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Jun 22, 2009 Issue #26 Spring 2009 - Bat For Lashes By Nick Hyman

What do most games have in common? I’d say about 90% of games feature violence or shooting and about 99% include bad dialogue. If you’d like something quite different, Flower will spread a little peace and love through your PS3. Downloadable through the PlayStation Network for 10 bucks, the game centers on the collection and spreading of flowers through a desolate landscape. This may sound boring, but Flower is actually a gentle tonic that plays kind of like a racing title (think Wipeout) in which you are constantly moving forward; you accelerate (in this case, by wind pushing flower petals) and bank up walls and run over highlighted flowers. Instead of using the typical controls, the game utilizes the much-maligned Sixaxis control function, which lets you move by turning the entire controller instead using your thumb on the analog sticks. It’s a little funky at first, but after a couple of minutes, the technique becomes second nature.

The game is beautifully designed, and at seven levels, it is not overlong-in fact, the length feels just right. Flower has a message, but it’s not one you’ll read or hear since the game wisely does not include dialogue. Its makers are smart enough to not spell out what they’re going after thematically; instead, the game allows individual players come to their own conclusions. Flower is hopefully a sign of things to come, both for downloadable content and for gaming in general. Gamers could use some variety, and if other developers stretch themselves like That Game Company has here, then the gaming landscape will continue to bloom. (www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Games/Flower)

Author rating: 9/10