Top 5: most influential PSN games
I believe some clarification is in order first. A more accurate title for this article would probably be ‘Top 5: PSN games that I feel will prove to be an influence, either positive or negative or in a manner to be determined, to other games that will in the future be released on the PSN or indeed any downloadable games service. So far.’ But I didn’t think it would be very snappy.
Pain
Why?: Even now, there are youths stalking the streets suffering from the evil influence of games. Since the release of Pain there has been a notable increase in the number of people hurling themselves through the air utilizing home-made catapults. The parents are concerned, the governments enraged, and the elderly are terrified to walk the streets at night in case they are ploughed into by thrill-seekers, launched from the shadows. With vandalism and breaking and entering sharply on the rise, the people cry out for a masked vigilante to answer their call. None have applied.
Oh, and it caused a massive rise in mime-related hate crimes but that is widely seen as a positive effect.
No, seriously why?: Pain is PSN’s leading exponent of the ‘nickel and dime’ approach which has proved to be so successful in downloadable games. Buying the game, for a fairly low price, opens up very little of the content, most of which remains locked until you swallow the bile long enough in your throat to pay for it. Whilst the additional areas and modes are a forgivable addition (despite being overpriced) it is the alternate characters that really set my teeth on edge. They bring little to nothing to the game beyond damaging cultural and racial stereotypes. That is unfortunately not the worst part. The worst part is that people buy them. We are always told that if we don’t buy something they won’t make it. That means a lot of you are to blame for allowing Pain to continue to bastardize all that is good in the world. The success of Pain potentially leads to more and more of the ‘nickel and dime’ approach, as well as destroying race relations and world peace.
Pain is apparently the most popular game on PSN...this is another example of why people shouldn't be allowed to vote
Flower
Why?: Flower changed gaming as we know it. After its soothing influence on the masses, games featuring violence seemed distinctly unappealing. The FPS genre died, homophobic and racist kids were converted to the Green Peace movement and Al Gore was elected into office to save the environment and catch manbearpig. Gardening Mama went Platinum overnight.
"Playing Flower makes you gay. Play Gears of War instead." (fake quote from Cliffy B.)
No, seriously why?: It is incredibly challenging to put into words the appeal of Flower. Of course it is visually stunning and the music perfectly in sync with the atmosphere of the game, but it is undoubtedly the sensation of movement which is the most awe-inspiring aspect of the game. At once exhilarating and smoothly controlled, Flower justifies the existence of the six-axis controller. Surprisingly it also had a touching story to tell and could elicit emotions from its captive audience without the need for dialogue. Rarely before has a narrative been expressed so purely and so simply. It’s very unlikely this game would ever have seen the light of day as a disc-based retail product, and for that we should be grateful to the rise of downloadable games.
It also led to many people trying to explain their love of the game to be branded as homosexuals.
Warhawk
Since the Lord of the Rings trilogy even games are being filmed in NewZealand to save money
Why?: Umm… nope, I got nothing entertaining to say about Warhawk. If you can think of anything, please add it in the comments section.
No, seriously why?: Warhawk was the first PS3 game to be available for download and to be released at retail on Blu-ray. Both versions were available on August 28th 2007. It is obvious that sooner or later we will get to a point where traditional brick and mortar game stores will no longer be necessary. They will still exist, but their influence on the industry will have declined greatly. With Xbox Live Games on Demand having launched the digital distribution model has started to blossom, but one of the reasons that Warhawk was so significant is due to the fact that its digital and retail release were simultaneous. With the launch of the PSP Go, an all digital distribution console has come sooner than most would have expected.
Pixeljunk Eden
Why?: It has been a while since I played a game which made me scream with rage or cry out in despair. Thank you Pixeljunk Eden for reminding me of how insanely frustrating games can be. Playing the game proved to quite therapeutic in a sense. I certainly experienced the same steps as those who are dealing with death.
Denial: “There’s no way the game can be that hard. I must be doing something wrong.”
Anger: “You mother******* b****** b**** piece of s***, you can s*** my c***!”
Bargaining: “Sony, I will give you money to make this game easier for me.”
Depression: “I’m terrible at games. I’m going back to board games.”
Acceptance: “Ah well it’s not for me. There must be something easier on PSN. What’s this Pixeljunk Monsters game?”
How can something that looks so beautiful be so evil? Oh wait, Lindsay Lohan
No seriously, why?: Q-Games has been a revelation as a developer for PSN. Their games are conceptually and stylistically simplistic, yet have complex elements to them and imaginative art direction. Some may prefer Monsters to Eden, but Eden is undoubtedly the more original game both in terms of its aesthetic and gameplay. And it also gets the nod over Monsters because it was the first game to have Trophies. Not that I’m able to get any of them. Yes I love the game, and yes I’m being a bit of a baby, but seriously, this game killed me. Clearly a lot of people agreed with me as the game was patched by the developers to make it easier. Which still wasn’t easy enough for me. TAKE OUT THE BLOODY TIME LIMIT!!! Cough. Sorry about that.
Noby Noby Boy
Why?: Many games have toyed with some fairly nihilistic concepts, but none more so than Noby Noby Boy. It is a game about nothing. In fact, whilst there have been plenty of games people claim to not be games (Dragon’s Lair for example), Noby Noby Boy really isn’t about anything. Yet there still is a Meta goal, to make girl grow. It also one of the first games that even the creator, Keita Takahashi, had to take several swings at explaining. And he still failed. But still it somehow sounded pornographic. But the potential influence of Noby Noby Boy shouldn’t be undermined. No matter how you felt about the game, its unique nature has opened the door for other games to take a more obtuse approach to the concept of gaming.
No, seriously why?: I was being serious.
That is Girl. She is being ridden by all the Boys in the world. Weirdly enough that statement is entirely accurate
Pain
Why?: Even now, there are youths stalking the streets suffering from the evil influence of games. Since the release of Pain there has been a notable increase in the number of people hurling themselves through the air utilizing home-made catapults. The parents are concerned, the governments enraged, and the elderly are terrified to walk the streets at night in case they are ploughed into by thrill-seekers, launched from the shadows. With vandalism and breaking and entering sharply on the rise, the people cry out for a masked vigilante to answer their call. None have applied.
Oh, and it caused a massive rise in mime-related hate crimes but that is widely seen as a positive effect.
No, seriously why?: Pain is PSN’s leading exponent of the ‘nickel and dime’ approach which has proved to be so successful in downloadable games. Buying the game, for a fairly low price, opens up very little of the content, most of which remains locked until you swallow the bile long enough in your throat to pay for it. Whilst the additional areas and modes are a forgivable addition (despite being overpriced) it is the alternate characters that really set my teeth on edge. They bring little to nothing to the game beyond damaging cultural and racial stereotypes. That is unfortunately not the worst part. The worst part is that people buy them. We are always told that if we don’t buy something they won’t make it. That means a lot of you are to blame for allowing Pain to continue to bastardize all that is good in the world. The success of Pain potentially leads to more and more of the ‘nickel and dime’ approach, as well as destroying race relations and world peace.
Pain is apparently the most popular game on PSN...this is another example of why people shouldn't be allowed to vote
Flower
Why?: Flower changed gaming as we know it. After its soothing influence on the masses, games featuring violence seemed distinctly unappealing. The FPS genre died, homophobic and racist kids were converted to the Green Peace movement and Al Gore was elected into office to save the environment and catch manbearpig. Gardening Mama went Platinum overnight.
"Playing Flower makes you gay. Play Gears of War instead." (fake quote from Cliffy B.)
No, seriously why?: It is incredibly challenging to put into words the appeal of Flower. Of course it is visually stunning and the music perfectly in sync with the atmosphere of the game, but it is undoubtedly the sensation of movement which is the most awe-inspiring aspect of the game. At once exhilarating and smoothly controlled, Flower justifies the existence of the six-axis controller. Surprisingly it also had a touching story to tell and could elicit emotions from its captive audience without the need for dialogue. Rarely before has a narrative been expressed so purely and so simply. It’s very unlikely this game would ever have seen the light of day as a disc-based retail product, and for that we should be grateful to the rise of downloadable games.
It also led to many people trying to explain their love of the game to be branded as homosexuals.
Warhawk
Since the Lord of the Rings trilogy even games are being filmed in NewZealand to save money
Why?: Umm… nope, I got nothing entertaining to say about Warhawk. If you can think of anything, please add it in the comments section.
No, seriously why?: Warhawk was the first PS3 game to be available for download and to be released at retail on Blu-ray. Both versions were available on August 28th 2007. It is obvious that sooner or later we will get to a point where traditional brick and mortar game stores will no longer be necessary. They will still exist, but their influence on the industry will have declined greatly. With Xbox Live Games on Demand having launched the digital distribution model has started to blossom, but one of the reasons that Warhawk was so significant is due to the fact that its digital and retail release were simultaneous. With the launch of the PSP Go, an all digital distribution console has come sooner than most would have expected.
Pixeljunk Eden
Why?: It has been a while since I played a game which made me scream with rage or cry out in despair. Thank you Pixeljunk Eden for reminding me of how insanely frustrating games can be. Playing the game proved to quite therapeutic in a sense. I certainly experienced the same steps as those who are dealing with death.
Denial: “There’s no way the game can be that hard. I must be doing something wrong.”
Anger: “You mother******* b****** b**** piece of s***, you can s*** my c***!”
Bargaining: “Sony, I will give you money to make this game easier for me.”
Depression: “I’m terrible at games. I’m going back to board games.”
Acceptance: “Ah well it’s not for me. There must be something easier on PSN. What’s this Pixeljunk Monsters game?”
How can something that looks so beautiful be so evil? Oh wait, Lindsay Lohan
No seriously, why?: Q-Games has been a revelation as a developer for PSN. Their games are conceptually and stylistically simplistic, yet have complex elements to them and imaginative art direction. Some may prefer Monsters to Eden, but Eden is undoubtedly the more original game both in terms of its aesthetic and gameplay. And it also gets the nod over Monsters because it was the first game to have Trophies. Not that I’m able to get any of them. Yes I love the game, and yes I’m being a bit of a baby, but seriously, this game killed me. Clearly a lot of people agreed with me as the game was patched by the developers to make it easier. Which still wasn’t easy enough for me. TAKE OUT THE BLOODY TIME LIMIT!!! Cough. Sorry about that.
Noby Noby Boy
Why?: Many games have toyed with some fairly nihilistic concepts, but none more so than Noby Noby Boy. It is a game about nothing. In fact, whilst there have been plenty of games people claim to not be games (Dragon’s Lair for example), Noby Noby Boy really isn’t about anything. Yet there still is a Meta goal, to make girl grow. It also one of the first games that even the creator, Keita Takahashi, had to take several swings at explaining. And he still failed. But still it somehow sounded pornographic. But the potential influence of Noby Noby Boy shouldn’t be undermined. No matter how you felt about the game, its unique nature has opened the door for other games to take a more obtuse approach to the concept of gaming.
No, seriously why?: I was being serious.
That is Girl. She is being ridden by all the Boys in the world. Weirdly enough that statement is entirely accurate
