Review: Flower (PSN) !

[BizioEE]

[size=+1]Rainbird - "The game really is a poem presented as a game, it\'s hard to explain, but if you know a poem that really takes you away from the real world, it moves you, in a way most poems don\'t. That\'s what Flower is to the game industry." [/size]

In Flower you control a gust of wind as you move from flower to flower, collecting petals and unlocking areas until you make it to the end goal of the level. This is all done using the Sixaxis to control direction in three dimensions while hitting any button to accelerate. The Sixaxis controls are very well done and I never had issue with them, though this could be due to the mostly relaxed nature of the game and not because the controls are particularly tight as far as Sixaxis use goes. As you pass over and activate flowers you’ll gain a single petal from each one that will be added to your gust of wind. This lends an aesthetic quality to finding every flower possible even if you they aren\'t necessary for progression, and as you add petals your wind gust will get longer and you’ll be able to travel faster.

The biggest difference between Flower and thatgamecompany’s last endeavor is the use of an unspoken narrative that ties the entire experience together. From the starting screen you choose between flowers on a windowsill, each one representing a level comprised of the flower’s dream. Advancing through a level is done by blowing your gust of wind past a shining flower that will activate something to help you continue the level. There are other objectives that come up during a play through, and even a few obstacles that can damage your wind gust, but none of these should be any real impediment as I never actually died throughout my play through and I\'m not sure whether it\'s even possible to actually die.

The game is very relaxing, which makes sense when you think about the context. There is little I could think of more relaxing than being a gust of wind in a pristine field of grass looking for flowers, but that isn’t to say that Flower is a one trick pony. The levels run the gambit from relaxing, exhilarating, empowering and at points even somewhat frightening. Where Flow made its levels the same and the difference was the character you controlled, Flower uses the same character among wildly different levels to tell a story, and to me that makes for a much more immersive and meaningful experience. Flower definitely has a poignant message for those who care to listen, but it never really intrudes on the gameplay for those who would rather just enjoy the game for what it is. Each level conveys a different mood and contains different challenges to keep things fresh, and later levels are completely different from the first few you try (there are a total of six levels)...

http://news.vgchartz.com/news.php?id=2989

Getting it!   together with KZ2, to alternate

User critics has been pretty positive. It\'s supposely short, 3-4 hours. But everyone agree that it\'s a well spent 10$. It\'s also nice for the girlfriend and any familly that come over

[videoholic]

I can\'t tell if this game is gay, queer, or faggy.

I can\'t tell if this game is gay, queer, or faggy.

Exactly!  Flower is a ground-breaking interactive experience that blends all 3 genres into one!  Fueergay!

[BizioEE]

Someone got Flower ?

[clips]

I think gman has it.....with his flower power a$$!!!.......

clips you need to open your mind and your azzcrack up to the world around you

[BizioEE]

[size=+1]PS3 Flower\'s grass impossible on other systems[/size]

 ThatGameCompany describes their dependence on the PlayStation 3\'s SPU processors in rendering Flower\'s multitude of grass blades.

I was incredibly impressed by the graphics of ThatGameCompany\'s Flower when I reviewed the game in February. There are thousands of grass blades that all interact with you (the wind) during gameplay.

In an interview with Kellee Santiago, co-founder and president of ThatGameCompany, we spoke on the technology and techniques used in rendering the PlayStation Network game. After complementing the game\'s graphics, I asked how the developer used the PlayStation 3 in ways they couldn\'t with their first game flOw:

"We learned so much on flOw, especially about SPUs! The grass system really leverages the PS3 to render 200,000 blades of grass simultaneously, and gives the player this sense of blowing wind through them," said Kellee.

When asking for more detail on intensively using the Cell\'s SPUs, she responded:

"An artist friend of ours came to us, really hoping that we could tell him some clever trick that we used to make it look like we had so many blades of grass. He was reluctant to believe that really John Edwards just made it happen on the SPUs.

"It really would be impossible to make it look the same on any other system. But, it\'s one of the pros with knowing your game is exclusive to a specific system - you can really design everything towards that one platform."

The full ThatGameCompany interview will be posted soon, and will cover everything from the inspirations behind the game, whether the company might branch out into full retail games and how many flowers are actually in Flower.

http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/formats/playstation3/ps3-flower-s-grass-impossible-on-other-systems-$1280764.htm/

well, I do care more about the poem behind this game; and I don\'t give a shit if other systems can or can\'t do it in the same way. This is on PS3, looking sweet, and I\'ll get it