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.
Sackboy (or Sackgirl, depending on gender) is the hero(ine) of an upcoming PS3 game entitled Little Big Planet. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, this promises to be far more than just a videogame.
“Play Create Share” is the tagline for Little Big Planet. The premise is that this title is much more than a game. It is a world building environment. What is particularly impressive about this experience is that the interface with which individuals can create their own levels is not only user-friendly, it’s fun!
Before I get carried away, please understand that Little Big Planet is not the first game to offer this the ability to design levels. I had the opportunity to jump on the game-mod bandwagon for the original Quake a number of years ago. I found great satisfaction in designing my own virtual worlds to share with others. In fact, this isn’t even the first console-based title to offer this option. I enjoyed creating levels in the original PlayStation version of Lode Runner and the PS2 title TimeSplitters. However, the robust toolset and mind-boggling flexibility of the design architecture makes Little Big Planet a true evolutionary step. When one considers the ability to share levels through the PlayStation Network, it offers a venue through which we all can share our creations.
In addition to the tools and textures that are part of the system, one can use the PS3 Eye camera to capture images and map them onto surfaces as well!
Little Big Planet is scheduled for release on October 21st (just over one month away). I know that I have been looking forward to this title for a long time. I hope to create some levels customized for my children that will inspire and motivate them and, eventually, I look forward to helping them discover the wonder of creation for themselves!
This week the ESRB has announced a new campaign (press release). They are partnering with the Parent Teacher Association to help parents within the community to recognize and utilize the rating system in order to identify appropriate game content for children. The initiative includes a booklet (view the electronic version) that will be distributed throughout the 26,000 PTAs nationwide.
We at Game Apparent always encourage families to look for the ESRB ratings on games before purchasing them. It’s a simple way to help parents filter media for which their children aren’t prepared. It’s good to see the ESRB engaging in proactive initiatives like this and the Game Search Widget (see the yellow box in the upper left corner of our main page).
I am a media consumer and so are my children. There - I said it. My kids watch television, enjoy movies, and even play games. Having said that, they also enjoy drawing, finger-paints, Lock Blocks, Exo-Bonz, and anything that you can do with a ball. We try to use moderation. Yet, Saturday mornings are an exception.
Long before I discovered that Saturday mornings were invented to sleep in after hanging out with your friends on Friday night, I used to relish the Saturday morning cartoon brigade. I have fond childhood memories of getting up as early as I could to watch Scooby Doo: Where Are You? Yes - the original. I’m that old. Well my son has his favorites and the commercials are just as devious now as they were when we were young. I had the opportunity of witnessing the impact this weekend.
Yesterday we were at a local soccer park for a birthday party. Kids were running as fast as they could in every direction (and occasionally toward the ball) and it was a workout for all. During the break when the kids got to replenish their energy with a the ever healthy mega dose of sugar (cupcakes with a layer of diabetic-shock inducing icing), my son saw another child playing with a Nintendo DS. He had never seen one in person, but thanks to the ever-so-helpful Saturday morning brainwashing, I heard the following comment erupt from his mouth, “Wow, that’s Pokemon! Pokemon is so cool! I love Pokemon!”
As it turned out, the child was, indeed, playing the current Pokemon title on the DS (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time). It’s not that I have a problem with my children enjoying games. I don’t even mind them begging for them. I understand. Granted, it can be a bit trying at times, but it’s part of life. However, my son had never played a Pokemon game. He has never played a handheld game. He has never seen the Pokemon television series. Yet, thanks to the wonders of targeted marketing, he knows that he loves Pokemon and that it is cool.
Honestly, the Pokemon titles are a good choice for kids. They involve a sense of justice and fair play and provide opportunities to develop good problem-solving skills. I don’t have reservations about the franchise. But it is a bit unsettling to witness the power of the Saturday morning commercial in effect. As with all things, this provides an opportunity for discussion. I wish you all the best with this and I recommend practicing the fine art of diversion. I believe that my response yesterday was, “That’s pretty cool, son, and - HEY there goes the ball!”
I took a while to reflect upon this loss before sharing my thoughts…
I feel the need to comment on the passing of Gary Gygax for two reasons. I know that this is no longer breaking news - Chris shared this with you last month. However, I have a more personal interest, so I hope that he doesn’t mind me yammering on for a while. On one hand, Gary Gygax had an immeasurable impact on gaming and videogames as well. On the other hand, I feel the need to address how D&D was vilified in the late 70s and early 80s. It seems so relevant considering what videogames currently are experiencing. All of this is bundled rather tightly in my chest right now because I was an avid D&D player in my youth and I know what a positive experience it was for me and my friends.
As for impact, Gygax was the man who applied probability to practical gaming and found a way to help us navigate the fantasy worlds of our imaginations. He understood what it meant to explore. He also recognized the creative power of the mind. Gygax and his contemporaries tried to simulate the potential unpredictability of experiencing adventures by quantifying probabilities to be determined by the roll of a few dice. The original rule sets and tables were available through publications like The Dragon, and later were collected, revised, and bound in handbooks and manuals. These became the foundation from which videogames could eventually build code to simulate these experiences in immersive interactive electronic form. These concepts were just as crucial to older games like Temple of Apshai and Dungeon Master as they are to more recent titles like Champions of Norrath and World of Warcraft.
We owe it all to Gary Gygax and his colleagues.
At the same time, back in the day things were not always peaches and cream. As the game grew in popularity with high school and college students, many parents began to take notice. Some over-reacted and accused Gygax and others for creating a form of cult that had satanic overtones. The use of spells and the presence of demons and non-Christian gods was the source of the concern. Many a PTO meeting revolved around the perceived occult behavior associated with this popular pastime. In 1982 the movie Mazes and Monsters was released and it told the story of a young man who lost himself in the fantasy world that he played.
Does any of this sound slightly familiar?
As parents, we have the right to look out for our children. Yet, this right includes the obligation to understand their interests and activities as fully as we can. We have grown past throwing rocks at the moon. Though we often fear the unknown, we have the tools to transform the unknown into the known. Through understanding our children’s interests, we better understand our children. Through better understanding our children, we come to know ourselves.
I believe that Gygax wanted to share the excitement of discovery with others. Through these virtual adventures, many were able to discover important things about themselves. I know that I did, as did my friends.
I have no shortage of D&D references to send him off, but I’m afraid that I cannot be that glib. My life would not be as rich, nor many of my friendships as deep were it not for Gygax and his vision. I hope that he is at peace and that his spirit can feel the joy and the sense of awe that he provided so many of us through his work.
I feel the need to comment on the passing of Gary Gygax for two reasons. I know that this is no longer breaking news -