61 Frames Per Second

Watcha Playing: World of Goo

Posted by Amber Ahlborn

Have you ever become aware of a game that other people talked about enthusiastically but it just didn't interest you, only to play it and fall in love? I'm not a puzzle game fan. I like some action in my games. I like interesting characters and adventure. Puzzle games tend to be, at best, rentals for me. There are exceptions of course, individual games that were so addictively enjoyable that I would play them obsessively. Tetrisphere was one puzzle game that I loved, and regret not buying. Now, around a decade later, another puzzle game has taken over my life. Welcome to the World of Goo.

I downloaded the game on Thursday, started playing Friday night, and finished sometime on Saturday. It's not a particularly short game, you certainly get your money's worth, but when I sink my teeth into something I really like I tend to go full bore into marathon mode. Well, what else is a weekend good for?

World of Goo isn't the easiest game to describe. Sure, I could just say it's a physics based puzzler but that hardly gets across how fun and weird and intriguing the experience is. It certainly doesn't draw enough attention to the art and music which play such an important role towards setting the game's mood. Yeah, this puzzle game definitely has a mood. The superb music, along with the polished visuals set up an odd mix of whimsy, melancholy, and even dread, with a little programmer savvy humor sprinkled in. Aside from being fun to play, World of Goo is an excellent case study for how art and music can be used to evoke the senses.

Out on the computer and as Wiiware on the Nintendo Wii, World of Goo is a game that shouldn't be missed.

Related Links:

Watcha Playing: Fantastic Contraption

The Best News In Sixteen Thousand Years: Cave Story Coming to WiiWare

World of Goo: The Art,The Design, The Anticipation!

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Posted Oct 21 2008, 10:00 AM

Filed under: wii, amber ahlborn, world of goo, wiiware, watcha playing

Comments

Roto13 said:

"Have you ever become aware of a game that other people talked about enthusiastically but it just didn't interest you, only to play it and fall in love?"

Yes. That's exactly what happened to me with World of Goo. :P

I wrote a review. :P Click my name if you want to read it.

October 21, 2008 1:09 PM

Amber Ahlborn said:

Nice review, Roto13. I'd say it's spot on.

October 22, 2008 9:10 AM

Roto13 said:

Thank you. :P

October 22, 2008 1:23 PM

RevTen said:

Totally Agree. I bought world of Goo cause it was raining out and i felt like a new game, had read some good reviews..ended up playing for 6 hours straight, didn't notice till my roommate came home from work. I'm afraid to turn on the game again, lest i spent an entire day sticking gak balls together, or building the tallest tower i can.

October 24, 2008 5:17 AM

About Amber Ahlborn

Artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

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Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

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