A couple smaller games.

Some thoughts on a few of the smaller games I've been playing lately:

ArtStyle: BOXLIFE - I'm now in the habit of buying any ArtStyle game that gets released, without question. They're always cheap. They're always stylish. And they always offer a new and creative type of gameplay. And even if it's not great, it's pretty darn good. ArtStyle: BOXLIFE is no different, and it happens to be pretty great. I could try to describe it, but it's hard to explain. So watch this and you'll understand everything about it...



There's two modes, R&D and Factory. I am doing fine at R&D, but I can't seem to make any progress in Factory. But I've only given that a try a couple of times. So it's kind of hard, but it's fun regardless.

Mighty Flip Champs! - A second game that's deceptively difficult to explain but simple in it's premise. it's puzzle platformer where you can only move side to side, you can't jump, and you must navigate the puzzles by switching out the game's backgrounds...

Um. Just watch...

More Mighty Flip Champs News & Previews

Ha. The funny part is I didn't realize you could set way-point markers until just now, when I found this video...

Like BOXLIFE, it gets difficult but the game is always pretty fun. I tend to run in a lot of circles on the harder levels, though. Also, I have no idea if it's tied to some licensed property, but it sure does seem like it is. Might Flip Champs! is filled with bizarre characters presented in a way that suggests some over-arching narrative I should know, but there is no explanation or context what-so-ever. Hmmm.

Sam & Max: Save the World - This weekend I finished the first of the six episodes, and I really enjoyed it. At three hours an episode (give or take), it seems like the developer Telltale Games has found a very appropriate length for an Adventure game.

The pace really kept moving, and although there were some head-scratching moments, I never got stuck enough to have to look at a FAQ. Which is a refreshing change of pace for Adventure games in general. And at three hours, I never fogot what I was doing, and the story didn't feel artificially inflated to pad playtime.

I'm glad the entire first Season was released on Xbox Live Arcade as one chunk, though. I don't think a single Episode would have been enough to satiate me, and I'm looking forward to playing the rest. At the same time, I'm relieved to know that even if I do tire of the game I can take a break without the fear of returning to the middle of a game and struggling to remember what happened already, where to go, and what I was supposed to be doing. Super nice.

Magic: The Gathering - Planeswalker - I'm enjoying learning this game, and I'm getting familiar with some of the subtleties.

I still constantly get my ass handed to me by the computer and haven't dared to try it online.

I do get the feeling sometimes that the computer always has exactly what it needs to crush me, while I get stuck with the exact wrong cards all the time. I think that perceived bias is just the way these types of games go, though. It's hard to not assume shenanigans when you know the computer can technically know/change the outcome of the draw. I'm sure it doesn't, but it's easy to blame in the wake of a devastating loss...