Whether you want to call it the seventh generation or the HD revolution or any other marketing speak misnomer you should happen to stumble across, there is a nagging thought lurking in the back of every consumers mind, a hob-goblin sat in the dark recesses of the collective consciousness that every now and then dares to suggest that this particular chapter in the ongoing saga of video games has been something of a disappointment.
The under appreciated Game Cube may have been long relegated to a few lines of code in a newer machine but the stubborn shadow of the mighty Playstation 2 stretches across the medium's new landscape and it is therefore impossible to ignore what this hardware behemoth achieved. Playstation 2 software was the last great example of games created for all comers, by all comers and newer hardware has yet to scratch the surface of the levels of excellence it grew to encompass.
No doubt that franchises and sequels were plentiful but they were supplemented by much smaller, better, less capitalist efforts which (to the credit of yesterdays players) seldom went unnoticed.
If you were to dig your 'last generation' machine out from under the bed and play Okami or Shadow of the Colossus. If you could experience again, like it was the first time, what was offered by Viewtiful Joe or Killer 7 could you really go on to fire up Gears of War and believe that this is a step forward? Does Metal Gear Solid 4 genuinely push the medium to new heights? Is there anything in GTA IV that wasn't done better in San Andreas or Vice City?
As we contemplate the unthinkable about an era of gaming that is personified by the twin demons of graphical polish and high production costs we can not let our hearts darken too deeply.
Whichever of the three current home consoles you happen to own, it will grant you access to medicines with which to fight the over priced malaise that threatens the soul of this welcome vice which has been re-christened 'gaming'.
Among many other fine examples of software to grace the XBLA the 360 gives you Braid. A beautiful, powerfully emotional experience that plays as sublimely as the hand drawn visuals are animated.
The PS3 throws in Echochrome and Everyday Shooter, two games which challenge the very methods in which you approach their respective genres.
Moreover, in the bleak tundra of Wiiware, Lost Winds carried a lone beacon for some considerable time. When further examples of quality software did arrive they were competent and fun but lacking in the fire of emotion that fuels the best digitally distributed games to shine bright in these cold days.
And this is where World of Goo comes in.
2D Boy (Ron Carmel and Kyle Gabler) unleashed their finished game into the PC gaming maelstrom around October last year. The buzz created by the prototype Tower of Goo and the team's entertaining and refreshingly frank website garnered the release enough press to see it sell rather well and receive praise from all corners. Shortly thereafter the Wii version was made available through the system's online shop in the US.
Successful sales of the game, which had been critically lauded in the louder console press, saw a brief dalliance with the concept of a full retail release in European territories, where games of the more thoughtful variety often fare better than they do on the other side of the pond. It's comforting to believe that the developers and publishers listened to the outcry this caused and reverted to a digital release at the behest of the masses. However, in reality, it is not clear that this was the case.
Nevertheless, for whatever reason, World of Goo showed it's viscously challenged face on European Wiis at the end of 2008.
And this is where I come in.
World of Goo is a physics based construction puzzle game. There, that was easy wasn't it?
But then again World of Goo is as much a physics based construction puzzle game as Apocalypse Now is a film about a man going up a river in a boat.
However true these descriptions, they entirely fail to embrace the experience itself.
World of Goo, in which you manipulate balls of goo with varying qualities in order to achieve a set challenge, is so beautifully crafted, so completely instilled with passion and creativity in every single aspect that you wonder how it could ever have come to be. Surely something this 'whole' could never be words, symbols and numbers at some distant, untouchable level?
Stories are told in it's course that are touching, funny, dark, beautiful and humbling ? often all at the same time.
The overall tone of the game shifts effortlessly, countless times, using the kind of visual and musical artistry that has become almost forgotten in these days spent awaiting TeamICO's next project. These are supported by a narrative device loaded with a sharp, knowing wit the like of which is almost unheard of in this most vulgar of entertainment mediums.
It cannot go unsaid that the Wii version of World of Goo is an improvement on the PC incarnation. However this is for two entirely conflicting reasons.
As you relax on you sofa with your controller, effortlessly encouraging goo to do your bidding, the line between you and the game-world is blurred. Immersion is an overused but rarely understood term in the world of video games but this is a great example of just that. All the moments of tangible emotion contained within World of Goo are unimpaired on their journey to your soul. A joke is instantly funny, a clever point is made with unerring concision and dreamlike qualities drift forth with no impediment of disbelief.
World of Goo on the PC simply can not offer this same experience as the interface itself serves as a barrier to the more subtle aspects of the game.
The other new aspect for the Wii version of the game is the co-operative mode. Although in truth 'mode' isn't entirely accurate. Neither is 'drop-in, drop-out'.
Whilst playing World of Goo anyone can pick up another controller and give you a hand.
There is no option, no menu, no 'Player 2' signal... They just pick up the controller and get on with it. If you're in a particularly ambidextrous mood you could even use two controllers at the same time whist playing by yourself.
Of course in this co-operative light the game loses it's impact somewhat and becomes 'just' a puzzle game. It may even be argued that this lessens the quality to some degree but to make this point would be to miss another, far more relevant one; World of Goo is an exceptional puzzle game..
The five sections of the game may share seasonal themes but no two problems can ever be solved in the same way. Each level offers a new challenge. Moving landscapes, gale force winds, murderous windmills, gravity wells, fire pits and more all combine with myriad different goo types and countless other gameplay devices to constantly keep the game as fresh as it is challenging.
Viewed as a game alone World of Goo sits proudly at the top of the heap in company of the calibre of Lemmings, Tetris and Portal. However it should never be viewed as a game alone as it is always unwise to break down art into it's component parts.
Like the very best this curious division of entertainment has to offer, World of Goo on the Wii is truly a gameplay experience, a peerless one and one which should not under any circumstances be missed.
Edited for spacing
The under appreciated Game Cube may have been long relegated to a few lines of code in a newer machine but the stubborn shadow of the mighty Playstation 2 stretches across the medium's new landscape and it is therefore impossible to ignore what this hardware behemoth achieved. Playstation 2 software was the last great example of games created for all comers, by all comers and newer hardware has yet to scratch the surface of the levels of excellence it grew to encompass.
No doubt that franchises and sequels were plentiful but they were supplemented by much smaller, better, less capitalist efforts which (to the credit of yesterdays players) seldom went unnoticed.
If you were to dig your 'last generation' machine out from under the bed and play Okami or Shadow of the Colossus. If you could experience again, like it was the first time, what was offered by Viewtiful Joe or Killer 7 could you really go on to fire up Gears of War and believe that this is a step forward? Does Metal Gear Solid 4 genuinely push the medium to new heights? Is there anything in GTA IV that wasn't done better in San Andreas or Vice City?
As we contemplate the unthinkable about an era of gaming that is personified by the twin demons of graphical polish and high production costs we can not let our hearts darken too deeply.
Whichever of the three current home consoles you happen to own, it will grant you access to medicines with which to fight the over priced malaise that threatens the soul of this welcome vice which has been re-christened 'gaming'.
Among many other fine examples of software to grace the XBLA the 360 gives you Braid. A beautiful, powerfully emotional experience that plays as sublimely as the hand drawn visuals are animated.
The PS3 throws in Echochrome and Everyday Shooter, two games which challenge the very methods in which you approach their respective genres.
Moreover, in the bleak tundra of Wiiware, Lost Winds carried a lone beacon for some considerable time. When further examples of quality software did arrive they were competent and fun but lacking in the fire of emotion that fuels the best digitally distributed games to shine bright in these cold days.
And this is where World of Goo comes in.
2D Boy (Ron Carmel and Kyle Gabler) unleashed their finished game into the PC gaming maelstrom around October last year. The buzz created by the prototype Tower of Goo and the team's entertaining and refreshingly frank website garnered the release enough press to see it sell rather well and receive praise from all corners. Shortly thereafter the Wii version was made available through the system's online shop in the US.
Successful sales of the game, which had been critically lauded in the louder console press, saw a brief dalliance with the concept of a full retail release in European territories, where games of the more thoughtful variety often fare better than they do on the other side of the pond. It's comforting to believe that the developers and publishers listened to the outcry this caused and reverted to a digital release at the behest of the masses. However, in reality, it is not clear that this was the case.
Nevertheless, for whatever reason, World of Goo showed it's viscously challenged face on European Wiis at the end of 2008.
And this is where I come in.
World of Goo is a physics based construction puzzle game. There, that was easy wasn't it?
But then again World of Goo is as much a physics based construction puzzle game as Apocalypse Now is a film about a man going up a river in a boat.
However true these descriptions, they entirely fail to embrace the experience itself.
World of Goo, in which you manipulate balls of goo with varying qualities in order to achieve a set challenge, is so beautifully crafted, so completely instilled with passion and creativity in every single aspect that you wonder how it could ever have come to be. Surely something this 'whole' could never be words, symbols and numbers at some distant, untouchable level?
Stories are told in it's course that are touching, funny, dark, beautiful and humbling ? often all at the same time.
The overall tone of the game shifts effortlessly, countless times, using the kind of visual and musical artistry that has become almost forgotten in these days spent awaiting TeamICO's next project. These are supported by a narrative device loaded with a sharp, knowing wit the like of which is almost unheard of in this most vulgar of entertainment mediums.
It cannot go unsaid that the Wii version of World of Goo is an improvement on the PC incarnation. However this is for two entirely conflicting reasons.
As you relax on you sofa with your controller, effortlessly encouraging goo to do your bidding, the line between you and the game-world is blurred. Immersion is an overused but rarely understood term in the world of video games but this is a great example of just that. All the moments of tangible emotion contained within World of Goo are unimpaired on their journey to your soul. A joke is instantly funny, a clever point is made with unerring concision and dreamlike qualities drift forth with no impediment of disbelief.
World of Goo on the PC simply can not offer this same experience as the interface itself serves as a barrier to the more subtle aspects of the game.
The other new aspect for the Wii version of the game is the co-operative mode. Although in truth 'mode' isn't entirely accurate. Neither is 'drop-in, drop-out'.
Whilst playing World of Goo anyone can pick up another controller and give you a hand.
There is no option, no menu, no 'Player 2' signal... They just pick up the controller and get on with it. If you're in a particularly ambidextrous mood you could even use two controllers at the same time whist playing by yourself.
Of course in this co-operative light the game loses it's impact somewhat and becomes 'just' a puzzle game. It may even be argued that this lessens the quality to some degree but to make this point would be to miss another, far more relevant one; World of Goo is an exceptional puzzle game..
The five sections of the game may share seasonal themes but no two problems can ever be solved in the same way. Each level offers a new challenge. Moving landscapes, gale force winds, murderous windmills, gravity wells, fire pits and more all combine with myriad different goo types and countless other gameplay devices to constantly keep the game as fresh as it is challenging.
Viewed as a game alone World of Goo sits proudly at the top of the heap in company of the calibre of Lemmings, Tetris and Portal. However it should never be viewed as a game alone as it is always unwise to break down art into it's component parts.
Like the very best this curious division of entertainment has to offer, World of Goo on the Wii is truly a gameplay experience, a peerless one and one which should not under any circumstances be missed.
Edited for spacing
