I was going through my shelf and figured I'd share a few more:
Catherine - Yeah, the game's view of relationships is rather immature, and I can't stand the block pushing on higher difficulties, but it's something different, and I found it compelling all the way through. If you're an anime fan, or someone who enjoys choice in games and can deal with anime (not heavily trope-y), it's worth picking up cheap.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron - Holy. Shit. The combat is simplistic, and so is the level design, but this is an incredible visual and aural masterpiece that I still can't believe got big-money greenlit for heavy religious overtones and overall mindfuckery. It's worth experiencing because there's nothing else like it.
Child of Eden - I was the only person in line to pick this up at midnight because I've considered using psychedelics to make Rez a religion, and apparently only about 50,000 people picked it up ever. It's not as good as Rez, but even if you've never played Rez, anyone interested in marrying rail shooters with music to attempt synesthesia should give it a try. Don't even worry about the pushing of Kinect/Move, it's a good way to have hurt elbows and game overs. Controller all the way.
I played that game in one sitting, and while I didn't feel guilt, there was this mildly depressing slide into a joyless immersion. You'll even notice the nonsense of the level design, there's a lot of descending down ropes and falling through sand and generally falling downward overall, well past the point where one should be popping up in China in reality. That game didn't do everything right, but I respect their effort and strangely applaud that weirdly enjoyable shitty-feeling sleepless night.
Catherine - Yeah, the game's view of relationships is rather immature, and I can't stand the block pushing on higher difficulties, but it's something different, and I found it compelling all the way through. If you're an anime fan, or someone who enjoys choice in games and can deal with anime (not heavily trope-y), it's worth picking up cheap.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron - Holy. Shit. The combat is simplistic, and so is the level design, but this is an incredible visual and aural masterpiece that I still can't believe got big-money greenlit for heavy religious overtones and overall mindfuckery. It's worth experiencing because there's nothing else like it.
Child of Eden - I was the only person in line to pick this up at midnight because I've considered using psychedelics to make Rez a religion, and apparently only about 50,000 people picked it up ever. It's not as good as Rez, but even if you've never played Rez, anyone interested in marrying rail shooters with music to attempt synesthesia should give it a try. Don't even worry about the pushing of Kinect/Move, it's a good way to have hurt elbows and game overs. Controller all the way.
That's the way I see it. If a reader feels "icky", even vicariously while reading Heart of Darkness, it's the same kind of effect at work here. The interactivity and hours of direct player involvement doesn't make you, the player feel like a heartless mass murderer, it just amplifies the somber feelings that some feel due to similar attempts by any other media. Developers are still learning (and arguing with corporate) on how to incorporate the feelings of the player into the protagonist they're directly controlling, and even the "pulling of the rug" subversion was a ballsy and direct stab in the right direction.Cowabungaa said:
I played that game in one sitting, and while I didn't feel guilt, there was this mildly depressing slide into a joyless immersion. You'll even notice the nonsense of the level design, there's a lot of descending down ropes and falling through sand and generally falling downward overall, well past the point where one should be popping up in China in reality. That game didn't do everything right, but I respect their effort and strangely applaud that weirdly enjoyable shitty-feeling sleepless night.
