Three titles are available from the PlayStation Store with the PixelJunk moniker: Racers, Monsters, and Eden. I wasn’t that impressed with the first title. The second was interesting and had some strategic elements that gave it depth. However, the third title in this series is a sight (and sound) to behold.
PixelJunk Eden is a 2D platformer with visually engaging graphics and immersive sound that bely it’s simple premise. The visual experience is a less comical (but every bit as “trippy”) as LocoRoco. This E-rated title is conceptually abstract and involves freeing pollen to grow plants that allow you to access more of the garden and collect “spectra.” Yea, I’ve played the game and that description doesn’t make much sense to me either, but trust me, this is truly worth playing.
Eden also has a number of really unique features too. For example, if you own a PSP, you can play the game on it using the Remote Play feature. It also has multiplayer capability (for up to three people) so that you can share the experience with your friends. And to top it off, the title has a built-in video capture capability that allows you to record sessions to the harddrive and upload them directly to YouTube.
I could go on for a while on this one, but I put it right up there with flOw and Everyday Shooter. It is a simple title that is fun to play with others. Because of the potential for frustration, I wouldn’t recommend it for children under five. But it’s a great title to play cooperatively with up to two others in the household.
Many point to certain titles currently available and identify them as fine examples of gaming as art. This certainly qualifies and does so while still maintaining the emphasis on gaming. Enjoy!
I enjoyed completing Star Wars: Force Unleashed for the PSP this week. It was quite a treat! Having said that, I wouldn’t consider it a game for the young ones.
I remember my parents previewing the original Star Wars (known now as “Episode IV: A New Hope”) back in the summer of 1977 to see if they thought that it would be appropriate fare for my brother (9) and me (11). Ironically, we were at home hiding under the covers because we had been watching the 1953 War of the Worlds. (Man, those aliens were creepy!) As it is, the PG rating seems overprotective for what most see these days. Yet, my parents wanted to be sure.
Fast-forward 31 years and we are looking at a videogame that has gotten a unique George Lucas seal of approval. This title is the official bridge between Episode III and Episode IV. Granted, depending on your choice at the final battle, you can experience either the canon or non-canon ending. But my real question as I was playing it was, “What would my parents have thought?” Honestly, this title is much darker than any of the original trilogy. Episode IV-VI feel much more innocent as they tell the story of Luke Skywalker. Whereas the newer trilogy (especially Episode II-III) have a much more sinister quality in that they document the tragic fall of his father Anakin.
But Force Unleashed tells the story of a boy who Darth Vader turns to the dark side of the Force after killing his father. Even the premise begins darker. As you play this character, you are responsible for slaying Jedi Knights and, in one level, you are expected to kill virtually everyone with whom you come in contact (enemies and allies alike) to eliminate surviving witnesses. Now don’t get me wrong - I really enjoyed the game. However, it is not the story that my parents would have taken my brother and me to see back in the Summer of 1977.
I have had a chance to play the demo for the PlayStation 3 and it is gorgeous. The PSP version is very impressive considering the capabilities of the handheld in comparison. I’ve seen the Xbox 360 version and it appears to be every bit as beautiful as the PS3 version and the Nintendo DS iteration seems to be on par with the PSP. I hear that the Wii takes advantage of the Wiimote for lightsaber control (how cool is that?!?!). I have never played a Star Wars game in which I felt more like a Jedi (or a Sith) than in this title. Sure, the camera can get a little squirrelly and the targeting is less than perfect. However, the immersive experience and the sense of awe that you will have at the power of the dark side is downright intoxicating.
Yet, I must say that the ESRB Teen rating for this is appropriate. This rating expects the player to be at least 13 years of age and considering the lack of respect for human life and the protagonist’s questionable ethical foundation, I would not necessarily want this anti-hero to be a role model for a young child. His actions could be perceived as too exhilarating when, in fact, they are driven by evil and manipulative purposes.
In classic Lucas form, the opportunity for redemption becomes available in the end. However, by that point, I question whether or not the player can be redeemed. I know that after 15 or so hours of playing this character and using the Force Choke and the Force Lightning (both non-Jedi Force powers), I don’t know to what extent I would want to cease using the power of the Force as an offensive tool.
All in all, it’s an excellent story that reveals some interesting information about the time that passes between the two trilogies. I would not recommend it for the younger children. But for the teens and older in your household, it is quite a ride. I also believe that this could provide an excellent discussion tool for ethical decisions for those middle schoolers and high schoolers in your family.
Those of you who have been visiting our site for a while may remember my joy when I received the demo of the PSP God of War title last October. Well, as of yesterday, I finished the full version of the game and I really enjoyed it!
First - this title is rated “M” by the ESRB and it recommended for players 17+ years of age. (For more information about the ratings system, feel free to read our article or visit their site.) Having said this, you may find that it’s acceptable for your teen, but you need to make that call. It is a violent action-adventure title with some interesting puzzle elements. The title begins in ancient Greece amidst the backdrop of the Persian war, but takes you into the underworld and has you battling gorgons, cyclops, basilisks, and others (without giving too much away). It is gory, but appropriately for a Spartan fighting foes in this context. There is some occasional female nudity (some of the goddesses are bare-chested). But I found nothing in the game that seemed out-of-place considering the subject matter.
Having said that, this game is a blast! In fact, I found its references to particular figures of Greek mythology inspiration to crack open an old college textbook to re-read a few of the myths. The game developers have modified the stories slightly to include the protagonist as a factor in these events. Using these familiar characters and events as the setting for their story grants a familiarity to the experience without spoiling anything.
From a presentation point, God of War: Chains of Olympus does an extraordinary job of conveying a sense of immenseness that I wasn’t expecting from a handheld screen. In many ways, this experience is every bit as impressive as the original two God of War titles for the PlayStation2. However, the one area in which this game is not immense is its length. This is the only criticism that I have for the game. It took me less than 10 hours to complete the story. But don’t let this stop you from considering this game.
I would much rather have a short game that feels complete, well constructed, and provides a unique experience than a longer game that includes a number of redundant tasks and repeated environments. I cannot emphasize how impressive the environments are in this game. And the sense of wonder when you witness the titans in chains is practically disarming.
Two of my favorite games of the last decade are Ico and Beyond Good and Evil. They both were critically acclaimed titles that many thought were too short. I would gladly put Chains of Olympus in their company - short but sweet. And oh so sweet it was. In fact, I’ll probably play it again at a higher difficulty before I put it back in the case for a while.
For those of you with a PlayStation 3, I have a wonderful recommendation. The PlayStation Network has a downloadable game entitled flOw and it is really quite pleasant. (For more information and to view some in-game footage, visit Sony’s site.) For those of you with a PSP, I have a similar recommendation. flOw for the PSP was released last week and it is every bit as beautiful as its PS3 cousin. However, there are some differences worth noting. Let’s begin with the PS3 version…
My son and I played flOw on the PS3 about a month ago and he really seemed to enjoy it. We can both play simultaneously so I can help him in some of the more overwhelming situations without him having to surrender his controller. The game takes advantage of the PS3’s six-axis controller to move your onscreen character. All you need to do is tilt the controller to determine the direction that you want to move. If you want to dart in a given direction, just press any button on the controller. That’s all there is to it!
The simplicity of the interface is really what made this accessible to my son. Combine that with the stunning visuals which he seems to think look like “skeleton-fish-bug-things” (a big plus for him on all accounts) and it’s hard not to have fun. But what is flOw?
It’s hard to describe but as an avid gamer I have found it a rather relaxing experience. There are occasional conflicts, but essentially you are an organism that is seemingly swimming around eating other organisms. As you eat more, you grow. Your shape evolves as you play through the game. After you go through all the levels, you return to the beginning and have the opportunity to grow a different organism through the same trials. Though similar, the experience offers enough variety in the gameplay that it is no chore to experience this growth process repeatedly. The visuals, the sound, and the simplicity of the interface makes it a very pleasant experience and one that I can highly recommend for a younger (or older) audience.
As for the recently released PSP version, there are two major differences that I have noted so far. First, since the PSP does not incorporate six-axis control, the player moves his/her creature around using the analog nub. This is fairly intuitive for the average PSP owner, but it does not convey the subtle nuances afforded to those who play the game on the PS3. Most moves on the PSP are more abrupt and less flowing. (Yes, I chose that word intentionally.) The second issue that I observed on the PSP version was that when you proceed from level to level, there seems to be a slight pause or stutter in between levels. This too detracts from the flowing experience.
All in all, each version of the game is under $10 and well worth it. I look forward to more games that seem so simple, yet convey such a deep sensory experience. I recall that someone on the PlayStation forums commented shortly after the original PS3 version of the game was released that it was the most cost effective therapy session money could buy.
For those interested in viewing the original Flash version of the game, you can check it out here.
We mentioned some of our top game suggestions for this year in our last VodCast. We promised that we would follow-up with a longer list for each system to cover a wider range of games. This is the collection of those lists. Not all of these games are brand new, but almost all were released within the year. Please note the ESRB ratings for these games when you’re deciding what would be best for your family and feel free to comment below or chime in on the forums if you have questions about these titles. We’ll gladly get into more detail. (Chris can testify that I would easily talk anyone’s ear off about practically any of them. You should see how much editing he has to do on our videos. Once I get going…um…there I go again.)
Before I get sidetracked again, we present our lists. They are in ESRB rating order (lowest to highest) per system and alphabetical within the rating group. Enjoy!
With the holiday season fast approaching it’s worth mentioning Parental Controls. What are Parental Controls? According to Wikipedia,
“Parental controls are options, typically included in digital television services, computer and video games, or computer software used to access the Internet, that allows a parent to monitor or limit what a child can see or do and/or time-limit these activities.”
The newer consoles all allow for parental controls to be set. While a videogame system is never able to fully monitor your child’s play time these tools allow parents to set varying boundaries to help protect children.
If you find a shiny new Wii or PS3 under you tree this holiday season I highly recommend you take a look at the Parental Control settings for your system of choice.
Listed below are links to each of the major video game system manufactures websites where they detail how to enable parental settings.
Hopefully in a future episode of Game Apparent TV we’ll detail out how to access these settings for those who haven’t had a chance to see them first hand!
Image provided under a Creative Commons license from Nick Bair via Flickr.
With the holiday season fast approaching it’s worth mentioning Parental Controls. What are Parental Controls? According to Wikipedia,