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When Video Games Go Too Far

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Floater

By Shaun Hatton - July 17th, 2009

Floater

Ever wanted to poke a corpse down a river, but couldn’t figure out the logistics of doing such a thing? There’s a lot to take into consideration. For instance, where would you stand? Either side of the river bank would be problematic in case you poked the corpse over to the other side. You could go for two-player co-op, but then you’d have to count on a friend to also be willing to poke a floating dead dude around all afternoon.

Thinking of such things can really tax your brain. Luckily, Adult Swim is doing their part to ensure we never have to over-think it. Their Flash game, Floater, is a simulation of poking a corpse down a river. You get points for hitting obstacles along the way, and you have a time limit, too. The object of the game is to score points by crashing into things and by travelling as far as possible. Trust me, this is more fun than the real deal, and a whole lot less stinky.

Play it now »

Posted in Awesome, Awful, Flash Focus, When Video Games Go Too Far | No Comments »

When Video Games Go Too Far
Pass The Pigs

By Shaun Hatton - January 3rd, 2009

Pass The Pigs

During what little holiday shopping I did, I managed to come across an odd game in stores: Pass the Pigs for Nintendo DS. I wouldn’t have known what this game was about had my father-in-law not given me the “real” game as a joke present weeks ago. For those of you who sadly don’t know what Pass the Pigs is, it’s a dice game where players take turns tossing pig-shaped dice and scoring points depending on how these pigs land. Different landing combinations result in different point outcomes, and the first player to reach 100 points is declared the winner.

The game can be funny, if not fun. I mean, how could you not have a laugh at tossing a tiny pig across a table? But isn’t having an electronic version of this game missing the point? A party game that’s normally priced at around $10 has a $20 video game incarnation that can’t possibly be as fun, and that’s just plain wrong.

Or maybe I’m the one who’s wrong. I have never played the video game version of Pass the Pigs, nor do I want to. In fact, I barely see the appeal of the real-life dice game (sorry if you’re a fan of it). It’s funny for a little while but after a few rounds you just want someone to reach 100 points so you can go onto the next game. I suppose an electronic version can help if you’re poor at math, but that’s about it. This is just one of many cases of video games going too far.

Posted in Board Games, DS, When Video Games Go Too Far | 8 Comments »