Why I miss being god

As stated in my last post, my household was down to one Xbox 360 temporarily (until the arrival of my beautiful baby) and therefore I found myself searching the web for downloadable PC games that would occupy me for more than five minutes. But what should I get? Did I want a puzzler, an adventure, an action game? Then it came to me – a few years ago everyone lived off god games with a new Tycoon or Settlers-esque type of game emerging constantly, so I found the Virtual Villagers trilogy.

Virtual Villagers is a completely non-violent god game in which settlers need your help as they set up a community and research on what appears to be an otherwise empty island. Although the original didn’t hold my interest for that long, the second game, with its increased options and many puzzles to solve, I found to be completely addictive. There are 16 puzzles to complete with each needing various technologies and skills in order to uncover them. With the ability to train your people in any one of five areas at a time a lot of organisation is required as your population grows. Once a villager masters three skills you get a lovely totem pole in order for future generations to remember them.

Then I moved on to the third part, which regardless of my new Xbox 360 being so so shiny in the corner I am still playing. The addition of weather in this game is just what the series needed. So I began to think, what happened to all the good god games? These days all we get is poor remakes (Populous DS) or “blah blah blah” tycoon 57. Where are the good new ideas? Most of the god games out there aren’t worth their salt and surely with all this fabulous new technology at our finger tips, there must be something new and exciting we can come up with! So come on developers – it’s time for a revival! It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed playing god and now I’ve had a reminder I want more! More power! Mwah ha ha ha! Ok, I’m going to retreat to play Peggle to dampen my dictator spirits now…


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7 responses to “Why I miss being god”

  1. Kate avatar
    Kate

    I’m guessing you had a go at Spore? I really enjoy playing God games too. Got a lot of enjoyment out of Civ. Rev. on the 360, but other than that and something like A-Train (at a push) there isn’t really any other games of that type on the 360. Bring back Bullfrog and Theme Park/Hospital!! Loved those games…

  2. Darach avatar
    Darach

    Civ. Rev. rocks. 🙂 But yeah, where’s our new Black & White?

    I suppose The Sims took a lot of the ideas and the audience for God games. They’re God games, just with a smaller population.

  3. Tiq avatar
    Tiq

    I liked the ones that let you be an angry god.

    I can’t remember anything more satisfying than taking away a sims toilet and watching them cry themselves to sleep after continually wetting themselves, or filling a house with wooden furniture then watching it burst into flames.

    Or the fantastic feeling you got in black and white after you flung a firey ball of death at an enemy village and watched the villagers scream and flee in horror.

    Mwahahahaha– ~Ahem~

    …As you where. >.>

  4. Dave G avatar
    Dave G

    Ah, totally agree with you on this, there is something hugely satisfying about a GOOD God game, although I confess I do enjoy the ones where you get to be cruel occasionally. I’d usually play very carefully and “nicely”, then save my position and go on a rampage…before switching off without saving – LOL.

    On a separate note, loving the Far Side cartoon but amazed you found one! Gary Larson is protective of his works in a very polite way 🙂

    http://www.portmann.com/farside/

  5. Jake avatar

    Zoey… play Kingdom for Keflings then you can be a proper hands on God. And they’re sooo cute with their waving and their little job hats. So very, very cute. Don’t kick them though, it’s mean.

  6. Lorna avatar
    Lorna

    I’d second that Kate, Bullfrog produced soem great stuff…Theme Hospital would be a perfect title for the DS.

    You can pick Pharaoh up for a few quid Zeoy from the budget games section in Game usually and it’s fun, hippos eat your villagers, and very pretty and colourful looking.

  7. Zoey avatar
    Zoey

    unfortunately I have already played pharoah and all the bullfrog stuff to death. I was hooked on Pharoah for ages!

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