Whatcha Been Playing?

It takes me a little longer to get through games nowadays (with playtime regulated to the short spurts when Cameron is sleeping), but I’ve been slowly trudging through a few adventures:

Bastion (Xbox 360)
I have mixed feelings about this download title. I love the in-game narration, the imaginative world, and the diversity of gameplay that the shield and different weapons bring to the table (I’m using the hammer, bow & arrow, and grenades now). The level design hasn’t been particularly compelling though - it’s fairly linear, and the levels don’t feel too different from one another (aside from the art changes). I guess I expected more Diablo-esque mazes and dungeons. Still, a steal for $15.

Bioshock 2 (Xbox 360)
The sequel that apparently no one wanted ended up being better than the first. More refined mechanics (in-game hacking, dual wield weapons & plasmids) and a solid story (although I’d still say the original had more impact). The level design and art direction were brilliant as expected, and the Minerva’s Den DLC was also a worthy add-on. I had this lying around on my pile of shame for a while, and am really glad that I finally got around to finishing it.

Bulletstorm (XBox 360)
Borrowing this from a co-worker. I’m only 2 acts in, but it’s crazy. Slo-mo tethering and slinging bad guys off ledges (Vertigo +50) hasn’t gotten old yet. Coming off of the deliberately slow pace of exploration in Bioshock, it took a while to get used to this game going 110mph all the time. Even the super-saturated color palette is over the top. It’s mindless junk food, but unquestionably fun.

Machinarium (iPad)
Refreshing hand-drawn art, old-school adventure game mechanics, and a wonderful sense of humor, storytelling, and emotion. There was a lot of trial and error with the puzzles, but none of them felt unfair, and the in-game hint system was a welcome addition. Point and click puzzlers like this translate perfectly to the iPad, and I wish I could play hundreds more as good as this one.