Indie developer GarageGames has opened the floodgates on its web-gaming application InstantAction.com.

While an official announcement is not due for another day or so, a GarageGames representative confirmed to Shacknews that anyone who signs up for the beta via the service's official site will be able to instantly access the beta.

The beta currently contains four titles from multiple studios--Marble Blast Online, ScrewJumper, Think Tanks, and Cyclomite--with a prototype version of TRIBES spiritual sequel Fallen Empire: Legions slated to arrive by the month's end.

For more on InstantAction and its upcoming titles, check out our past coverage.

During a recent venture to the relatively far out west, this Indiana farm boy got a sneak peek at GarageGames' latest project, InstantAction.com. Meant to fill the void left by traditional casual gaming portals, InstantAction aims to provide hardcore gamers bite-sized nuggets of addictive, skill-based gameplay.

Backed by a variety of talented independent developers, including Wideload Games and Frozen Codebase, and featuring games such as Marble Blast Online, Cyclomite, and Screwjumper, it's looking like InstantAction has a good chance of meeting GarageGames' ambitious goals.

But as I came to find out, InstantAction is more than just a standard gaming portal. When it launches next year, the site will offer a variety of community features that rival those of Steam Community and Xbox Live....Better yet, this all occurs in a web browser, meaning it will be accessible from almost any location with a computer. That means no more waiting to get home from work to play a quick game with your friends, and no more fussing about as you all decide you want to play a different game and have to invite everyone all over again. Read more...