[center]"Somewhere else is, perhaps, understatement."
-- Aaron A. Reed, Blueful[/center]
What the hell is Blueful?
On the surface, Blueful--half-short story, half-viral marketing--is a surreal, follow-the-link-style scavenger hunt.
"This is not for you." - House of Leaves, Mark Danielewski
It took me months to get back to Braid.
When the indie platformer arrived on Xbox LIVE Arcade in August of 2008, I knew little about it. But based on people I trust, and the artwork of David Hellman, I bought it the day it came out.
It was clear within moments that the game was trying to do something special.
Context: n.
1. The part of a text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning.
The very best games deliver powerful experiences within clearly defined and believable contexts.
"There is no God and we are his prophets." – Cormac McCarthy, “The Road”
Fallout 3 is a profoundly sad game. Forget the bullet point features. This is its truth: the irradiated, unrelenting, brutal, cold and blasted world. The vast empty landscape and desiccated buildings tell us more than an endless monologue ever could.
THQ's de Blob, a game about a hyperactive blob covering a monochromatic cityscape with paint, presents an serious challenge for this particular writer. The problem is this: how to describe it without making accidental puns about blobs and color?