I had written a long article about how I used to love games but never find myself playing them anymore, and started listing the few exceptions to that fact. The list kept growing and growing, and I quickly realized my thesis was a lie. So that article isn't getting published. But the end of it, where I talked about my renewed (never left) passion for games and listed the games I want to play, is as follows:
Things that I'm dying to play (that I have the capability to, seeing as I don't own a PS3):
1. Left 4 Dead - Xbox 360 - A zombie survival horror action game based on the Half Life 2 engine? 4 player co-op? You can play as the undead in a versus mode? Is there anything about this game that doesn't scream, "Matt Hartwell, I am your new lord and master"?
2. Fable 2 - Xbox 360 - I was one of six people who really enjoyed the original Fable, which was an amazing game that fell victim to its own hype. No, it didn't have a persistent world. No, it wasn't the be-all end-all of games, but it was a fun little action-RPG with lots of cool new ideas. Apparently, this isn't more of the same, as tons of new cool ideas have been stacked on top of the delicious cake that was already there. It too, has online co-op.
Co-operative play, I think, is why I enjoy games so much. Versus is nice too, but the feeling of accomplishing a feat with someone's help is awesome. I even enjoy, in this age of 3d graphics and interactive storytelling, the archaic concept of playing single-player games co-operatively by passing the controller back and forth as you progress.
3. Fallout 3 - Xbox 360 - It's basically Oblivion, but 3 times bigger, it's sci-fi themed (I'm far more partial to sci-fi than I am to fantasy, George R. R. Martin being the exception to the rule), and it's gorgeous. Plus, it's got a healthy sense of humor, as anyone familiar with the first two Fallouts knows. This is something you could get lost in and never come back from. Easily 50 to 100 hours of gameplay, because this is the kind of game I wander around in, doing every little thing imaginable.
4. Okami - Wii - I missed it on PS2, and have the chance to play it now. It's a completely art-driven game, and I feel like we don't have nearly enough of that.
5. Prince of Persia - Xbox 360 - Speaking of art driven games, this is an impressionistic dreamscape, masquerading as a maddening platformer.
6. Far Cry 2 - Xbox 360 - Because sometimes I just want to hunt people in the African Savannah, Most Dangerous Game style. I love FPSs. This one is apparently amazing.
7. Call of Duty: World At War - Xbox 360 - As is this one, or so I hear. It's supposedly the ultimate online experience, and lots of people I know play it. Which is nice, because everyone I don't know on Xbox Live is a dick. Who says the F-word and N-word a lot. For no reason. And is in 7th grade or using a filter that makes their voice sound like their in 7th grade.
8. Dead Space - Xbox 360 - I love survival horror. This will tide me over until Resident Evil 5.
9. No More Heroes - Wii - Brent owns this one, so it'll be the first on this list I play. From the maker of the trippy Killer 7, which I did beat, and did enjoy, but can't say I understood, this actioner has more style than Jesus.
10. BoomBlox - Wii - A party game to round out the list, this looks like a ridiculous amount of fun, especially after a few drinks.
Lesser works round-up: I also hear Condemned is insane and a blast to play with the lights off. I want to check out Alone in the Dark, and the King Kong game is probably only 5 bucks at this point.
There's a chance this lust will all lead to a GameFly membership, as the total purchase price of these games just about equals a month's rent, and that's not going to happen.
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Ooh, I can speak to a couple of those.
No idea about Okami on the Wii, but on the PS2, it was a peculiar pleasure - within minutes of starting, I was disappointed by some of the game's limitations - things like invisible barriers and cartoon physics (which are phrases that I just made up, but am happy to explain if you don't get them instantly!) - so soon after playing "Shadow Of The Colossus" were just irritating.
But it's do damn pretty, and the painting control mechanism is so lovely and addictive that pretty soon you start to see the pleasure in just running around, fighting things, and very slowly playing through the story. Simple and simplistic, but lots of fun.
Boom Blox is just a thing of wonder. It gets a lot of play at our house, and many of our guests aren't really video gamers - like Girl One's sister and parents.
It's a game almost entirely based on its physics engine, and that engine is just so satisfying that anyone can get pleasure out of it. At the same time, the actual goals and challenges it presents are so simple that, like Bomberman, anyone can pick it up.
But it isn't without nuance. In fact, the physics are so sophisticated and consistent that a seasoned - by which I mean obsessive compulsive - gamer will lose out trying to pull off tricks and schemes, while their amateur buddies will charge on through, and in this way the game is a great equaliser.
The Left4Dead demo is up on Steam, and it's... fun. I need to fidget with the difficulty levels or something when I have the time, as though it's sometimes quite intense, the demo at least is pretty easy, and as such lacks real horror.
Also, I don't know if it's my PC, or the fact that it's only a demo, but the physics seem a little... off? Basic? Not sure. Certainly, I'm utterly up for zombie Half Life 2, and Left4Dead sure is purty, but I'm as yet unsure - it felt too hectic and spare as a demo for me to be entirely convinced.
Your mileage, of course, may vary.
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