Viewing entries tagged
simple
There are so many genres in gaming that it stands to reason how none of us will be one hundred percent familiar with every single one of them. In fact, I think if we were all a little honest and reflective about what we're into, the diversity and eclectic aspect of our tastes would be relatively limited. I'm no different, but I think the key to remaining open to things outside of our usual wheelhouse is to always be willing to give something new a try.
I don't think I'll ever stop being amazed by just how enlightening and informative good story-telling can be. After all, the whole reason I love stories so much is that it's one of the few ways we are able to empathise and learn about lives that are different to our own. In some ways, it's the closest we'll ever get to certain experiences, so when a story is able to inform as well as entertain, It really is a beautiful experience.
I've always been a fan of publishers and developers who work with a theme and focus on their own little niche. Not only does it mean you know what you're going to get from them, but it creates an identity for something that would otherwise be a faceless company. Lately, I've been seeing Annapurna Interactive's name come up in the credits for a number of neat little games with a quirky twist, so when I checked out I Am Dead, I was pleased to discover more of the same.
Does every game need to be pushing the limits of the medium and creating original and innovative experiences? Clearly the answer is: no. In a world where the big budget games show up every year with the latest and greatest in technical fidelity, and countless little indie projects are released every single day with weird and wonderful takes on what a video game can actually become. I now attempt to answer the question, whether or not there's still room for a game that doesn't do a whole lot of anything at all.
It never ceases to amaze me that mobile gaming is often more popular than any other platform these days. I guess I might just be behind the times, but using my phone for playing games always seemed a bit pointless. The combination between awful touch controls and exploitative micro-transaction models has kept me far from mobile games for a long time.
Sometimes it's worth remembering that when you've created something excellent, it needs to speak for itself. When you have a core set of compelling mechanics presented beautifully, there's no need to inflate the facts. Countless little indie treasures could learn from this, and She Remembered Caterpillars could as well.
Normally I wouldn't bother talking about a visual novel, as most of them follow the same kind of format. The only things that generally matter for me in the genre, are whether the story is interesting enough, and if the art is any good. In fact, I think the latter might be all it takes to get me interested.
At some point when arcade games were losing their audience to home consoles and computers, we lost a whole lot of fun genres. Of course, we can't all have a light-gun setup at home, or a full sized motorbike to sit on and race, because it's just not practical. Even with the return of peripherals like plastic guitars and skate boards, we still couldn't replicate the arcade experience all that well.
It never ceases to amaze me just how many terrible ports are made of mobile games onto other systems. There are so many aspects of mobile design that differ immensely from desktop or console requirements, which rarely get adapted along with a port. Every now and then though, a game keeps it simple and gets it right.
If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing or playing Divekick, then go get it straight away. This is the kind of game that everyone needs to have in their life. It's the perfect mix of competition and fun, which in turn equals entertainment for all. Divekick is basically faultless.
Please don't ever let me move to Midsomer, or any other town that features murder after murder. I often spend an evening watching some murder mystery or another, trying to guess the culprit and piece together the puzzle. It should come as no surprise then that I'm a fan of Agatha Christie's stories and in particular, the character of Hercule Poirot.
When I started writing these posts about games, I knew I'd be looking at a bunch of older titles that may not be all that relevant anymore. This was never meant to be a blog about the cutting edge new releases, but I didn't think I'd be writing about a game so close to the release of its sequel. I almost figured I'd wait until I'd played the next version, but this game is so damn good, I couldn't help myself.
