One Piece Mansion

Why do we play stressful games? I find this sort of question is both easy to answer and still a bit puzzling. Of course stress can help to give a sense of accomplishment to completing a game's challenges - giving the player adrenaline enough to feel as if they've just made it, just managed to get through and time everything perfectly. But it still seems strange to me to fill  one's past-time with, not just adrenaline, but irritation, frustration, and sometimes breathless moments of panic. One Piece Mansion, a PS1 oddity I recently found in a 2nd hand games shop, seems to courts this type of stress like it were the essence of life. One Piece Mansion (which strangely has no affiliation with the Manga and anime series One Piece) is a puzzle/management game which, to all intents and purposes, is driving me mad.

Ico on the big screen

This is hardly worthy of any mention really but I love it when games crop up in everyday places, it acts as a sort of validation that games are brilliant artifacts. It also allows me to show off my game spotting skills! This one wasn't too hard and in many ways is a bit of an unfortunate cliche in the Games/Art discussion. It's Ico of course! A brilliant game which I haven't really played all that much, but it's the one which always comes up in many peoples' lists of Best Games.

What I've Been Playing

There is of course only a limited number summers one experiences before life finally turns in upon itself, forcing itself from the present into the half-existent past. Therefore, it would seem more pertinent to be out there experiencing what many of us name Life and not instead be turning in slow circles in order to shoot Eastern European scary-humans before they grab you and start shouting! Also massive Eastern European chainsaw guys! And weird magicians or something! I've been playing Resident Evil 4 which is making me want it to be winter again.

Screenshot Appropriation: Illusion City by Cameo

Infinite Possibility... a couple of criticisms

Such was the presence of Ken Levine throughout the marketing truncheon of Irrational's Bioshock Infinite that I was a little surprised not to be greeted by his muscular face finally introducing me to the finished game. The numerous interviews with Levine were, for those who had eagerly followed the game's development, the main inroad into the vivid imagery which Irrational was putting out. It certainly looked like a striking game; but, for me, it was Levine's suggestions of how those visuals would function within a narrative that really excited  me. His descriptions of the game's radical imagination; of how the character relationships would develop depth and significance with the player; of the game's unique perception of history, of reality. All of these ideas simmered in the endless interviews with Levine - acting like a one man sales team, showing a sincere passion for his product as nothing short of an incredibly important work. And, in a way, that is what Infinite is: important.

Hmmm... More Treasury Adventuring?

So, over the past few days on Twitter Stephan Orlando of Robit Studios - responsible for the excellent, and very much free, Treasure Adventure Game - has been teasing an announcement coming this week. I sometimes wonder why these people can't just tell us without having to stretch these things out but in this case I'm becoming just a bit excited.

Proteus to be released 30th Jan

It says it all in the title really, but it's great news! Ed Key and David Kanaga's game Proteus will be available on Steam and through the game's website. Priced at $7.50, which makes it around £5, its a smashing deal as well! From what I've played of the game it's beautiful and very exciting [read my thoughts about it here] and I can't wait to play it as a finished piece. Proteus ahoy!

Top Five Games of Twenty Twelve

Argh! is what I think when I look back on new game releases in 2012. What have I played? Why haven't I played all these other games? I could make a far more encompassing list of all the new games I was meant to play, should have played, and was this close to playing, than that of the meagre number I did actually play enough to say, however arbitrarily, 'I have played this and I liked it very much.' New games be damned, is what I think, before hunching over and feeling like I've missed out on everything. Well, anyway, out of that meagre crew of games I really, really, actually played this year I've pulled together a list of 5 which were my favourite - in a very specific order of magnificence! [And all imfho of course] Here they are:

My name is Guybrush Threepwood...

Ah! Someone, somewhere has seen fit to turn the the The Secret of Monkey Island's sword fighting/insult throwing into a playable browser game. It's just as enjoyable/torturous as I remember. Perfect. Now you can remember all the correct answers before you're able to use them!

SLAVE OF GOD

Slave of God is a free game whose unique visual presence seems to have inspired a few big games websites to comment on it. Most notably RPS had an excellent guest article written by Cara Ellison, who described the game in experiential terms as a kind of expressionist depiction of a night club. This is pretty spot on and therefore I would urge anyone interested in the game to first of all play it and then read Ellison's article. And then, if the day seems to be leaving you with nothing else, there's always me and this. Hi!