Much as many cable TV series shine in the summertime without all that big-budget network competition, downloadable console games also excel in these dog days. Since we’ve already driven around GTA4’s Liberty City and skulked about Metal Gear Solid 4’s battlefields, it's time to try some smaller-scale games.
Echochrome (Sony, PS2/PSP)
Sony’s austere B&W puzzler is a marvel of modern computer design and old-fashioned mind-fuckery—it’s essentially a digital update of M.C. Escher’s illusory paintings. Echochrome is replete with mind-melting levels that are navigable by rotating between two and three dimensions. Change your perspective and suddenly an impossible puzzle presents an impeccably simple solution. A built-in editor also allows you to construct your own spatially complex levels, which can be uploaded and the best-of-the-best will be shared with the class for a limited-time. Alas, there’s no central clearinghouse for all user-generated content (presumably for fear of phallus-shaped levels).
PixelJunk Monsters Encore (Q-Games, PS3)
Originally released in January, but recently updated with an “encore” expansion pack including 15 new levels, this real-time strategy game brings the “tower defense” genre (popular in online Flash form) to consoles. The basic premise is you must erect towers (with cannons, crossbows, ice, lasers, etc.) to protect your village from invading monster hordes. With its mix of adorable design and challenging gameplay that requires you to think in both short- and long-term—after the first few easy-to-grasp levels there’s a steep learning curve—this innovative, unique and ultra-cute title is a triumph.
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Beta (Capcom, Xbox 360)
If retro is more your speed, than consider enrolling in Capcom’s Streetfighter II multiplayer beta test. Sure, it’s not the long-awaited Street Fighter IV. But updating this beloved arcade classic from 1994 with spiffed graphics (1080P widescreen) and online play folks should satisfy franchise fans. The test only allows you to play as Ryu or Ken and there is no single-player or practice area, so prepared to get schooled until you remember the old combos. But the tried-and-true gameplay remains as addictive as ever, especially since you won’t be whittling away your life-savings one quarter at a time.
Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 (Capcom, Xbox360/PS3)
But the only way to play the Street Fighter beta is by first buying Wolf—and only on Xbox Live Arcade as the Playstation version doesn’t include the beta. Wolf is also a throwback—a top-down arcade shooter arriving 18 years after the series’ first sequel—but lacks Street Fighter’s still-strong nostalgia factor and therefore must succeed on its own merits. While it’s fun for fans of this old-school genre, with only a few lives and no continues it can also become infuriating. Luckily, up to three people can play together to mow down the myriad enemies.
LostWinds (Frontier Developments, Wii)
Nintendo recently launched WiiWare, a channel featuring original downloadable games. The best of the bunch thus far is the fantasy platformer LostWinds, a brightly-coloured, highly imaginative game that makes wonderful use of the Wii’s motion-sensitivity by having you control the character by controlling the wind. A quick wave of your arm will send the little dude across a chasm, up a ledge or past a puzzle. A sequel has already been announced (good plan since the biggest criticism has been of the short length) and this success bodes well for the future of the service. While Nintendo's been plagued by “third-party “shovelware,” WiiWare will hopefully allow small, indie studios make a splash with unconventional gameplay.
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo, Wii)
For those who prefer classics, you can’t do better than Ocarina a 1998 landmark which remains the best-reviewed game of all time—yes, Link still beats GTA4, albeit just barely. The award-winning fifth entry in Zelda’s long-running series (albeit a prequel story) was the game that, alongside Mario 64, moved Nintendo into the third dimension that it now rules. Sure, after a decade of 3D gaming, Ocarina won’t blow your mind they way it once would have—OMG! I'm walking into the screen!—but you'll no doubt remain deeply impressed by this highly-influential game’s near-perfect execution.