Top 5 Downloadable Games
1. Braid (XBox 360 and PS3)
Not just the best downloadable game available, its also one of the best games released in the past year, period. Over the past few years, I’ve oft lamented the apparent death of the side-scrolling platformer. Now here we are at the end of 2009 and we’ve had two great examples of how viable the genre can be in Braid and the just-missed-the-list Shadow Complex.
What makes Braid so wonderful is it combines solid, old school platforming with a time shifting dynamic similar to Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Except you are not just turning back time to avoid death (though that is doable), you are manipulating time and the environment to make your way through the levels.
Perhaps most inspiring of all though is the well-documented tale of Jonathan Blow, the games creator. Its amazing to think that such a beautiful and challenging game was produced by one person. In an era of eight figure game budgets and huge development teams, its truly phenomenal to see one of the best titles of the year coming from just one person.
2. Peggle (XBox 360 and PS3)
If you haven’t played Peggle yet, consider yourself lucky. It is easily one of the most addictive games ever devised. Worse than Tetris and worse than the dreaded Minesweeper. Because not only is Peggle fun and challenging, its also so darn cute!
Peggle, for the five of you who haven’t played some version of the game, is like a weird hybrid of pinball and Breakout, as try to bounce your ball around and clear the level of orbs and blocks. But instead of flippers or a paddle, you simple have a trampoline kinda thing that moves back and forth across the bottom on its own.
It sounds simple, but that’s just what it does to lure you in. Resist if you can, but I’m almost certain Peggle will hook you too.
3. World of Goo (Wii)
The unquestioned highlight of Nintendo’s WiiWare service, World of Goo is a must-own, and like Braid, a testament to the abilities of independent developers. In this case, Goo was made by two people.
In World of Goo, you goal is easy: move your blobs of goo to the exit. But like most good puzzlers, the difficulty and the challenge ramp up, becoming challenging, but never so hard that you throw down the Wiimote and walk away. Well, not too often anyway.
Weight and load distribution come into play, as your entire goo structure can collapse when you are tantalizingly close to crossing a major divide.
4. Madden NFL Arcade (XBox 360 and PS3)
As we said in our review, Madden NFL Arcade fills a void in a much needed way, with a fun and simplified take on the traditional Madden title. I think what appealled to me most was that it captured the essence of my two favorite classic football games, Tecmo Bowl and NFL Blitz.
With great cartoonish graphics and EA Sports typically high level of polish, this is a great alternative for football fans who don’t want to shell out for all the depth and features and realism of Madden, and just want something simple and fun. In the case of Madden NFL Arcade, simple is very, very good.
5. Battlefield 1943 (XBox 360 and PS3)
Much like Madden Arcade, Battlefield 1943 succeeds by taking a winning formula, slimming it down to the basics and giving it an unbeatable price. This multiplayer-only game started with three levels, with a fourth one unlocked when all players reached a combined kill total. Nothing brings a community together more than mass death!
It doesn’t hurt that the game is set in World War 2’s Pacific theatre, as the sunny skies, tropical colours and distinct lack of Nazis make this a nice change of pace from the glut of other WW2 games.
That it almost makes the list is a testament to the high quality of the product, since I’d be happy to never see another WW2 game ever again.
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