Humble Indie Bundle 3

If you haven't heard, there's once again a Humble Indie Bundle sale going on, for another five days. I think it's a wonderful idea for a fundraiser, and for the first time I threw my $.02 in (and then some). I haven't played all of the games yet, but here's a rundown of the ones I have tried:

Cogs: as a puzzle game, once you see some images/videos, you know what to expect. I like it, although I'm not too good at it yet.

VVVVVV: this was a pleasant surprise for me. The graphics are C64-style, including the loading screen ( X-D ), and the gameplay mechanics are almost Atari-simple. That said, there's a dorky certain charm about it. I can't help but notice that when you die, your character's expression goes from a big grin to a frown. The hook for me is that you're exploring and mapping out a rather large world, like in a Metroid or Castlevania game. There may not be any Steam 'cheevos, but I want to at least fill in the entire map. :-}

And Yet It Moves: I love this one. After a few minutes you start getting into a rhythm, and the experience changes from fighting to get used to the controls into enjoying the visually surreal environments. I'm rather excited to try for the 'cheevo that involves passing a level by just rotating it, without directly moving the character.

Since I paid a little more than the average donation, I also received the games from HIB 2. That was a really nice surprise, since I let time slip away and missed out on them originally...

Braid: Originally I had played this on the 360, but I'm wagering that there aren't any significant differences. The game is beautiful to look at, haunting to listen to, has some of the most original gameplay I've experienced in years, and has a surprisingly powerful finale. That said, if you want to know what the game is really about (Spoiler Alert!): It's the atomic bomb. Although the game is a masterpiece, the creator always struck me as pretentious.

Next I want to try out Machinarium, Cortex Command, and Revenge of the Titans, and eventually I'll get to them all. I was a little saddened that Cortex Command isn't currently available on Steam, as all the rest are, but I just need to clear out some hard drive space and fire up the installer. If you're still on the fence, go check out http://www.humblebundle.com/ and see how much money has been raised for Child's Play, the EFF, and the developers. It's pay-what-you-want, so even $1 will help and you'll get some neat games.