Merry Chrismukkah and happy new year to all of you. 🙂
This is the time of year to celebrate the good in everything — even in one’s competitors. So, in that spirit, I’d like to call out two games (one from Wiiware, and one from PSN) that I have particularly enjoyed. If you have a Wii or PS3, I’d highly recommend giving these a try!
World of Goo (Wiiware)
World of Goo has everything going for it. It is one of those rare games that makes perfect use of the Wiimote and, thus far in my experience, has suffered from none of the weaknesses of that device. World of Goo offers a unique and compelling graphical style, innovative gameplay, thoughtful level design, and a quirky ambience that is hard to beat. Even the hints for each level are expressed in an endearing fashion, via cute signs left behind by a “mysterious sign painter.” Bottom line: who knew that building towers of goo could be so much fun? This is absolutely one of my top five favorite downloadable games of the year.
If you’d like to know more, you can find World of Goo’s IGN review here.
The Last Guy (PSN)
The Last Guy is one of those rare games, like N+ on XBLA, that proves that even on high-end, next-gen consoles, there’s still a place for creative, low-budget games that ooze fun and style. And in this case, some real weirdness! The Last Guy is an innovative take on the zombie game; it turns real satellite maps into clever levels for you to run around in as you attempt to rescue survivors of a zombie invasion. The game progressively adds enough new gameplay elements to keep things from becoming tedious. And, for those consumers who prefer to spend their cash on something highly replayable, there’s always the incentive to go back and beat your previous score by rescuing a few more people. It may not feel as slick as Echochrome or Pixeljunk Eden, but there’s a decent chance you’ll enjoy The Last Guy more than either of those games.
If you’d like to know more, you can find The Last Guy’s IGN review here.
