Most of the time I find myself working on a lot of the games we’re working on at the studio or playing games for research. When I get to play games for fun it’s a real treat and I enjoy every second of it. So here’s a brief overview of what I’m playing in January and some quick thoughts on each title.

Battlefield 2 Bad Company

After being persuaded by several co-workers at the studio I’ve taken the plunge and started playing Battlefield 2 Bad Company. So far I can say that I’m really enjoying it. Destructable environments bring a lot to gameplay and allow you as a player to be an “on the fly” level designer to gain tactical advantage.

Minecraft

Minecraft is yet another game I was persuaded into by a buddy of mine Eric and I must say it’s been quite the rabbit hole. The beautiful simple complexity behind this game is astonishing. It has also made me take a look at different areas of game design that I really would like to explore and that I think could have a much deeper impact on a player.

Formula 1 2010

Anyone who knows me knows that I love racing. Specifically, I love Formula 1 racing. After receiving this as a Christmas gift from my wonderful girlfriend I can’t seem to put it down. While playing it my girlfriend asked me, “So all you do is practice?” I quickly responded, “No no no! It’s so much more. You see, I put in all these laps to see how well the car is doing and then make small changes and then do it all over again and then do it some more until I’m happy with it and then I qualify, and then I race.” Her response was a quiet , “Oh.” In other words, it’s a Formula 1 fan’s dream and to everyone else it’s you driving on a track for a really long time before you actually get to race. I love it.

Steambirds

A game about aerial warfare strategy on the iPhone. It’s smart, it’s frustrating, it’s challenging, and I like it. Apart from having some issues performing actions for planes that are close together it is quite flawless. Bite sized interaction puzzle pieces of strategy that string together to achieve a single goal. Defeat your enemy.