|
by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/13/2009, 3:33am PDT |
|
 |
|
 |
|
For some reason, the sound of saying "2009" felt more like "the future" to me than 2008, or 2007 ever did. I guess a part of me just expected that we'd abandon the whole 2xxx way of counting years, and we'd really know it was the future when we suddenly changed things to be 25,000 AD or whenever homonoid man killed the last mastodon or do something to make it less Christy. But no, there is no going back now. We are living in the future, and no game demonstrated that, to me, like this one did.
Crayon Physics was released on January 9th, 2009, and for the first time since I was a child, I had no idea how any of this was happening. While growing up, I devoured every piece of information I could find on how video games worked, because our PCjr had such shitty ones. I read about sprites, player and missile graphics, page flipping, cycle counting, scrolling, things along those lines. I had no idea how text games understood English, so I did some research and figured that out. I became fascinated with vector graphics, so I bought a Vectrex and learned how to program it. With each step, I was happy to have my curiosity sated, but it inevitably makes the games lose a tiny, microscopic bit of magic in the process.
So Crayon Physics made me feel like a little kid again. How does any of this work??! I couldn't begin to implement this thing, even in pseudocode. I spent a good portion of my youth making little comics and such with colored pencils (crayons were for babies, I remember thinking) and this game does a fantastic job of taking you back. It made me feel wonder and amazement again. It really does get everything right: the folded paper for the background (can you see what appears to be writing in the lower-right quadrant up above? Like it was mom's grocery store list or more likely liquor store list), the rough way the crayon would impact the paper... the music is very appropriate as well. Anyway, yeah, we must truly be living in "the future." You can draw shit in video games and have it come to life. What a way to begin two-thousand and fucking nine.
the dark and gritty...Ice Cream Jonsey! |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
My ten favorite indie games, not counting text games NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 10/09/2008, 6:47pm PDT 
#10 - ABUSE (1996) by CRACK DOT COM by Ice Cream Jonsey 10/09/2008, 7:02pm PDT
Just in case you missed it, check my list for "FrAbS" NT by Mischief Maker 10/09/2008, 7:23pm PDT
I read it, then forgot, then found it again just now. by Ice Cream Jonsey 10/10/2008, 3:57pm PDT
Available for the iPhone now by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/30/2009, 10:52pm PDT
Will you also include an "overrated" list including all my favorites? NT by pinback 10/09/2008, 7:14pm PDT
#9 - CHOPPER COMMANDO (1988) by MARK CURRIE by Ice Cream Jonsey 10/11/2008, 2:25am PDT
On hold until I can write a review of Space Giraffe NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 10/28/2008, 4:33pm PDT
I think I'm going to beat Space Giraffe again instead of starting Fallout 3. by Jerry Whorebach 10/28/2008, 9:27pm PDT
Re: I think I'm going to beat Space Giraffe again instead of starting Fallout 3. by Ice Cream Jonsey 11/24/2008, 1:17pm PST
That'd be tough, my PC's seen some pretty groundbreaking porn this year. by Jerry Whorebach 11/24/2008, 2:59pm PST
I understand by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/30/2009, 10:59pm PDT
So what you are saying is Space Giraffe Isn't Tempest? NT by Jerry Whorebach 03/30/2009, 11:09pm PDT
let's get this going again, ICJ NT by mark 05/13/2009, 6:20am PDT
#8 - CRAYON PHYSICS (2009) by PETRI PURHO by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/13/2009, 3:33am PDT
Agreed 100% Classic game. NT by M Squared 08/13/2009, 9:24am PDT
I, too, enjoy this game NT by The Breadman 08/13/2009, 11:24am PDT
omg thank you NT by up with pod people 08/13/2009, 11:54am PDT
joh played that game on his TABLET NT by Weyoun Voidbringer 08/13/2009, 12:29pm PDT
You might like Scribblenauts (but it's for the DS) by Fussbett 08/13/2009, 2:09pm PDT
Holy shit. Holy shit! NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/14/2009, 12:16am PDT
#7 - COMMANDER KEEN in GOODBYE GALAXY! (1991) by id SOFTWARE by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/20/2009, 11:11pm PDT
considering about 10,000 people played wolfenstien on release that's amazing by Weyoun Voidbringer 08/21/2009, 2:22am PDT
Re: considering about 10,000 people played wolfenstien on release that's amazing by Ice Cream Jonsey 08/21/2009, 3:35am PDT
you couldn't aim up or down in doom, you also couldn't jump by Weyoun Voidbringer 08/21/2009, 5:59am PDT
*I* can think of a Doom game that allowed aiming and jumping NT by Devil Dinosaur 08/23/2009, 1:03am PDT
So I guess you're a big Quake fan? NT by Erradicating 2.5D forever 08/23/2009, 2:25am PDT
I guess you are a big anal sex fan by Weyoun Voidbringer 08/23/2009, 3:15am PDT
|
|
