Podcast Games

Aside from my Peggle lust I tend to prefer the big budget complex games that dominate the market on the Xbox 360, PC and PS3. It’s caused me to be called a gaming snob previously, but simple games others found joy in I got bored with; children’s games that others played and enjoyed baffled me. I couldn’t see what an adult would get from them aside from mild annoyance.

This extends to literature, where I don’t understand people who read children’s books (the Harry Potter craze passed me by at every point) and films where I find Pixar to be one of the banes of cinema today. The core underpinning for me is that I’m a student and want to spend my money on games that have a high chance of engagement and enjoyment, so simple kiddy titles have a high chance of disappointing me. However, the proliferation of renting sites and trade sites making their way to Europe at long last means I can finally take a chance on games I would never touch before, which is why lately Lego Star Wars 2 has been spinning in my Xbox 360.

It’s not a challenge, not particularly good value and doesn’t represent anything new in gaming. The cutscenes are pant-wettingly funny but aside from that the gaming revolves around simple puzzles and tapping the shoot button with little aiming, but just in its sheer simplicity I find a game that fits into my habits well. I’m a bit of a podcast junkie, problem is recently I’ve been out listening to music so when I have to sprint for the train I can pretend in my head I’m in a Bond fil… never mind. The point is my podcast queue is getting staggeringly high and I needed time to listen to them. Enter Lego Star Wars 2, which needs minimum thought and is perfect to kick back and play mindlessly whilst listening to the dulcet tones of Major Nelson.

Yes, it’s repetitive and clearly aimed at rabid fans or nursery kids, but it’s the only game that can fill this niche for me. Complex games distract too much and require too much attention whilst this just lets me play and have fun with one part of my head whilst the other part absorbs gaming chat. The mundane gameplay is broken up by the hilarious cutscenes, classic Star Wars scenes acted by Lego pieces and with absolutely zero dialogue, which is perfect for me hiding in my headphones! It’s a multitask enabler and has changed my outlook on my perfect gaming collection. I now need a stock of simple games to play and keep me going through my podcasts and thanks to my aforementioned gaming snobbery they also have to be the best that simple gaming has to offer. I guess I’ll look out for Lego Indiana Jones then…