Games I play
September 18, 2013
I've been asked a few times in recent weeks about whether I'm a gamer and what games I recommend. I hardly game at all, to be honest, and aside from revisiting classic (S)NES games on the Wii, my platform is usually a Mac device.
There are a few games I highly recommend to everyone, however, whether my suggestions are solicited or not. These are they.
Limbo (2010)
My absolute favorite video game. Cinematic, creepy, macabre, and logically challenging. What else could you want! I've bought it on three different platforms: Xbox, Mac, and now iOS. Just ridiculously beautiful.
My absolute favorite video game. Cinematic, creepy, macabre, and logically challenging. What else could you want! I've bought it on three different platforms: Xbox, Mac, and now iOS. Just ridiculously beautiful.
Sword & Sworcery (2011)
Witty, pretty, 8-bitty smartphone game. Part made-up mythologies, part amazing music, and wholly satisfying. I'm waiting a while before I begin it again.
Witty, pretty, 8-bitty smartphone game. Part made-up mythologies, part amazing music, and wholly satisfying. I'm waiting a while before I begin it again.
Year Walk (2013)
This one is totally creepy. I mean I regretted playing it late at night alone in my apartment. But it was beautiful and fun to finish. The puzzles would have been impossible without a walkthrough, and there weren't enough of them to be satisfying. Make the extra effort (or cheat) to find the disturbing (in a good way) epilogue.
This one is totally creepy. I mean I regretted playing it late at night alone in my apartment. But it was beautiful and fun to finish. The puzzles would have been impossible without a walkthrough, and there weren't enough of them to be satisfying. Make the extra effort (or cheat) to find the disturbing (in a good way) epilogue.
The Room (2012)
This won the App Store Game of the Year award for iPad, so you've probably seen it before. It's a very satisfying puzzle game—perplexing enough to be challenging, but doable without having to consult a walkthrough. There's sort of a story behind it, which is fun.
This won the App Store Game of the Year award for iPad, so you've probably seen it before. It's a very satisfying puzzle game—perplexing enough to be challenging, but doable without having to consult a walkthrough. There's sort of a story behind it, which is fun.
Journey (2012)
The only non-iOS game on my list—it's on PS3. First, it's gorgeous. I mean. Look at it. It also explores what a game is. It's sort of a puzzle, and sort of a free-world exploration, and it's presented as a metaphor. The game copy calls it "an interactive parable, an anonymous online adventure to experience a person’s life passage and their intersections with other’s."
The only non-iOS game on my list—it's on PS3. First, it's gorgeous. I mean. Look at it. It also explores what a game is. It's sort of a puzzle, and sort of a free-world exploration, and it's presented as a metaphor. The game copy calls it "an interactive parable, an anonymous online adventure to experience a person’s life passage and their intersections with other’s."
Spaceteam (2012)
This is the least bizarre/creepy of all these games, I think, and it's also the only one that forces you to play with other humans. Loudly. The makers call it a "cooperative shouting game." Side note: if you're in the New York metro area, you've got to find a way to experience Future Crew, an IRL Spaceteam conceived by NYC Resistor, the Brooklyn makerspace.
This is the least bizarre/creepy of all these games, I think, and it's also the only one that forces you to play with other humans. Loudly. The makers call it a "cooperative shouting game." Side note: if you're in the New York metro area, you've got to find a way to experience Future Crew, an IRL Spaceteam conceived by NYC Resistor, the Brooklyn makerspace.
As you may surmise, my taste in games runs toward the thoughtful, morbid, strange stories. Not so much a button-mashing experience (aside from Spaceteam). I probably play games like I read books—preferably alone in a quiet space where I can focus. So it's a little tough to find a game I'll love and complete. Suggestions are welcome!