Beasteh

Journey really is lovely, isn't it? For a short game, it was suprisingly memorable. On the other end of the scale, I've just about finished with Fallout 3 (finally) after completing the main quest. There's plenty left on the map, but it's more of the same as far as I can tell. Wish there was more of a focus on quality rather than quantity. I may be in the minority, but I found that the size of the world didn't really add much to the experience - too many locations felt like spots to collect loot, and not like real lived-in places with a history. I thought the D.C. setting might help, and it does a little, but there's just not enough to keep me exploring. Still, feels good to get that out of the backlog - next please...

A discussion on hacking games, but no mention of Uplink? Listen to those 90's phone dialling sounds - magic: Although (as you can tell from the video) the game was more Hollywood style hacking, there was a command prompt to use when not watching progress bars. It even had an IRC client built in which was incredible at the time.

Sounds frustrating. Did you find that playing with other people helped you soldier on to the end?

How about Hitman Go for a leftfield suggestion? It scratches the same itch as Hexcells for me. It doesn't go for out-and-out minimalism, but the aesthetic is still clean and bright, while the music is just as smooth and relaxed. Puzzles focus less on deducing the next move (although this is still important) and adds an element of forward planning. Fun puzzler, and the PC port is decent if you're wanting to play on the big screen. Maybe worth a look?

Enjoyed this episode - it's fun to see reader mail used as a springboard to longer discussions. On empathy - It's not a religious game at all, but I think Undertale uses empathy effectively to push its philosophy of non-violence. Each of the main boss characters is introduced to you early on in their respective levels, and they're given enough screen time for you to get a feel for their motives and their personality. By bonding with the characters, you get more satisfaction from taking the non-violent path, while use of violence is more unpleasant. Spoiler for the first chapter below: Empathy's a part of the mechanics, too - the monsters are placated in different ways, so you have to understand them if you don't want to fight. It's pretty simplistic, but it manages to be effective in spite of that.

Hey, been listening to the podcast for a while. Always like to hear insights about the latest releases, even if I don't end up playing them. Thought I'd join the forum and get involved. Pleased to see there's a UK contingent of Thumbs fans too! Also posting to say I am not a robot. *Distant sound of bees*