Fallout 3

Oblivion. Oblivion has changed.

Source // MobyGames

"I don't want to set the world on fire." Where were you when that Fallout 3 trailer landed? Alright, as far as monumental occasions go, the trailer for Fallout 3 isn't exactly earth-shattering, but this would be the first Fallout title in a long while, and not only was it coming to consoles, but it was coming from the folks behind The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I could not be more interested. Oblivion With Guns was coming.

My literal first encounter with the series was an afternoon at a friends house, watching him on his computer, but I consider Fallout 3 to be my introduction to the Fallout universe. For those familiar with the isometric RPGs of the past, the drastic switch to a first/third-person perspective would be controversial, among many other topics for discussion, but for me, this was simply kinda cool. I played the hell out of Oblivion and wanted to play the hell out of Fallout 3 as well.

And so I did. Bugs and glitches and all.

Dead Space

No-one can hear you scream. Or speak, even.

Survival horror is not my favourite genre of video game, not by a long shot, but since playing a fair few titles for this 1001 list, I've got more of an understanding about what it is that fans of the genre admire. 

Most of my issues with these games are the limiting controls, be they because of hardware limitations on the early consoles, for example, or design choices to keep you on your toes, and not let you get on top of your surroundings.

Resident Evil 4 was a turning point for the way the genre was presented and, importantly, controlled. It was easier for new players to grasp and it was still just as spooky to play as any other survival horror game, but for me, it was still a bit of a slog. I liked the over the shoulder camera, but not the controls that go along with it, even knowing they're a vast improvement over earlier titles.

What I need is Resident Evil 4 with a bit of refinement. And a plot that isn't too bonkers. And maybe set it somewhere that isn't brown? What's Dead Space?

Fantastic Contraption

Both those words are a stretch, to be honest.

The physics playgrounds return to haunt me, as does Flash, this time in Fantastic Contraption, a little toolbox to play around with on your lunch break. Your goal is clear. Can you get there?

Yeah, right. Like I've got the brains to get there. Come on then. Let's see how fast we fail.

Echochrome

Impossible, I say.

Source // PlayStation

Nothing says "classy minimalism" quite like a string quartet and a wobbly man. But you can't just have a wobbly man chilling on stage in front of a string quartet. No, that's not classy enough. That's not minimalist enough.

You need to drop the wobbly man into an Oscar Reutersvärd-inspired impossible geometry platform puzzle, where he'll casually walk around his environment as best he can to the laid back sounds of a string quartet, contrasting with your frantically working brain as you try to work out how to manipulate the perspective in Echochrome.

This was a sight to see on the PlayStation 3, and one I'm finally giving a proper look towards.

de Blob

No mono anymore, I want them to turn red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple...

Colour. It's everywhere. Sometimes it isn't very apparent, though, looking a little drab, a bit bland, and generally miserable to look at. A bright and colourful space, if done correctly, can bring new life to the area, sparking positivity and creativity and good vibes all around.

So when an evil corporation takes over your town and saps the colourful life out of every single thing in sight, and you happen to be a watery blob capable of absorbing paint pigments and splattering them upon every surface imaginable, you know what to do, don't you?

Nintendo Wii title de Blob puts you in such a circumstance. Obviously, otherwise, this would be an absolute waste of an introduction. Let's paint the town.

N+

Good night?

2D platformers often require a degree of precision that no other games do. To miss a jump is to die. To breathe on a threat is to die. In N+, to not even get through the stage in time is to die, so you better get a grip on the physics of being a minimalist gold-hunting ninja pretty sharpish.

Fable II

You can pet the dog.

Source // Microsoft

I wasn't too pleased with Fable. Even with the English language being correctly represented through all kinds of colourful accents, a lengthy beginning section sapped all the enjoyment I may have had for the game itself, and I haven't gone back to it since.

Perfect time to see if the sequel has improved on things, then. Enter Fable II, open-world action-RPG where everything matters, and by everything, I mean how long you maintain a fart for. Don't understand? Neither do I.

Cursor*10

If you want something doing...

As Adobe Flash dies (or has it finally actually been killed off by now?), we get to experience another little gem of a game that I have never come across on my travels, Cursor*10, a small puzzle game where you've got to be a team player... with yourself.

How's that work, then?

Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution

Around the world, around the world.

Source // MobyGames

My time with Civilization games has been long and fruitless. With multiple paths to victory, there are multiple ways to fail, and I have seen them all it seems. Nothing I do is good enough, fast enough, precise enough. Another nation always pips me to the post, rubs my nose in it, and kicks me when I'm down.

But like an absolute idiot, I keep coming back for more. This very second I am re-installing Civilization VI because of my experience playing Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution, a "simpler" game designed for consoles and handhelds that aims to give you a considerable chunk of the full Civilization experience.

50 minutes of downloading to go, let's see how I got here.

Castle Crashers

No, don't beat me up...

Hack & Slash. Beat 'em Up. Button mashing. There's pleasure in the simple things. Following an intricate story, solving a challenging puzzle, mastering complex mechanics... sometimes you're just not in the mood. You want to sit back and press an attack button over and over, watching the chaos unfold.

It can be too simple, though. You'd prefer it if your button mashing made you look cool, or if the context was humourous. It'd probably be much better with co-op partners, too, to really hammer home that old school feeling of fighting your buddies as much as you fight the baddies.

A game like that could take many forms, but chunky colourful visuals from the golden era of Flash gaming, from the folks at Newgrounds, no less, sure sounds like a damn good idea, and that pretty much leaves us with Castle Crashers.

Will the knights in shining armour please rise and promptly run out of the castle to hack and slash everything in sight? And try not to hit each other?