Tag: games

Recommendations

Two things I highly enjoyed this last week:

1) “A Stranger” by Humbabella – I think this captures the horror of what traveling through time would really be like.

2) Mini Metro by Dinosaur Polo Club – This is a really addictive game that gives you the chance to design your own subway system. You can add extra lines, tunnel under the river, and reconstruct the entire system at a whim – as long as you keep the commuters happy. My record so far is Wednesday of the fourth week.
It’s in pre-release alpha right now so there’s still plenty of features to come but I’m already addicted. You can play in the browser, or download a standalone version for Windows, Mac, or Linux. They’re also in contention to have the game available on Steam.

Goodnight, Groddle

Glitch - Duke Orsino's Home Street

Sunday night I was logged in to watch the end of the world. Glitch, a game I had started playing back in September, closed their servers and brought their game to an end. I was quite sad about it, despite only having invested a few months into the game. I’d been playing a couple months, idly enjoying the mix of hugely creative world experience, click/click & platformer gameplay, the unique art style, and the creative and cooperative user. The day that the closure was announced was the day I had decided that “Yes, this is a game I’d like to continue playing, and one I would pay for.” What made it worse was that it meant my friend Carrie was losing her job.

Reactions that day were mixed. You could see the players, as a group, moving through the stages of grief. Anger, denial, bargaining, the whole nine yards. One woman, who played with her four year old daughter, posted a video of the kid’s reaction. I totally empathize with that kid.

Tiny Speck, the company behind the game, took a lot of steps to soften the blow at the end. Everyone who had purchased any subscription time or game credits in the prior year was given a refund. All players were given a load of credits to use as well as subscriber status for the final three and a half weeks, and the learning times for new skills was slashed by 95%. The developers rushed to finish a lot of content that had been in progress, so until the final days there was always something new to do. They started a campaign to release a book of art from the game (I’m still debating what level I want to participate at).

In the end though, it was the actions of the players that made this a comfortable, but still wrenching, ending. People were sharing every day, helping others earn a final achievement, letting them see a new location, or try a new activity. In the forums players have banded together to find new games. They’re setting up new locations to hang out (I set up a community here on LJ: ). And they archived like mad, trying to preserve a small part of this special world.

I logged in for the ending, and settled into Uutiif with a few dozen others. As the Giants made their final goodbyes, I tried to join some of my friends in Venet Root but the lag stuck me in limbo. I didn’t even get to say goodbye properly.

Goodnight Glitch.

Current Mood: 🙁sad

Friday Five: Video Games

Courtesy of

1. Do you prefer to play games on a console or PC?
Tough call. I have a Wii, and I immensely enjoy the few games I do have for it, but I probably spend more gaming time on the computer.

2. What is your all-time favourite game? (No answer too embarrassing)
The Secret of Monkey Island. Hands down.

3. Which game has been the most disappointing?
Donkey Kong Barrel Blast

4. Are there any upcoming games that you’re excited to try?
Doctor Who: Worlds in Time

5. If you could design a computer game, what kind would it be (platform, racing, shoot-out, etc.) and what would it be about?
I’ve had an idea for an educational puzzle-based MMO that I think has potential.

Spiral Knights

I’m looking forward to the full release of Spiral Knights next week. Those of us that got in the preview get a sneak peek weekend starting on Friday but I’ll be up visiting Dad so I won’t get to start right away.
There’s been a lot of press lately, and a wonderful photo album from a player who fell in love, so it’s been interesting seeing the wide world’s reaction to this little effort that I was introduced to 2 years ago as Project X. I think the feel of the world is fantastic and I really believe that Three Rings could sell this as a console game and do well with it. This game really resembles a graphical MUD more than a modern MMO and the gameplay really shines.
My only regret is that my laptop is just on the edge of being able to handle it and I can really feel a slowdown when there’s a lot of mobs on the screen, even at low graphics, but I still enjoyed what I saw enough to plunk down $4.95 for the starter package. I’m also enjoying the fact that OOO is still able to offer free play and is introducing the exchange concept into a game with wider appeal.