Limbo

Our present to ourselves this year was a new Xbox 360 - something we have been waiting to get for a long time! It was well past time to retire the old xbox, and we are both videogame junkies given the opportunity - after all, we both grew up with Atari 2600 joysticks in our hands.

The new Xbox has some interesting twists though - the whole 'Xbox Live' thing is a new way of thinking about videogames. Being hooked up to the internet all the time, just like the other computers, makes for some interesting abilities old consoles didn't have. We can watch streaming video over Netflix, or play games against other people far away. Those parts only work so-so, because our rural internet connection is not quite up to spec for intense gaming and streaming, but it works well enough. I decided to jump right in and check out some game demos, and found one I fell in love with immediately and had to download. Limbo.

The game is entirely in black and white. It's not like any platform game I've ever played. It can be described as run, jump, push, pull, with occasional climbing and button pushing. Doesn't sound very exciting, but the puzzles are incredible - real mind benders. None of the puzzles are the Mario type, where you have to memorize complex maneuvers and practice running the same thing over and over again until you get all your timing right - it's not nearly as tedious as that! Things happen slower, and most of the time you have time to think before something kills you. Your little runner dies - a lot - and comes back ready for more. It's just great fun. I was challenged by every puzzle, and delighted when I got through them. 

I can't get over what an incredible little game this is. It only cost $15 and I got more entertainment value out of it than some games I've paid much more for, and that's pretty unusual.

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