Friday, March 30, 2012

Journey

If you have a PS3, you should also own Journey. Log on to PSN, buy it, put on some headphones and devote 1 ½ hours of your life to this game. Or I should say, to this experience, since to me, that is what Journey is.

Now, I don't want to hear anything about how $15 is too much to spend for a 1½ hour game. Remember, this is not a game. This is an experience. If you have ever spent $15 on a dvd, an IMAX movie, or a CD, or anything that ever left you feeling emotionally stimulated, then the $15 cost of Journey is money well spent.

Everyone's experience with Journey will be unique to them. A large portion of the experience is dependent on the extremely innovative multiplayer and the "travelers" you meet along the way. For my first playthrough, everything came together magically to create a gaming experience unlike any other I have had. I experienced a huge range of emotion in my 1½ hour session, from awe, to happiness and joy, to sadness and loneliness, to fear and companionship, all manifesting naturally through my interactions with a total stranger who you cannot communicate with outside a few "chirps" and audio calls. Even without being able to speak to them directly or knowing anything about them (name, gender, gametag) I found myself creating a real bond with them and caring for them far more than any other co-op experience I have had.

I'm going to keep this short, because I've started writing about Journey in my head many times and it always results in a 20 page post full of hyperbole and pretentiousness. I'll save you that ordeal.

Journey. 2012 Game of the Year. Go buy it.

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