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Something I want to talk about more on this blog are the kinds of games that I start playing, but never end up finishing for one reason or another. Sure, a lot of the time this means that I haven't enjoyed myself and I try to avoid posting about games that I can't say anything good about, but there are some titles that I thoroughly enjoy, despite never being able to finish.
In recent times, Bithell Games have been making a name for themselves as an indie developer to watch. Of course Mike Bithell is someone that's been on my radar since I first played the brilliant Thomas Was Alone, and I suspect I'm not the only one. However, what's really excited me about his company's recent work, is that they've released a series of "Bithell Shorts". These are short, but high quality games, that explore a unique mechanic or system and tell a succinct story. Needless to say, this is a winning combination for me, as I often prefer to play smaller games with nothing but quality content, as opposed to bloated hundred hour grinds that never truly satisfy.
Sometimes I wonder if a good game is actually not that good, but I have some irrational interest in one tiny element that makes it worth playing. Other times I wonder if I dislike a game that's actually brilliant, but there's one key part that ruins it completely. All of me knows that both of these things are true, so let's try not to think too hard about it.
It's safe to say that most games we play are inspired and influenced by the ones that preceded them. Look into any genre and it's easy to start drawing lines between games that share mechanics, systems, themes, and design. Iteration is naturally fond of replications, but every now and then a game does something truly original an unique.
