It's Game Time pt. 3/3

Are you ready for this?

Bastion

• + The visual appeal that you've already heard about.
• + The soundtrack is a great standalone by itself.
• + Weapons and abilities that feel powerful.
• + Wonderful storytelling.
• - Too short; I want more!
• - Some cliff edges are poorly represented.

Um, wow.  In short: a great game that everyone should play.  In detail: a frakking great game that everyone should play by going to Steam or finding the game on Xbox Live.  Can I say it again?  Play this game; I had a great time, where I regret nothing, and I have the feeling I’ll be returning to the Bastion!

Infamous

• + Flashy electrical powers.
• - Lack of a suspense-of-disbelief.
• - No empathetic connection of player-to-NPC.
• - Unwieldy controls.
• - Where's the military?  This isn't Gotham with a nuclear bomb...
• - Unable to finish the game.

Wow.  Very few games do I put-down due to the game itself, but Infamous is a rare exception.  Plainly, I did not have any fun playing this game.  From the fat man running a mile nonstop, to lackluster dialogue, to cookie-cutter enemies, the game doesn’t fail to fail in its delivery.  Not being able to finish this appalling title, I cannot suggest playing this game.

Limbo

• + Aesthetic mood distilled to a mellow yet tense feeling throughout gameplay.
• + Sounds of unseen danger can be more daunting than horrors onscreen.
• + A brilliant journey told through sight and actions, rather than dialogue and text.
• + Brain-bending puzzles.
• - Trial-and-error can get frustrating to the point of quitting play.
• - Difficulty does not make this game one for the meek of either mind or stomach.

 A simple game of running and jumping is quaint; but physics, timing, and the play of light and shadow make Limbo one-of-a-kind.  No matter how hard you’ll try, you will cringe the first few times your character is crushed/drowned/electrocuted/stabbed/chopped/splattered.  However, past even the most frustrating moments of seeming futility, finally overcoming the game’s puzzles will leave you feeling quite relieved.  This is a good title to give a play through.

Oh my… it seems I was just a wee bit busy this summer.  This doesn’t even touch the games played at work – I was a first party standards quality assurance tester at Activision – but no-one’s going to hear about those anytime soon.  Anyway, after those great and not-so-good titles, I feel stronger as a gamer, a game designer, and a cultured person.  Play these games, and you may just feel the same.

Take care, and look out for some upcoming posts on new completed games, my thoughts on my Activision work this summer, and this year’s game project, Fury Void!