Someone in the editing room likes Sigur Ros

A couple of trailers of fresh games that both feature the icelanding band.

I wish I were the moon.

(play it here)

An adorable indie game featured at the TGS '08 Sense of Wonder Night.

The developer's site is here:

http://www.ludomancy.com/blog/2008/09/03/i-wish-i-were-the-moon/

2 games with windmills

Here's a game that had a windmill:

Ico.

Here's a game that's coming out that also has a windmill:

Prince of Persia.

Here's something else they both have:

Characters that hold hands.

At least some of the time.

What I've seen of Prince of Persia exudes fantastical mystery. I welcome another game that contains two characters travelling with an environment that's a character unto itself, with its own secrets and history.

Let's hope the Prince's witty one-liners and the acrobating fighting he and Elika share help them approach the tremendous, wordless bond that Ico and Yorda had. It's a tall order, but maybe I just want something to tide me over until Fumito Ueda's team announces their next project.

Being a Bad Gamer

I confess that I'm a bad gamer. I'll prove it to you. I haven't played any of Hideo Kojima's games. There. I'm now unworthy to be among the ranks of the astute. Which games do you think are of the "must experience" category? For some it seems like it's assumed that if you are a gamer, you've played certain games, like Ocarina of Time, for example (of which I've only played a few hours). It's funny because we're more forgiving of others not having seen TV shows or read certain novels or heard of certain bands (to the extent of taking pride our appreciation of obscure music). Games are certainly as diverse. Perhaps it's because we identify with games differently? I'm not quite sure. Anyway, I admit to appreciating Michael Abbott's Metal Gear Primer over at The Brainy Gamer. Even after watching hours of cutscenes, I still feel like I'm missing something. Maybe that's not such a bad thing.

Videogames and Sex in Perspective

The treatment of sex seems to be a good indicator of the maturation of a medium. An interesting vid on the subject.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pEquofR2r0



Of course, it's not as simple as simply treating the subject of sex differently. We're all trying to sort out the implications of interactivity in the medium, naysayers and enthusiasts alike.

The Mundane in Gaming

I was wondering why I found it refreshing to hang out in GTA IV or increase social links in Persona 3. While reading this article I realized that It was the mundane nature of those activities and the seemingly novel aspect of the mundane in gaming that compelled me. Only a few games have successfully conveyed the mundane. Some examples include Animal Crossing's real time outings or Shenmue's exploration. Usually the mundane occurs in isolated bursts or are non-core features, like vending a soft drink in Half-life or star gazing in Morrowwind. Any other games that have the mundane as a significant component, successful or not?

[In this editorial, Gamasutra Editor At Large Chris Remo takes a look at some of the alternatively laid back and frenetic design angles within Grand Theft Auto IV, making a case that it's the slow periods of gameplay that make the title's longevity as much as the big action sequences.] Having just played through Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto IV, whose story I completed a few minutes ago, I wanted to comment on the design ...

View Original Article

Best Done Crispy

Hooray for independent game journalism. Crispygamer.com is a veritable hub of game articles, podcasts and features which shy away from Big Media and quantified review systems, instead using a three tiered recommendation system: Buy, Try or Fry. Brilliant.

http://tinyurl.com/5zcozr