I downloaded and played the demo for On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode One at dinner tonight. It seems amusing enough. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to throw a fruit at an evil robotic juicer to distract it, and then watch it rapidly rape the fruit in glorious semi-3D, it's the game for you. Other than the violent produce deflowering, though, what really struck me about the game was just how much style it exudes. The character creation and cartoon cutscenes in particular felt extremely well-done. I'm not a huge fan of 2D cartoons being translated into 3D, but this seems as good as any.

Polish and style mean a lot to me in games, and not many games make such a good impression. Those that did? Blizzard's games, Crysis, Assassin's Creed, Gears of War, Half-Life 2, Doom 3, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Heroes of Might and Magic II, Nox, and Malcolm's Revenge come to mind. Those are games that don't feel like they were rushed, and games where you can almost feel the love and care that went into them from the very first play.

Labels: games