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Category: Games

  • Quote-a-rama: Metal Gear Solid 4 vs. Grim Fandango

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    Michael Lee
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    Via Chris Remo’s blog Procedural Dialogue: I find it somewhat sobering that in a decade of astonishing progress in rendering, physics, interface, scale, and complexity, the high watermark for video game storytelling (at least, according to one particular site, notable for being both highly ubiquitous and read, and extremely long-running in internet time) has gone…

  • The genius of Gravity Bone

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    Michael Lee
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    Before you read this post I stress that you go download and play Gravity Bone by Brendon Chung. Do it, it should run on any old computer (it uses the Quake 2 engine for crying out loud) and a typical playthrough won’t take you more than half an hour. Use your lunch break or something.…

  • The myth of the pure, true game

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    Michael Lee
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    From Smart Football: Is there some pure, true, Platonic-ideal football? If not, then why? The answer is that there is not such a pure, true, ideal football because football is a game; all the rules – except ones designed around safety – are arbitrary. They might have in mind competitive balance, but this doesn’t make…

  • And the nominees are… (cont’d)

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    Michael Lee
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    Continuing from the post yesterday, some more thoughts on other IGF nominees. You Have To Burn The Rope The hit quirky internet flash game You Have To Burn The Rope surprises just about everyone (including the creator himself) by being nominated for the Innovation Award in the IGF. You Have To Burn The Rope is…

  • And the nominees are…

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    Michael Lee
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    Yesterday the IGF announced the 2009 nominees for the Independent Games Festival to be held at this year’s GDC. A quick refresher for those new to the IGF: the Independent Games Festival represents one of the biggest chances for publicity for indie developers. If your game gets chosen it will receive marketing and publicity that…

  • Goodbye to my old friend EGM

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    Michael Lee
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    Back when I was a kid (which wasn’t that long ago), there were two game magazines. You had Nintendo Power, the official mouthpiece for all things Nintendo, and you had Electronic Gaming Monthly (or EGM) that represented all games, all systems, skewed to a slightly older demographic. Back then each issue of EGM was a…

  • Shiren the Wanderer and other rogues

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    Michael Lee
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    Over the weekend I picked up the early 2008 release Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer for cheap at a Best Buy post-holiday blowout sale. Shiren the Wanderer is the sort of game that has inspired much love from particular fans despite its highly idiosyncratic nature. The game itself is a pretty simple tale of a…

  • Another Arbitrary 2008 List (Final Part)

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    Michael Lee
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    (Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4) Game of the Year: Mirror’s Edge (Xbox 360/PS3) 2008 was a pretty damn strong year for games. You had blockbuster sequels, innovative indie games, major 1st party releases, and quirky web games. Yet amongst this sea of quality releases stood Mirror’s Edge. It’s the definition of the a love/hate…

  • Another Arbitrary 2008 List (Part 4)

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    Michael Lee
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    (Parts 1, 2, and 3) Best Fashion Game: The World Ends With You (DS) Square-Enix’s inscrutable action-RPG The World Ends With You end up surprising many by being both original and good, a rarity from the Square end of Square-Enix. But underneath its unique dual-screen battle system and Nomura character designs was actually a very…

  • Another Arbitrary 2008 List (Part 3)

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    Michael Lee
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    (Parts 1 and 2) Best Music Game: Rhythm Heaven (DS) Rhythm Heaven is the sequel to the Japan-only game, Rhythm Tengoku. Tengoku was an exercise in musical brilliance, tying together simple game mechanics with vibrant and eclectic artwork to create a memorable experience. Unfortunately, Rhythm Tengoku came at the tail end of the Game Boy…