Google Chrome Now Lets You Cube Slam Your Friend's Face

Google has announced the latest in its Chrome Experiments, an in-browser game called Cube Slam that lets you slam a small cube into your friend's face (or a bear's face, if you're so inclined). While this isn't the first game of this nature we've seen, this is arguably one of the most enjoyable, bringing a bit of air-hockey like game play to Chrome.

Before playing, you can get a look at the game via the official video below, which introduces you to the bear you can play against. The bear is obviously missing his bird-friend Bill when his computer flashes in a Poltergeist-esque manner and Bill appears on a Cube Slam screen. Such is the notion behind the game, according to the Google announcement.

The face-to-face aspect of the game allows you to see your friend while you play, giving it a bit of personal touch an avatar can't bring. Your friend is shown via their video feed, so it's not just a stagnate image. Google says no plug-ins are required, and getting started is as simple as clicking a button. And as mentioned, if you don't have anyone to play with, the Bear is always there for you.

Cube Slam utilizes WebRTC, as well as Web Audio for the soundtrack and WebGL/CSS 3D for graphics rendering. Because the game uses WebRTC, those who play it from a tablet or phone won't be able to challenge friends, instead being limited to the Bear. This is because WebRTC isn't available on mobile devices yet, being set to arrive for them later this year.

As for the game, it is as simple and straight-forward as it is addicting, with a small cube being propelled against a table ala table hockey and Pong. Your friend will move their slider to block the cube from hitting their screen, which causes it to crack a bit. Once the cube hits the screen three times, that person loses, and their display goes haywire, which is a cool enough effect that you should be sure to lose at least once.

SOURCE: Google