A few weeks ago I came across this game called World of Goo. I’d heard about it previously but never investigated, but during a particularly boring night when I didn’t want to play CoD4, I found myself on Steam getting WoG’s demo.
I played through it in due time and was intrigued by what I saw. In addition to its neat gameplay mechanics, the level of polish is intense, and polish is something I’ve come to respect greatly. After trying to play games like Oblivion and UT3, a little polish means a lot to me now. So, I headed to the game’s website and noticed it was only a $20. That felt like a good deal on its own, but then I saw that the game was free of copy protection and DRM. I was sold and immediately Paypal’d it up.
I’m staunchly against DRM. It’s a total asshole move on the part of developers and publishers. Punishing paying customers is quite likely the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. DRM and copy protection end up being completely pointless too, as the technically savvy have the stuff cracked within days of a game’s release. My issue, then, is that if these annoying things aren’t in place to prevent piracy (since they’re incapable of doing so), why are they around at all? It is a mystery.
Thus, the absence of DRM and the presence of polish made WoG an easy buy. The game itself isn’t too shabby either. I’ve seen angry blog posts and Reddit comments about it being lame, too easy, too short, too repetitive, etc., but I disagree wholeheartedly. The basic idea is mostly the same throughout the entire game, but new mechanics and subtle ways to solve puzzles are introduced constantly throughout the game’s five sections. There’s a story of some sort, and while it doesn’t make too much sense on its own, it has a very satirical nature to it, so I’m enjoying it. I like things that don’t take themselves too seriously.
Yes, I said enjoying it. I still haven’t beaten it after several night of casual play, so I honestly don’t see how people claim it’s too short. I mean, it’s a puzzle game that’s $20; what exactly were you expecting? Besides, the game’s longer than some of the single-player dross that’s come out in recent years, and with bonuses for beating the levels quickly or within a certain number of moves, it’s probably got more replay value than them too. All it needs now is an official level editor so people can share their own creations.
So, yes, I think WoG is great for what it is. It’s the best physics-based game that I can recall playing (not that I’ve gone looking for them), and that’s saying something. It takes quite a bit of awesome to outdo QWOP!
The World of Goo satisfies.
A few weeks ago I came across this game called World of Goo. I’d heard about it previously but never investigated, but during a particularly boring night when I didn’t want to play CoD4, I found myself on Steam getting WoG’s demo.
I played through it in due time and was intrigued by what I saw. In addition to its neat gameplay mechanics, the level of polish is intense, and polish is something I’ve come to respect greatly. After trying to play games like Oblivion and UT3, a little polish means a lot to me now. So, I headed to the game’s website and noticed it was only a $20. That felt like a good deal on its own, but then I saw that the game was free of copy protection and DRM. I was sold and immediately Paypal’d it up.
I’m staunchly against DRM. It’s a total asshole move on the part of developers and publishers. Punishing paying customers is quite likely the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. DRM and copy protection end up being completely pointless too, as the technically savvy have the stuff cracked within days of a game’s release. My issue, then, is that if these annoying things aren’t in place to prevent piracy (since they’re incapable of doing so), why are they around at all? It is a mystery.
Thus, the absence of DRM and the presence of polish made WoG an easy buy. The game itself isn’t too shabby either. I’ve seen angry blog posts and Reddit comments about it being lame, too easy, too short, too repetitive, etc., but I disagree wholeheartedly. The basic idea is mostly the same throughout the entire game, but new mechanics and subtle ways to solve puzzles are introduced constantly throughout the game’s five sections. There’s a story of some sort, and while it doesn’t make too much sense on its own, it has a very satirical nature to it, so I’m enjoying it. I like things that don’t take themselves too seriously.
Yes, I said enjoying it. I still haven’t beaten it after several night of casual play, so I honestly don’t see how people claim it’s too short. I mean, it’s a puzzle game that’s $20; what exactly were you expecting? Besides, the game’s longer than some of the single-player dross that’s come out in recent years, and with bonuses for beating the levels quickly or within a certain number of moves, it’s probably got more replay value than them too. All it needs now is an official level editor so people can share their own creations.
So, yes, I think WoG is great for what it is. It’s the best physics-based game that I can recall playing (not that I’ve gone looking for them), and that’s saying something. It takes quite a bit of awesome to outdo QWOP!