The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
It's really not an understatement when i say i haven't played much this week. I think i played Zelda on two nights, and for maybe an hour a piece. Basically i have saved inside the next dungeon in the Lanaryu desert. I'm sure the dungeon itself will re-energize my spirits, but the whole hassle of getting to the dungeon was pretty annoying for me.
It took a little while but i finally made the connection that all these upside down coloured triangles littered out of reach are probably hookshot markers and that's most likely the tool i uncover in this next dungeon. That will make travelling around a lot easier. So so much easier in fact.
Yeah i dunno if my lack of gaming is due to just wanting to relax and watch television during this uni course or if i'm down on Zelda. I'm almost tempted to check out either El Shaddai or Arkham City and see if my gaming funk is game related. That happened with Twilight Princess. I played the first 6-8 hours when i bought my Wii at launch... and then didn't touch the game for 9 months. When i picked it up again, i spent weeks and completed it, enjoying the whole experience.
No matter my call, i'm gonna play through this next dungeon. Then we shall see.
Coins (Indie)
http://www.kongregate.com/games/Onefifth/coins
A more relaxed approach to gaming this week. A puzzle game where you have to move coins to their designated slots. The catch is a coin can only be moved if it is touching two other coins. The game has a nice soundtrack and its level transitions are very fluid. Give it a play.
Final Thoughts
This week i just wanted to make a funny observation that came across my head last week. I love adventure games. Most of my game library over at GoG is adventure titles. The recent Christmas sale, i bought all the FMV zork games as i have never really given them a play (aside from Return to Zork). I was musing on some of the things you do in adventure games to achieve goals and a realization hit me.
In most adventure games, to progress you act like a massive jerk.
In Zak Mckraken and the Alien Mindbenders, there's a sequence where you make a flight attendant's day a living hell by sabotaging both the toilets and the on board microwave.
In Pandora Directive you can act like a total ass to everyone and while you don't get a good ending, it's a legitimate way to play the game.
In Sam and Max Hit the Road, one of the puzzles involves dipping your partner in water and shoving his face into an electrical outlet.
Possibly the reasoning here is that these games all have comedic elements and a good source of comedy is conflict, but there's also that kind of perverse pleasure that a player can get by saying to themselves, "I can't believe i'm doing this". Granted with games like Grand Theft Auto that feeling has kind of dulled in the face of wanton violence and destruction, but possibly it's because of the limits of the adventure game that this kind of realisation is much more impactful, especially when combined with the accomplishment of having solved a puzzle.
I'll leave things there for now. If anyone has any great memories of acting like a jerk in videogames, let me know in the comments.
Till next week, happy gaming all!
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