Games like Killzone 2, Gears of War, Halo, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, etc. are often touted as “games that sell consoles”. They are supposedly so amazing, both graphically as well as gameplay wise, that they’re supposed to convince people to buy one console or the other just to play these exclusive titles. The production values for such triple-A titles are even comparable with that of big-budget films, with voice-actors having to rehearse their lines multiple times, designers and animators making everything look as realistic as possible, programmers making turning all that into action-packed gameplay. Not to mention plenty of these titles easily have budgets that hit 8 digits (Killzone 2 had a budget of over US$40 million).
Yet the game that really makes me want to buy a PS3 is a little downloadable game on the Playstation Network called Fat Princess.
So simple, yet so fun
Released just 2 weeks ago, the game has been receiving rave reviews all around, being praised for its unique cartoon-ish style, team-based gameplay, and most importantly simply being a game that’s really really fun to play. For those who don’t know, Fat Princess gives you kind of a top-down/isometric view of the battlefield, with online multiplayer that supports up to 32 players. You can switch to any of the 5 classes on the fly by simply choosing what hat to wear at your base. The goal of the game is kind of like a traditional CTF match, except in this case the “flag” you’ve got to bring back is really (as the name implies) a fat princess. The catch is that by feeding your own princess more cake, she gets fatter and thus your opponents move slower when carrying her, making it harder for them to capture her.
Why DotA is so damn popular
I’ve had my eyes on this game since it was first revealed at E3 2008, it instantly caught my attention thanks to its simple gameplay, yet extremely charming style. The thing that really won me over? Team-based gameplay. As any gamer who has played CTF matches in any FPS game will tell you, impeccable teamwork is of utmost importance if you want to succeed. Furthermore, the simple top-down view really nails it for me, because there’s just nothing more satisfying than watching your teammates running along right beside you as you all work towards the same goal. Thinking about it, this is probably what makes DotA so popular here in Asia:
- Simple objectives
- Team-based play with an eagle’s eye view of the battlefield
It’s the same case with Fat Princess. It’s just so satisfying to successfully complete a mission with your friends.
Why oh why aren’t there more games like that…
It’s a real pity more developers don’t make games like that. The only other game I can think of which has similar components is another small, overlooked game called “Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia”. It was simply a co-op game for up to 4 people where each character had a gun or two and you ran around shooting monsters up (with a top-down perspective of course). It just seemed so much fun to me, but unfortunately the PC port of the game was so bad that it rendered the game unplayable for me, which was a real pity.
If only…
If only more developers would create games with simple objectives, team-based gameplay, and a top-down view of the battlefield.
Or if only I had enough cash to buy a PS3…
