Consolation Prize

I had intended to dedicate some time last weekend to finishing Half Life 2: Episode 2. I’d left the game just after helping to fend off the Antlion attack in the mines; an amazing sequence that surely pays homage to Aliens as Freeman and his allies, with the aid of some well placed sentry guns, try and hold off the seemingly limitless numbers of critters all intent on revenge for your “accidental” squashing of Antlion grubs underfoot during the exploration of the abandoned mine. Freeman will however have to hold out a little longer…

I also came into possession of Too Human - which the postie kindly delivered on Saturday morning - and I was really looking forward to getting my teeth into this action RPG adventure given that I found the demo enjoyable. The Norse god will however also have to wait…

Instead those cute knights from Castle Crashers demanded my utmost attention and unrequited devotion as I spent a good proportion of my free time trying to rescue those four damsels in distress. Some may say it’s a tad repetitive, after all apart from the differences in enemies and backdrops the majority of the game-play is similar in nature from one level to another – advance to location, clear the area of enemies and then move on - but it’s all wrapped up with such finesse that you’re compelled to keep advancing in order to find out what bizarre level awaits you next. Whether it’s escaping from a giant cat in an abandoned saw mill whilst mounted upon a deer, being abducted by space aliens, or battling atop an escaping carriage, this game hasn’t yet failed to bring a smile to my face.

Although I’ve played a lot of games this year, some of which I’ve admired from a technical or innovative perspective, I believe Castle Crashers by far exceeds in successfully distilling and delivering arguably the most important element of a game – unadulterated fun. And this is the most fun I’ve had in ages!

Hehe. I was planning to spend time with my new Wii and CivRev, but Too Human has me sucked in.