When it comes to things Sony has down better than everyone else, my mind always goes back to PSN. Now I don't mean the free alternative to Xbox Live (dear God no), but rather the downloadable game section of the Playstation Network Store. The indie developers and small games that flock to the PS3 are great and, in my mind, one of the best things going on in the games business now.

Just recently, a game that's possibly the pinnacle of this indie scene released. thatgamecompany's title Flower only dropped with the promise of "not being a traditional game". The studio's previous game, the dubiously spelled flOw, was clearly had this experience over game goal, though it just barely fell short of that lofty goal. Flower, however, is an absolute home run. A calm, relaxing breath of fresh air that really can't be experienced in any other "game".

As much as I love Flower, I still would cite Everyday Shooter as the king of these excellent PSN art titles. A twin stick shooter (like we needed another one of those. or did we?) that really defies expectations, ES is surprising and utterly delightful every minute you have the controller in your hands. Then again, I'm an absolute sucker for games built around music and the manipulation of it... what's up Lumines/Rez? This game combines the best of those 2 masterpieces and Geometry wars (and actually manages to be harder than Geo Wars, which scares even me) for a totally weird, totally satisfying mashup.

And still you have all sorts of random, even crazier stuff pop up. Linger in Shadows (a weird, dark, interactive toy), The Last Guy (a combo of Shaun of the Dead and... Google Earth?) and last week's release of Noby Noby Boy (pure coked out Snake-inspired madness). Even if they don't always work like Noby Noby Boy (more on how much it doesn't work in my full review), the fact that they've got a home in PSN is something incredibly special and unique. Sony should absolutely be commended for that.

I don't know what you do to attract such odd, artistic talent, but keep it up Sony. At this point, it's the best thing about your console that doesn't include the words "Metal" or "Gear".

Written by :

Aaron

 

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