DARKMATTERS - The Mind of Matt

You met me at a very strange time in my life...

Read my novel: Complete Darkness

Listen to the PODCAST I co-host: Hosts in the Shell

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Journey PS3 Review



Journey (PS3 Exclusive)

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Everything you know about videogames changes when you take this ‘JOURNEY’…

Step into the shoes of an un-named hooded figure and brave the windswept planes, this is an invitation to a living, breathing interactive artwork in which you control the events – and let the PS3 connect with your very soul.

From the heart of the an intense desert, where the sandy expanse hides a mystery of epic proportions and hot sun beats down on the tomblike buildings above which dance sparkling lights and fluttering red strips of cloth ride the wind as you venture through the ruins of an ancient civilization. What lies beyond the ominous mountains? More mountains? A watery underworld? A mechanical utopia? How about all of the above!?

"Journey-ing with a pal over PSN = gaming heaven!"

The world of Journey, the third game from hotshot indie developers thatgamecompany creators of the tranquil trippy "flOw" and the joy inducing "Flower". Journey builds on both those groundbreaking games and can best be described as an interactive parable…

An online adventure like no other, hard to put into words, this is a virtual experience akin to that of a person’s life passage and their interactions with other’s.

Awaking alone and surrounded by miles of burning, sprawling desert, you soon discover the looming mountaintop which is your goal. Faced with rolling sand dunes, age-old ruins, caves and howling winds, your passage will not be an easy one. The goal is to get to the mountaintop, but the experience is discovering who you are, what this place is, and what is your purpose. Travel and explore this ancient, mysterious world alone, or with a stranger you meet along the way. Soar above ruins and glide across sands as you discover the secrets of a forgotten civilization.

You carry no weapons – but can summon strange creatures and have the power of flight in limited bursts to rise above obstacles. You’re special equipment is just a Dr Who like scarf, imbued mystical runes – charging this up prolongs your flight time.

"weird and so very wonderful"

Journey isn’t a long game – you can make it through to the end in under 5 hours but it does have something that pretty much no other game has (at least to this level) – an undeniable spiritual dimension. Is Journey a portal to God? It is certainly the closest videogame has come to ‘prayer’ and that might be just what gamers need.

Journey is a rare ‘must experience’ game – if you don’t own a PS3 then you owe it to yourself to buy one just to experience this unique slice of awesomeness. Maybe I’ll see you online and we can help each other journey over the PlayStation Network, gaming like this can stand toe to toe with anything on any other media both in terms of satisfaction and credit.

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö

5 – Game changer in a spiritual way!?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I liked your review very much. I actually quoted the beginning of your last paragraph in my review about Journey. Nice reivew dude. Check out my review if you've got time