My Botanicula purchase from a couple weeks ago included a free copy of Windosill, a puzzle game from a studio called Vectorpark. I installed it and played a couple minutes just to try it out, but then moved on to playing Botanicula instead.

Tonight I went back and finished the rest and was seriously impressed. It only takes about 20-30 minutes to complete, but it's such a creative game! Windosill is a toybox style puzzle game, so rather than using clues to figure stuff out, you just play and experiment, and eventually find the solutions.

I think there were roughly 8-10 puzzle rooms total, but each one has a pretty unique theme. The game also features some of the coolest 3D effects I've ever seen in a flash game.

You're able to play the first half of the game online, but then to continue you have to buy it for $3 from the developer, or through Steam. I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a short and simple game that features an unusual amount of creativity.

Botanicula, the newest point-and-click adventure game from Amanita Design (makers of Machinarium) is out today!

It's available through a new Humble Bundle, so you can pay whatever you want, and some of the proceeds go to the World Land Trust. (Save the rainforest!) Previous Amanita releases Machinarium and Samorost 2 are also included, along with a feature length movie called Kooky, so there's no reason not to buy this right now! (Unless you're at work, like me, then you have to wait until you get home.)

Just in case you haven't played Machinarium yet, all you need to know is it's a unique, imaginative, and very challenging adventure game, and it features some of the best music (video game or otherwise) that I've ever heard.

[ Botanicula ]

Did you get into the Diablo III beta only to find yourself disappointed with the changes Blizzard is making? Then stop everything you're doing and try out Path of Exile during their public beta weekend. (Which is happening RIGHT NOW.)

I just put two and a half hours into a witch character, making it to level 10 and nearing the end of the first act. (I think the public beta allows you to play the first two acts and then it restarts on a higher difficulty.)

So far I'm really impressed. The game looks and feels VERY close to Diablo II, but with updated graphic effects, and plenty of neat gameplay tweaks. Playing this game actually gave me a very strong nostalgic feeling, it's that similar. (The control configuration is even familiar, to the degree where if you just pretend you're playing Diablo II you'll know what buttons to use.)

Here are a few of the unique gameplay elements that make Path of Exile different from other Diablo-style games:

There's no gold. Gear is exchanged for one use items or "pieces" of such items.

Leveling up earns you skill points that can be put into a giant grid like in Final Fantasy X.

Spells and skills are acquired by putting gems into equipment sockets.

There are single use items that allow you to take back a spent skill point.

You don't buy healing potions, but you equip vials that refill automatically.

Now get to playing so we can team up before the free weekend is over!

[ Path of Exile ]

You may have noticed that the header looks a little different today. Ever since I created that old two-way day & night setup (potentially five years ago) I've been meaning to make something more complex.

My original plan was to use a Flash animation, but it turned out to be a bit too difficult to learn. Last week I decided to try out this <canvas> tag that was standardized for HTML5, and it turned out to be just what I needed.

So now, after somewhere around ten hours worth of effort, we have a real-time header!

It's still very much in development so there could be bugs, it might make your browser a bit slow (even though it only refreshes once a second), and at times it may look a bit bland. I'll be tweaking and optimizing it in the next couple weeks, but if anyone sees anything really out of place please let me know. (And grab a screenshot if possible.)

Also if anyone has any suggestions definitely post em. My first changes are to have sunset and sunrise adjust for the winter months and maybe add some clouds, but I'd like to keep making improvements and turn this into something really cool.

Alright, so I finally had a chance to try out the brand new PS Vita at EBGames the other day, and since my impressions are uncharacteristically positive I have decided that I should post them here.

The first thing I noticed was how light and thin the thing is. You see it and all you register is how big the screen is, and how large the device looks, but then you pick it up and all of a sudden it feels a ton smaller.

The overall feel is comfortable, although I found the slick touch-sensitive back was a bit strange. The d-pad and face buttons are slightly clicky, but have a bit more give than those on a DSi or 3DS. The tiny analogs may look a little awkward, but they actually work great, just like console analogs! My only issue may have been a tiny bit of awkwardness pressing the L & R buttons, but I'm sure that's just cause it was my first time trying them.

Onto the display, which is... amazing! Not only is it very large, but it also has a very impressive viewable range. I had it tilted every which way and couldn't get the image to look strange at all. The only downer here is the device's user-interface, which I have to say is pretty unattractive. It gets the job done, but I feel like it was designed with iPhone users in mind.

The first game I tried was Gravity Rush. It's a third-person adventure kinda game. Moving the character with the tiny left analog actually worked very well, but the camera controls on the right analog felt way too sensitive. Maybe they can be adjusted though. Despite their small size, the analogs on the Vita feel very natural, unlike the circle pad on the 3DS which I find gives far too much resistance.

Next I tried Uncharted: Golden Abyss for roughly two minutes. The initial loading screen was a bit long (and only brought up the game title menu), but after that any load screens appeared to be hidden behind cut-scenes, so it really wasn't too bad. On this game I felt both the character and camera controls were pretty much perfect, and the graphics manage to be extremely close to what you see on the PS3, although the area I explored was quite small.

I've heard the max battery life on the Vita with Wi-Fi enabled is about five hours. It's not fantastic, but comparable to the 3DS, and maybe even only slightly lower than my regular DS.

After literally five minutes with a PS Vita I have to say it took a bit of willpower to resist buying one on the spot. They're really that impressive. My biggest concerns at the moment are price ($249.99 for the basic model, and you need a memory card, the biggest of which costs $99.99) and the fact that there aren't any really interesting games in the launch lineup.

If the Vita can get one or two unique titles, and maybe a $50 price drop or bundled memory card, then it'll more than likely win me over.

The LEGO CUUSOO Blog has some preview photos of the upcoming Mincraft Micro World LEGO set. (LEGO CUUSOO is a site that takes design submissions and tries to have them turned into official lego sets.)

The box appears to include pieces to make four separate components that combine to form a larger scene. It also includes figures for Steve (didn't realize that was his name!) and the Creeper.

It looks like it'd make a great workplace decoration, and there's no doubt LEGO will sell a ton of em so, if you're interested, it'd be a good idea to pre-order.

Minecraft Micro World LEGO will retail for $34.99 (not bad) and Mojang (the creator of Minecraft) is gonna donate 1% of the proceeds to charity.

[ Mincraft Micro World LEGO ]