Day 198, Game 198 - World of Goo

Some games just stick with you for a long, long time. World of Goo is one of those experiences. And yes, every single pun intended. 

When World of Goo first came out, it was an exclusive title to the just emerging on the scene Virtual Console on the Nintendo Wii. Back then - and let's all be real here - Nintendo wasn't exactly the model example for online gaming. Sure, they have dabbled on the internet for what seems like forever, but they never fully embraced the internet as a viable resource for gaming. This mentality of course led to them loose a large portion of their core audience and fan base, but managed to survive thanks in part to the casual gaming audience they picked up with the Wii. 

So when they started offering games to download online, it was one giant step for a company that should have had no problem transitioning over to an internet world of games. World of Goo, while maybe wasn't the first downloadable indie title, it was the first one to make a major impact on the little console that could. I recall downloading it on a whim when it was released (shocker, right?), and playing it. And not only did I play it, I played it a lot. I played that game until the cows came home, as they say. I absolutely adored it ... every single bit of it. 

The thing I liked the most, aside from the outstanding visuals, amazing gameplay and beautiful world, was something that may come as a bit of a shocker. I loved the motion controls, using the Wiimote and the entirely simple yet perfectly constructed control scheme. 

So when I saw this game pop up on the Steam Summer Sale, I simply had to have it once again. I do have it on my iPad, and it's serviceable on that for sure, but something still compelled me to pick it up for the PC. Probably had something to do with the price being a couple of bucks, but still. Also, a piece of me really wanted to try it out with the mouse as my controller. For some reason this game seemed perfect to control with a mouse, utilizing the precision that only a mouse can offer.

Man, I sound like such a PC gamer nerd right now. It's kind of scary, actually.

ANYWAY, so I finally gave this game a shot. First off, it is as fun as I remember. But I gotta tell you, using the mouse was a phenomenal experience. I was able to click and drag blobs of goo here and there, more accurately then I could have dreamed of doing with the Wiimote, and even more intuitively than my chubby fingers could manage on my iPad. While the difficulty was still there throughout the game - which I love by the way - I never once felt like the game was made more difficult by the way I was playing it. The game is just tricky, but without being tricky and frustrating at the same time. 

Like I said before, this game has stuck with me through the years, and it will always be one I will cherish, if only for setting the bar so ridiculously high for how good downloadable games should be. 

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