Living the High Life

Video Game Diary:

This is I.Q., also known as Intelligent Qube for the Sony Playstation. Arriving on our shelves September 30, 1997, it was another unique Japanese title ported to America thanks to the success of Parrappa the Rapper, the first widely revered title with the distinctly Japanese quirkiness now accepted in our game culture (current examples: Katamari Damacy, Loco Roco and the upcoming Furu Furu Park for Wii) I.Q. is an action puzzle game. The play requires the user to control a man on a playfield called a stage. The object is to avoid falling off the edge by "capturing" cubes that roll toward you. It is a simple puzzle concept that quickly becomes challenging, addictive and fun. Its "quirkiness" comes from the presentation and graphics, very different. As a bonus, the music is orchestral and epic.


For the full story on how I attained I.Q., scroll down to the Hunt and the Haggle 11.05.06.

Next we played Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, the first in the ongoing Kain series. This first entry has an overhead perspective, different from its 3rd person sequels -appealing to my classic sensibilities. The adventure is comparable to The Legend of Zelda (NES) or perhaps Diablo (PC) and tells the story of a vampire out for revenge swimming in charming melodrama. After that I finally showed the pals Disaster Report for PS2. You can read more about that game in previous posts as well.

To my surprise, Evan, Tillman and Matt hadn't heard of Dragon's Lair! This was the first animated Laser Disc game so it was a precursor to CD based games (particularly "full-motion video games"). The game is comprised entirely of cartoon video and requires the player to choose either the sword button or one of four directions at key moments to avoid a death sequence. The gameplay is simple but the game was a huge hit due to the amazing animation created by Don Bluth. To appreciate this gem one must put themselves in the shoes of an arcade goer seeing this game for the first time back in '83 when games like Elevator Action and Major Havoc represented the newest technology.The version we played was a DVD game made by Digital Leisure anyone can find this version for around $10. The arcade original came out in 1983 and fetches upward of $1600.

- Blake Leftwich, gamebot