Hypnotic Gardens

As I have previously mentioned, PixelJunk Eden has been a pleasant surprise. Interested in trying new things, I downloaded it with no expectations or knowledge of what the game was, aside from the odd comment from friends claiming it as one of the best games on the Playstation 3. Within minutes of my first session with the game, I wholeheartedly agreed.

Obviously I'm still relatively new to Sony's console and as such, don't have the experience with it that many others do. Even so, I firmly believe that PJE (PixelJunk Eden) is an important game to the platform, particularly the Playstation Network. Featuring games like EchoCrome, Flower and PJE is a great thing, not just in what the games themselves offer in content but also because they're unique and form an identity for the platform which separates it from other online services. I think it is telling that by including these games on their service, Sony has attracted people to the PS3 that they wouldn't have with blockbuster titles such as Metal Gear Solid IV or LittleBigPlanet. In fact, I was almost one of these people. As soon as I saw it in motion at one of Sony's E3 conferences, EchoCrome jumped onto my radar and became a reason to buy the console. Like many however, I held off with the purchase due to the console's price, lack of games that I was interested in and even, slightly, Sony's arrogance that the console would sell eventually. I have already detailed my PS3 purchase here, however, so instead I will simply say that the more Sony releases games like this, the more it will form an identity that becomes as much of an important selling point for the console as the included Blu-Ray player. Surely that is no bad thing?

Moving onto the actual game itself, I love playing PixelJunk Eden because I find it relaxing to play. It's a great game for me because it appeals to two different aspects of my gaming habits: on one hand I can fire it up for ten minutes, do whatever takes my fancy and just relax with it after a busy day. On the other, I can play it like I do most games by trying to locate all the Spectra within a level or trying to collect enough pollen to open up every seed. This balance between relaxation and motivated play is a nice one and it's one of the main reasons why I find it so enjoyable to spend time with. As fellow blogger Scott Juster from Experience Points mentions, it is also quite therapeutic, achieving this through rhythmic motions, a minimal yet effective soundtrack and hypnotic visuals.

Speaking of the visuals, they continue to surprise. I have spent many hours with the game and yet just this evening I noticed something different about them. While playing I noticed the backgrounds are essentially just blank sheets (there are of course, some exceptions) which then led me to realise that by collecting pollen and nurturing the plants for growth, we are effectively painting the level onto this backdrop. Obviously this is just an observation and the levels will always be the same with subsequent visits, but noticing this different perspective on the game seems to fit when you consider its presentation is, to quote a friend I showed the game to, quite "artistic". I agree with that description and find it an apt way to describe the visual elegance PixelJunk Eden manages to convey. The cool thing is that this is just one aspect of PJE's overall experience, one which while simplistic to play is also open to interpretation and can be viewed by many different perspectives. I can't wait to play more of this wonderful game and eagerly await what else is to come out of the PixelJunk series.

Networked Gardens

The first couple of months with my Playstation 3 wasn't that exciting. That was not the console's fault though, it was mine. As I purchased it around the same time I was feeling overwhelmed with other games, it was unfortunately neglected while I focused on playing them instead. It even got to the point where I had considered returning the console, getting my money back and then buying it again once I was able to give it the time it deserved. Thankfully, I did not end up doing that and instead had my epiphany (if you will) with the console thanks to three games. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue was the first game, but more importantly both Flower and PixelJunk Eden surprised me in such a way that I stopped playing other games like Fallout 3, becoming increasingly addicted to both and falling in love with them.

Flower

To be honest, I needed this game. I needed it because of how overwhelmed I was feeling with all the shooters and darker titles I had been playing and thankfully, it came out at the perfect time. Before release I expected it to be relaxing and because of how drained I was, my anticipation for it was a lot higher than it might have been under 'normal' circumstances. It met the expectation I had created for it and also surprised me with just how exhilarating and gorgeous it was. If words like "stunning" can describe most of the good looking games out there, then the word beautiful is how I would describe Flower. It is beautiful -- not just visually but the whole package. The minimal soundtrack, the implied narrative, the sense of discovery and the simplicity. All of it, every single element, combines to make what is just simply a beautiful game. It is unique, amazing and if you own a PS3 and don't give it a go, you are doing yourself a massive disservice. Buy it, now!

PixelJunk Eden

I had no expectations going into this title though I had seen quite a lot of praise for it so after a quick purchase, I was ready to play. What a surprise it was, then, to find such a fascinating little game. I was shocked by its simplicity, how easy it was to become addicted and also how strong I felt about it after putting the controller down. I could not stop thinking about it. It reminds me of Flower actually, two completely different games in design and intent and yet similar in terms of simplicity, beauty and even subtlety. It can also be frustrating though, especially when you misjudge a jump and end up falling all the way back down to the bottom of the level. Later levels can also be frustrating, but the onus for that is more on you than the game as you need to take some time to adjust to the different ways of play. The other notable thing that I love from this game is how you can record in-game footage, either saving it to the PS3's hard drive or uploading it to Youtube. It reminds me of the theater in Halo 3 and the Skate.reel in Skate, and I can only wish that the feature was in other games.

I will be changing Internet providers this week and as a result could be offline for a few days so unfortunately I won't be able to extend my thoughts on Flower or PixelJunk Eden. Hopefully these small paragraphs give you a hint of what I think of the games and when I return, I look forward to looking at each of them in more depth than I did in this post. Until then, be safe, have a great week and happy gaming.