Deep down I am quite a simple being. Sometimes I don’t need huge complicated story lines and the need to concentrate on every twist and turn in order to ensure that the bigger picture remains in focus. On occasion, my depth of field is admittedly quite shallow.
For every Alfred Hitchcock movie that I concentrate fully on, I am equally at home with the brutal simplicity of James Bond. Sometimes the more complex a plot, the more confusing the experience and when all you want to do is press play, then you don’t always have to search for a deeper meaning.
The same goes for video games.
At the moment, I have completed just 10% of Batman: Arkham Asylum, and I have been playing Grand Theft Auto IV for so long that it feels like The Cold War might actually start again before I reach the finish. Complicated games that look beautiful and can keep you entertained can also be hugely frustrating when all one needs is a quick fix of gaming addiction.
That is why the games that I experienced at PAX East as part of the Boston Indie Showcase were as much fun as the more in-depth products being showcased by other local innovators like Harmonix and Rockstar Games. Sometimes a small team can have massive vision.
Over the next few weeks, I will be bringing a more complete guide to the genius of Rock Band Network (Harmonix) and I am keen to channel my inner cowboy with Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar) — provided that I have managed to defeat the Joker by them. But in a world of corporations and big business, three smaller companies from Boston are making considerable waves in the gaming waters.
Our friend Keith Morgado has produced an insanely addictive and deceptively simple game called Turba, which is out now on general release through his studio Binary Takeover. (Plus, Morgado developed it alone.) Before I had the chance to play it, I thought it was another version of the classic Tetris, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Tetris was more predictable. Unbelievably, Turba reacts to the beats of the music that the gamer selects from a long list. Even better is that the full version of the game will allow the player to go into his/her own music library and select the music that will accompany the frenzied point and clicking that make up the actual game play. I have had the chance to play the demo version and it sounds simple but as each level only lasts for just over a minute, the action is fast and furious. Perhaps if I had decided to pick a slower beat then I could have got a higher score but for someone who thinks that Aerosmith are too passive, then the only option was to go for something with an adrenaline-releasing high number of beats per minute.
Keith has admitted on his blog that there were some bugs identified at PAX East but these ghosts in the machine have been fixed and the game is ready to become part of the retail environment. He writes, “To those of you who were awesome enough to buy a copy at PAX, we will also be releasing a standalone update, which will bring you up to the current release level. We hope you’re enjoying the game right now! Thank you for your support.” For sheer pick ‘n’ play, Turba is a definite winner.
I have written about Dejobaan Games before and the greatest named game I have seen in a long while, but AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! A Reckless Disregard for Gravity is more than just an awesome title. (Yes, the whole thing.) This is a game that allows and encourages you to “Dive off a skyscraper, flip off protesters and spray-paint government buildings.” Unsurprisingly, it has started to gain a lot of attention in the gaming world and it is well worth all the hype. Gamers have always had a reckless disregard to appearing to be cool but Dejobaan are worth diving into as this game is just one weapon in their armory. They also have a game called The Wonderful End of the World, where the aim is to engage in “A joyous trek around the Earth to gather everything you can before it’s eaten by a giant fish head.” That couldn’t sound any more fun and unique, and it is immensely gratifying to see a gaming company not take itself too seriously. Again, in the next few weeks we will have a more in-depth review of AaaaA, but initial responses from gamers seems to be a big thumbs up.
Finally, we have the lads from Fire Hose Games. They spent the entire time at PAX East wearing fake fireman helmets. The business card I have for the President describes him as “Dark Overlord and Unicorn Slayer,” only one of which I believe. Firehose’s Slam Bolt Scrappers looked fantastic and seemed to be a combination of World of Warcraft, Tetris and the classic arcade game Rampage, with big guns and angels with togas. I have not yet played this game — the queue was too long — but I have a yearning need to be a part of their world. It seems to be simple yet effective and ticks all the boxes for the quick bursts of gaming frenzy that I need to maintain my sanity. I can even bring my own unicorn.
Sometimes, the simple way is the correct way, and fewer minds can mean more clarity of vision. I shall remember that as I continue to struggle my way through the insanity of the modern world — big title video games and Hitchcock movies alike!
Editor’s Note: David Bolton recently relocated to the U.S. from the United Kingdom. He isn’t quite a full-blown Luddite, but he’s certainly a skeptic, so we call him the Neo-Luddite. For more of his work, check out his blog, Limeyview. You can also follow him on Twitter @SandmanDave.
