing through the map through the positioning of various defense posts — including machine guns, mortars and the like. A part of the game’s strategy involves your ability to create blockades to redirect the movement of the passing soldiers. With the right construction, you’re able to force them into a bottleneck before running through your gauntlet. The game offers ten different levels, which is quite a good deal of content.