Man, you guys are GENIUSES!

[Terramax]

Ever played a game and thought the concepts were so good or unique you've just got to sit back and think 'damn, you guys are so clever to have come up with something so clever!'

I've just played Bubble Bobble on XBLA and I've taken it so for granted how creative and clever this little concept is. Being forced to only shoot to your side, relying on creativity, reflexes and timing to bubble enemies at the right time, right place. Then having to go through the trouble of jumping into them whilst avoiding getting killed by other enemies or other hazards.

It's such a simple game and yet someone must've thought outside the box for such a concept.

Both then and now, it's easy to just think of another gun game, typical racer, etc. And yet there are times where people really sat down with a bizzare idea in there head and, not only ran with it, but got the balance so right and made it so addictive.

Monkey Ball on the gamecube was probably the last game to really make me excited like this. Sure, some say it's just a 3D marble madness, but the idea of moving the board around rather than the ball, and the clever level design is just genius.

So what games do all of you play and think 'how'd you think of that?'

 

[Rawne1980]

Bubble bobble, damn but that takes me back.

I loved that game when I was a lad.

Many years ago was the last time I was truly impressed, around the same era of Bubble Bobble ... game called Rainbow Island (subtitled, Bubble Bobble 2 funnily enough).

Idea is to get to the top of the screen faster than the water that's trying to kill you using only platforms and rainbows.

 

[The_Lost_King]

I haven't had any of those moments but I remember in the da2 review on this sight the reviewer thought it was so amazing that your dialogue choices affected the ones you didn't choose. It isn't all that impressive. I could do the coding for that and I only have had a high school c++ introductory course.

 

[Dragoon]

I know this may be a little cliche but the first Portal blew my mind the first time I played it. Using portals for platforming was a stroke of genius and the levels were so well designed.

 

[lordlillen]

well im watching farscape and i notice places where they do genious things to save budget.

 

[Nieroshai]

I just picked up Journey for PSN. My mind was blown by the end. Not a word of dialogue, not a bit of physical contact, and yet it was one of the most stirring love stories I have ever seen. Not in the romantic sense, but in the sense that your co-op partner who you've never seen before became like a brother by the end. That and the very nature of the game as a metaphore on life itself. Basically, go read the Critical Miss Journey strip. It kind of sums it up in a tongue in cheek manner.

 

[hermes]

Many times.

From the top of my head: the final stage of Braid. It was so cleverly constructed I felt like standing and clapping...

 

[Aerosteam]

Pokemon.

This is how a Poke Ball works...

Spoiler: Yup

 

[Zipa]

Damn that really takes me back, I used to play that game with my sister all the time back when we were growing up.

 

[Mr.Pandah]

Shadow of the Colossus really stunned me. A game centered around essentially just "boss fights"? When there weren't other things to kill, at first I was put off, but as I played, I realized what this game was truly about and the reason it was made this way.

 

[redisforever]

Pokemon.

This is how a Poke Ball works...

Spoiler: Yup

Uhm... holy fuckballs. I will actually try working out the math next time I play that game...

 

[Lugbzurg]

Well, one day, I played a little old game called "Half-Life" and... Yeah, you get the picture.

I'd say Rareware has also been made up of geniuses. Have you ever played Conker's Bad Fur Day? My word...

Plants vs. Zombies is also a very clever, very original title. I don't see why it isn't getting the hype of Angry Birds. PvZ is actually original, and takes this sort of cartoon battle concept to incredible levels.

The good old Army Men games (I started with Sarge's Heroes) were so clever and loads of fun. What a concept. We get videogames where we go to war as two-inch green plastic soldiers!

 

[Last Hugh Alive]

I just played about half an hour of FEZ from the XBLA.

Excellent puzzle game imo, to me its an example of how so much depth and complexity can emerge from such a simple concept.

 

[Isalan]

Not really a mechanics example, but for a long time I could not believe how well put together Bastion was, especially when taken as a whole package. Whole game just blew my mind.

And even though some of the challenge arenas were rock hard, I never got annoyed enough to give up on them.

 

[Irridium]

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30.

If you end up getting screwed by checkpoints, you know, hit one with 1 hp left and/or no ammo left. If you die 4 times in a row, the game gives you this message: "War isn't fair, but a video game should be. Would you like to spawn at that checkpoint with full health and ammo?"

You can choose to do that, or you can continue to try and power through with low health/ammo.

More games need this. Especially games with health bars.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Pokemon.

This is how a Poke Ball works...

Spoiler: Yup

I can't believe someone actually went to all the trouble to work all that out. ...assuming that someone isn't the gameplay programmer.

 

[BytByte]

I'd say Kirby Epic Yarn. The game is made entirely out of arts and crafts supplies. Even spaceships and water are yarn and cut-outs. Just so clever

 

[RustlessPotato]

Worms Armageddon !

"alright, we got worms. And they kill eachother with exploding sheep and talking nanny's !". That was genius xD. The baseballbat weapon that would go "tadadada DADAAAAAAA!" when you killed someone with it was awesome xD.