From the mouth of Patrick:
Call it egotistical, but most people who write columns in regards to gaming always like to make a "
Game of the Year"
pick. Usually, these people pick the same games....the
Call of Duty's, the
Half-Life's, and the
World of Warcraft's. (My apologies to everyone for misspelling the expansion pack last Illumination.) It's a shame, really, because there are a lot of good games out there that don't manage to make the spotlight. This year, all of my favorite games were outside the spotlight, but they were all fantastic.
I mentioned last month that there weren't any major releases planned for the year that excited me. Yes, a couple of sequels to big games got released, but nothing new, exciting, or even all that innovative from the major studios. This is what gave independent game developers such a big break. That being said, let's look at my personal contenders for this year's best game.
*Disclaimer: I'm aware of the irony of picking a game that isn't DROD in a Caravel newsletter, but hear me out. We all love DROD, and if I were to spend every Illumination with the sole intent of glorifying DROD, you might get annoyed. The intent of my Illumination articles are to showcase independent (usually puzzle) games.
The Contenders
When I looked at the list I made last month of my favorite games, there was a universal theme for most of them: physics-based gameplay. That being said, I knew that my favorite game would most certainly be a game that used physics in a creative and ingenious way. This narrowed my list down to five games. Which ones? Let's look at these a little closer...
5. Trackmania Nations/United Forever:
(Just to clarify, these are essentially the same game, it's just that Nations has limited content and is free.)
As much as I enjoyed this game, I knew that it wouldn't be my favorite game of the year, but that it was at least worthy of a mention. I consider this to be a puzzle racer in many ways, mainly because of the pure difficulty of some of the custom made tracks out there. Sometimes, you need to spend a good twenty minutes on a 30 second track simply to figure out how to pass it. Of course, once you finish that, there's the grinding trying to get the timing perfect in order to get yourself that gold medal. Is the grinding too frustrating? Possibly, but even I was able to tolerate it, as the feeling of betting the time by milliseconds is incredibly satisfying. And heck, there's even an option to play the game in 3D if you've got those glasses lying around. I actually bought some just to try the effect out, and it works fairly well.
So what held this game back? I don't know if it was just me, but the track editor seems like you need a PhD to make a good track. That, and ultimately racing games do suffer from a bad case of repetition, and I'm more of a varied gamer. Still, you owe it to yourself to at least give Nations a shot. It's free!
http://www.trackmania.com/en/
4. World of Goo
If you went up to someone inside a game store and asked them to name an independent game made last year, I'd bet that over half would mention World of Goo. It's won various Independent Game of the year awards, and quite possibly the most popular independent game out there. It's a game that's simple in design, yet very complex in terms of objectives and detail. I had a hard time describing the game myself, so let me quote
Wikipedia:
"
The main objective of the game is to get a requisite number of goo balls to the pipe representing the exit. In order to do so, the player must use their various abilities to build bridges, towers and other structures to overcome gravity and various terrain difficulties such as chasms, hills, spikes or cliffs."
So why did the game rank so low? Honestly, it would have ranked higher, but I enjoyed the next three games more than this one. Nothing personal, World of Goo, but I simply enjoyed the next games more. I do suggest people give the demo a shot, simply for the sake of trying it!
http://2dboy.com/games.php
3. Crayon Physics Deluxe
Yes, yes, one could argue that this isn't a game that was released in 2008, considering the official release date was January 7th, 2009, but let's look at the facts - I probably will have forgot this game by the end of the year, and considering the game won the 2008 IGF main prize, I think it's fitting to put it on the list. Describing the game is as simple as saying "
You need to draw objects to complete simple objectives"
, but that simplicity is what makes the game so difficult and interesting. You can draw pretty much anything. Will it help you? Probably not. But it allows for some creative puzzles to be made. And plus, with a level editor, you can find some very ingenious user-made puzzles.
So, with all the hype and excitement regarding this game, what kept it at the middle of the list? As nice as the user-made content is, the main content itself was fairly simple and quick to finish. As well, I felt the developers didn't use a lot of the possibilities well in the campaign. Still, it is an incredible game, and user-made content does fill a lot of the gaps.
http://www.crayonphysics.com/
2. Crazy machines 2
I don't think I've met anyone who can honestly say that they don't enjoy Rube Goldberg machines, which is what makes Crazy machines so much fun. Take crazy contraptions like those, remove a couple of parts, add some red herrings into the mix, and you're got yourself an enjoyable game. Maybe it's the physics nut in me, but this game was just so incredibly enjoyable and easy to get into. And, like most of the games on my list, has a level editor, but the ease of use on this one is probably the best out of all of them.
That being said, some levels will make you want to throw your monitor to the ground, and it doesn't offer you a lot of help when you get to that point. I was thankful that I bought the entire Crazy machines series at the same time, so I pretty much had a rotation of games that I played as I kept getting frustrated. As well, I almost found the original Crazy Machines a little better than Crazy Machines 2 simply for simplicity. The sequel starts to add some pretty odd elements to the mix that can get confusing.
http://www.crazymachinesgame.com/
So which one made number one? Well, let's look at some facts about the game:
This game is made from a relatively new French developer, and this is actually the second game they've made (I had never heard of the first one). This game is entirely about physics, and objects lying around can either help you out by making you stronger and bigger, or can cause you to shrink. And, of course, paper towel will kill you. What game is this?
1. I-Fluid
I could probably name more faults with this game than I could with any of the other games on the list (picky camera control is worth a couple of faults alone), but this game is so enjoyable that you forgive the game for them. In this game, you control a small droplet of water, and are assigned various tasks, ranging from knocking walnuts off of shelves to moving cherry tomatoes into fondue dishes. Doesn't sound like fun on paper, but what makes it great is the environment. All of the scenarios take place within a house, and taking a familiar environment and being able to look at it from a new angle is always an interesting approach. The graphics on a lot of objects are incredibly detailed (I think a lot of them are actual photos put into the game) and it gives the game a feel of realism.
While there are only fifteen levels, they are all fairly varied, and there are three different modes to each game, which should keep you busy for a while (I'm a big fan of the petal attack modes myself). Honestly, you owe it to yourself to at least give the game a shot. While the main website does have the game for $30, it's $20 less on Steam, so I strongly advise that you save money where you can.
http://www.i-fluid.com/
Personally, which games did you enjoy this year? Feel free to discuss your favorite game at the topic below:
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28290
---------------------------------------------------------------
TCB Deluxe Set "pre-orders" have become "orders"
Mike Rimer brings us good news that a limited-edition TCB boxed set has been shipped to everyone who pre-ordered one. Those on the TCB "
blacklist"
(you know who you are and what you did) will also be seeing something soon. And there's good news for everyone else too -- there are some boxed sets remaining to order. If you already have the download-only version of TCB, you may write Mike at Caravel for a coupon code to discount the price of your original order when purchasing a CD or Deluxe set from our web site.
http://caravelgames.com/buyTCB.html
The Winter 2009 Smitemaster's Selection is wrapping up
The finishing touches are being placed on two fantastic expansion holds by forum architects Jason and Rheb. One continues Beethro's adventures following "
The City Beneath"
and the other reveals the untold story of a clandestine job Beethro ran after starting up the Roasted Roach Grill. If you're interested in receiving the next Smitemaster's Selection on a limited-edition CD, you need to pre-order it from the Caravel Games web site before its release at:
http://caravelgames.com/buySS.html
Grading the Illuminator
In the past six months, I'd like to hope people have, for the most part, enjoyed reading these little Illuminations. Yes, I know I've had some issue, but once I realized that there were two topics I should stop bringing up, it's been a lot better. So, feel free to give your thoughts on the past Illuminations, and
comment on what you'd like to see more of in these things.
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28291
The Prodical Mycologist
agaricus5, our resident DROD know-it-all (and I mean that in the highest regard) has returned after a two-year hiatus. Be sure to welcome him back!
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28212
Topic Picks for January/February
After a holiday break, Robobob3000's back with some of the latest and greatest wisdom from the forums.
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28036
I want to learn programming
Something like 130% of the population of our message board possesses a master’s degree in physics, and as such, they are expected to know programming. Blondbeard poses the question: How quickly can someone go from zero to programmer? Well, this thread’s a good place to start.
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28132
Mafia 3
The other -30% of the forum population lack esteemed physics degrees. That’s why they’ve resorted to what they know best: thuggery and brutishness. The long-form forum game is blossoming on the Caravel Forum, and whatshiswhistle is working to get our third game of Mafia started. Sign up! Actual murder not permitted.
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=27921
Tower of the Sorcerer
The last 0% of the population (TFMurphy, to be exact), has put together an intriguing RPG hold. He has fully recreated the game "
Tower of the Sorcerer"
, the inspiration for DROD RPG, within DROD RPG. It’s still a work in progress, but it sure demonstrates the flexibility of the engine. Check it out, and be inspired!
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28098
Akella cover art for the Russian version of DROD: The City Beneath
And as always, Russia continues to be totally rad.
Have a fantastic rest-of-the-month!
-Patrick
____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.
[Last edited by mrimer at 02-22-2009 02:47 AM]
). 
