And the games' puzzles are more than rewarding.
All five episodes of "Tales of Monkey Island" are rife with quirky narrative, characters, and places. You may be sensing a pattern, but I assure you it stops here with Telltale Games faithful continuation of the LucasArts "Monkey Island" series.
'Tales of Monkey Island' Series ($29.99 bundled) Consider it the mechanical antithesis of "Loom," but a shining example of the entertainment a traditional Lucas pick-the-verb game can provide. It's as complex and challenging as it is witty and charming. The second entry in a LucasFilm Games adventure series starring Indiana Jones, "Fate of Atlantis" is a wonderful romp. 'Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis' ($4.99) Some call this odd and frustrating, but I think it's glorious and different.
Instead of picking at a list of verbs, you'll play music to activate the uses of objects. What makes "Loom" special is its dismissal of traditional "verb" mechanics and its focus on tone (in more than one respect, interestingly). "Loom" is an old LucasFilm Games' (now LucasArts) adventure title that merges adventure mechanics with exploration and discovery. Yet, "And Yet it Moves" is more than its visuals, as it offers a deep, unique, and non-linear puzzle-platforming experience courtesy of its physics-bending "tilt" mechanic. The game's art style draws inspiration from ripped and crumpled paper. "And Yet it Moves" might have a protagonist ripped straight out of that one A-Ha music video, but that's sort of the point. I did all the hard work and plucked out ten games that you simply must have among the impressive list of launch titles. Valve put on a big show Wednesday afternoon with the launch of its Steam platform for the Macintosh, revealing a staggering 63 games that Mac owners could buy on the first day of its release. Simple fact was that publishers didn't have a powerhouse digital delivery pipeline. His sleek and beautiful Apple iMac could do a lot of things quickly but none of that power amounted to a hill of beans when it came to games.
Once upon a time a dude with a PC rig laughed at a Cupertino enthusiast.