Game Developers Conference 2013

I was able to attend the Expo Floor of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and I was able to play some really brilliant video games on both mobile platforms, the PC, and the Playstation 3’s PSN. 

Here are my impressions:

Guacamelee || I played the crap out of this game at the conference, both at the IGF2013 as well as at the Sony Playstation Booth and on both the Playstation 3 and the PS Vita. I’ve beaten the tar of the demo so much that I can even see it when I close my eyes and I can’t express just how much FUN this game is. It’s a beautiful and GORGEOUS platformer that mines Mexican folklore and folk art for its influences. There is also an interesting dimensional shift, and so levels and puzzles are always a bit interesting and a bit action packed (there is a pretty great wall jumping puzzle where you have to hit the dimensional portals several times, or loose your life in a pool of acid.) I can’t wait to give this game a full play through. 

Liquid Sketch || Liquid Sketch is an interesting puzzle game where you use physics, boosts, touch screen, and your own mind to move different colored liquid through various puzzles to “fill” a designated space. It’s a lot of fun and reminds me of the next Ooze game (remember that old Ooze puzzle game on Windows 95?)

Year Walk || I’ve already wrote a small review of this iOS game, but I can’t say it enough: BUY THIS GAME. It’s an interactive story in two parts: part one is uncovering the secrets of your future; part two is diving into Swedish folklore and a story that blurs the line between fiction and non-fiction. It’s an eerie delightful puzzler. 

Fractured Soul || Fractured Soul is already out on the 3DS but it’s making its way to the PSN and (I believe) XBOX Live. It’s a really interesting puzzeler where your character has a soul that exists in a parallel world very similar to your own. As you play throughout the game, the screen is split and you shoot your soul back and forth as you run, jump, and shoot your way through the games many levels. 

Ku: The Shroud of the Morrigan || Ku: The Shroud of the Morrigan is an interesting game influenced by Irish folk lore. It’s an action-adventure RPG where you control Ku and must save your village from impending doom. It’s not without its share of glitches, but the game play and the story line are both fairly captivating. I’m nearly finished with it.

Star Wars Pinball || I sat and played this game for about an hour and I really enjoyed it. So much so that when I got home, I bought the Zen Platform platform and quickly bought the table pack and have been playing it since. 

Hotline Miami || Hotline Miami is weird/interesting action game… I don’t know much about it or what the hell I was doing, but I know that I enjoyed it. You get to choose your character (…or choose your mask that has different abilities. I wasn’t quite sure…) and do various missions in Miami. You can die with one hit, so the game is challenging. I plan on picking it up as soon as I can.

Soul Sacrifice || Oh my god I can’t wait for this game to be released. It was so weird and so fun. It’s a dark fantasy action-adventure magic game AND you can customize your own character. I made this guy who used ice attacks a lot… I didn’t quite know what was happening (there was a line, so I skipped most of the story plot hooks to get to the action.)