Angled Whiteboards

Back from a very fun GDC. Got a chance to meet American McGee and play an episode of the upcoming Grimm. Man. I’m officially excited about this game. Appealing on a lotta different levels, but I can especially see it scratching my OCD itch. I really didn’t want to stop playing.

But more on that as July approaches. The main thing for today is the Monday Leaderboard Tournament. I know we’ve talked about it on AW before, but I had to get it out there again since today’s game is only one of the most perfect arcade games ever: Robotron 2084. If you’ve never played Robotron, you MUST give it a shot. Don’t be scared (In the 2nd grade when this thing came out, I wouldn’t touch it. Two joysticks? Freaky sound effects? What a wussy kid I was, apparently.). It’s worth your time. Plus — as of 10am EST — MarioFanaticXV is sitting on top. And he needs some competition.

Our first ongoing GameTap event, the Monday Leaderboard Tournament, has been steadily gaining momentum. More and more folks are attempting to claw their way to the top ten each week. So what better time to introduce yet another way to gain fame and win fabulous prizes? Exercise your hand-eye skills all day Monday and then come back the next day for a more brain-intensive workout…

Introducing Tuesday Trivia. This week featuring questions about Sam and Max, Mega Man, Pychonauts, and more. Can eight-time Leaderboard Tournament winner overthefalls translate his success into THIS arena?

Just another one of those co-op games.

Vectorized versions of original game screenshots. I want the Marble Madness one as a poster please.

[via the gf.]

What makes you try any given game? For me to give Peggle a shot, it took two reviews. This negative-ish one by peterb, and this positive-ish one by GameTap’s own GamingRed.

Needless to say, I’m fairly hooked. And it really is a classic, addiction-level hook in that if I leave my computer (with Peggle still open but hidden behind a sea of windows) and then come back to it later, I feel slightly sick that the game is still sitting there. So I go to close it, figure I’ll give one more level a shot, and emerge a few hours later.

I can relate to peterb’s criticism that the game gives you little actual control — but I would argue that it’s the Vegas-perfected business of giving the illusion of control that makes this game so successful. That and the hilariously glorious level-ending slo-mo explosions of rainbows and candy. It’s like you hit the jackpot every time!

I don’t know how I didn’t catch the similarities back in January.