My expectations were low when first hearing about InstantAction.com, an online browser based gaming site. Why? Because the current list of sites offering online games are full of cheap looking 3d graphics and less than impressive gameplay. So, with this in mid, I sat down with Josh Williams of GarageGames as he logged into the Alpha version of InstantAction.com.

Williams started by showing me some of the features on site, such as the Inbox, Party List, Personalized Profile, and Friends List, where you can invite friends to play with you in game. Williams then began to demonstrate a game that will be available on Instant Action, “Marble Blast Ultra”, arguably one of the most advanced games on Xbox Live Arcade, and it played in the web browser like it was being played on the Xbox 360. Well, at that point he might as well have turned around and slapped me right in the face, because every negative thought I had was proven wrong. I was wrong. Yes — I know, weird!

GarageGames’ goal is to create a new platform for games. The idea is to take core games (action, FPS, and multiplayer) and make them more accessible to everyone.

“You won’t have to buy a box off the shelf, and you won’t have to buy a console,” Said Williams

Unlike Steam, with Instant Action you won’t have to download a fairly large client. A simple plug-in, about a couple hundred KBs in size, in you are ready to go. The company is not just re-disturbing retail or other online games, the fact of the matter is they are encouraging new developers and new ideas by making it easier for them to find funding and service, as well as distributing their games on InstantAction.com.

GarageGames began making games easier and less expensive to develop games with the use of their Torque engine (which runs about $100 to $200) and now with the launch of Instant Action, they are making it easier to bring those games to the public.

“The point is we want the best games. This isn’t a cheesy way to sell more Torque engines. [We support] whatever technology is availed to enable them to distribute games this way,” says Williams

Just when I thought the show was over, Josh gave me a sneak peak at a top secret 32 person FPS multiplayer game they are hard at work developing. No title as of yet, in fact I really can’t say much more about it right now. Stay tuned though, the future of online browser based gaming just got a lot brighter.

According to Williams InstantAction.com is scheduled to go live in earlier 2008, with several games lined up and ready to go upon launch.

• Wideload Shorts Get Instant Action – Cyclomite Debut

Slap yourself for thinking what you were just thinking. InstantAction.com, created by Eugene Oregon based GarageGames, is a a web platform for playing multiplayer action games in a browser. If that disappoints you — well too bad, there are plenty of other sites on the web for the other stuff, not that we have personally visited any of them.

Wideload Shorts, a division of Wideload Games (a group of very cool guys we had the opportunity to meet at Gamecock’s EiEiO Conference in Santa Monica CA this year) has announced their support of the online gaming platform with the debut of Cyclomite, a fast-paced-action game where players pilot through relentless meteor storms in order to save the universe, due to hit InstantAction.com in early 2008.

If you live in the Eugene Oregon area, you can catch a preview of the game at GarageGames’ Independent Games Conference taking place today and tomorrow. Alex Seropian, the initial founder – President and CEO of Bungie Studios, who later founded Wideload Games, will be giving keynote speech at the conference.

Wideload team is really looking forward to meeting with fellow developers and game enthusiasts and showing them the first Wideload Shorts game at this year’s Independent Games Conference,” said Scott Corley, Director for Wideload Shorts. “And, of course, we are looking forward to heckling Alex when he’s giving his keynote.”

InstantAction.com is set to go live January 2008. If you try and visit the site right now you will be greeted by a page containing an iconic logo, email sign up box, and a link to the sites privacy policy.

“For InstantAction to succeed, we need to have the top Indie developers participating. So we are stoked to have Wideload bring us an original title,” said Josh Williams, CEO of Garagegames.com. “We haven’t stopped there. We expect other top developers to announce their support Instant Action in the coming months.”

Stay tuned as ripten plans on monitoring this site and their game line up very closely in the following months leading up to their launch.

• First Look: InstantAction.com