Most out of touch comments
Perrin Kaplan, Reggie Fils-Aime (tie)
This one is a tie between Perrin Kaplan telling gamers to ‘clean their fridge’ if they manage to fill the Wii’s internal memory and Reggie Fils-Aime trying to convince people that Animal Crossing is a hardcore title. First of all, the Wii is more of a chilled cup-holder than it is a fridge. Secondly, perhaps Reggie should be made to watch the advertising campaign for Animal Crossing: City Folk before he makes the hardcore claim again.
Most ridiculously long development time
Rygar: The Battle of Argus
Tecmo have experienced a little hardship lately. With the famed Tomonobu Itagaki leaving, and many other staff threatening to do the same, it’s expected that there would be delays for certain projects. Though in the case of Rygar, the interminable delays only seemed to highlight the futility of the project rather than build hype. Announced as a port of a 5 year old PS2 game in May ’07, Rygar’s development proceeded for another 18 months before it was released with modest enhancements. The final kick in the teeth for Tecmo is that the game’s Wii sales look slim even when compared to the poorly received original.
Game that O.C.D. sufferers would do well to avoid
de Blob
Anyone who has played de Blob is aware of just how fiendishly compulsive the game can be. It’s not simply a matter of getting gold awards (which unlock other levels); it’s about turning every last offensively monochrome edifice into a riot of color, getting all the style icons, freeing all the trapped Graydians, fulfilling all the challenges and converting every last billboard and monument. Tasks that turn levels that can be completed in under 20 minutes into a city-wide paintathon that can take upwards 70 minutes. Oh, and there are no save points inside the levels, so don’t even think about dying.
Best story from the most unsuspecting source
World of Goo
When people purchase World of Goo, they have every right to expect a first rate puzzle game. What’s most surprising however is the clever tale developer 2D Boy have weaved into a game that essentially requires gamers to link blobs of goo together to form various structures. From the beautifully layered sprites and backgrounds, to the pitch-perfect soundtrack, World of Goo ends up weaving quite a spell for its duration. Levels are even designed as extended metaphors – the price of fame and the pursuit of beauty, and the role of those that simply fall by the wayside. Prepare to be surprised.
