Bit.Trip VOID started off my least favorite in the series, but now it's my favorite. Same thing happened when I first played CORE; at first it felt too different, but after getting used to it, I couldn't put it down. Who knows how long VOID's first place showing in my mind will last, but for right now, I'm totally in love with the game.

Unlike the other game's in the series, Bit.Trip VOID always allows for individual choice and multiple ways to solve a problem. I love the first two Bit.Trip games, but like most rhythm/action games, they are pretty linear. Other than a few spots in CORE where you can take out the beats in a couple of different ways, there is always one "right way" to survive the game, and multiple "wrong ways" to completely screw up.

VOID allows for you to play your [ownn way. You can play it safe and constantly keep yourself small, or you can push your luck and keep yourself greedy and huge. Like in any good shmup, it's up to you to find the safest way to get through the bullet patters safely. Even if you think you've got it all figured out, there's probably a better way you still haven't seen yet.

And that's just it, out of all the Bit.Trip games, VOID is the first one to fully take on the form of shmup. VOID is Ikaruga in no bullet mode, except with a bad metabolism and even more beautiful bullet patterns. Level 1 is a little tame, but once you hit level 2, you're mind will be blown by the way the beats fill the screen.

Any fears that I had about the game being too easy were also unnecessary. It took me nine attempts to beat the first level alone. Sure, some of that was because on three of those attempts I was playing with someone who was way worse than me at the game, but that doesn't mean that much. I'm still no where near being able to beat level 2.

The music is also totally awesome.

So yeah, fans of the previous games will really like Bit.Trip VOID, and so will anyone who likes a good shmup. In that way, VOID has the most crossover appeal out of any game in the series. Sadly, I don't think a lot of shmup fans are going to find that out. So spread the word, everybody.



About that post about No Moore Heroes: Hero's Paradise I did earlier in the week, I don't feel totally done with it. In the post, I spent a whole lot of time talking about punk rock games, or punkgames, or gamepunk, or whatever you want to call it. Some people even thought that I had made up the term.

As far as I know, Suda 51 was the first started talking about games in that way. He's been calling his games "punk" for as long they've been published in the US (which hasn't been that long, actually). In fact, that's the first time I heard about the guy was in an interview with Nintendo Power about Killer 7, where he talked about being "a punk game developer". At least, that's how I remember it.

So yeah, just wanted to clear that up.

There was also some confusion about the difference between art games and punk games. To me, punk means upstart, arrogant, rough, unself-conscious, accident-friendly, and confident. Despite the fact that they're bucking the mainstream, despite the fact that they are ugly, despite the fact that they are technically unskilled or unfunded, a punk is still sure that they're going to gain acceptance. They're willing to compete right along side the mainstream in the same market for the same consumers. This differs from those making art games/music/comics/etc, as they usually don't care about being successful, are no fan of accidents, and tend to be extremely self-aware.

I've talked to a lot of artgame developers over the past few years, and they tend to be extremely meticulous, and prioritize their own specific vision over all else, especially accidents. I was also lucky enough to work on an art game not that long ago. The game's creator was definitely excited about the potential for different interpretations of his work, but in terms of the game's actual content, it had to be done exactly as he planned. Everything had an intended meaning, and no accidental messages were to be sent.

OK, I could keep rambling about the topic for God knows how long, so I'm going to cut myself off now. Just remember, when some people see Blanka in Street Fighter 2, they see him yellow. Others are sure that he's green. There is no way to convince anyone to see things the other way. You see what you see, you tell people about it, and that's it. That's all you can do.

Speaking of Street Fighter...



Who's that in the upper right hand corner? That's right, it's Andore, or Hugo, or whatever you want to call him. He's wearing a hardhat, which implies that he's "gone straight".

Bummer, as it would have been great for him to be a playable character in SSF4. With no one in Mad Gear for Guy and Cody to fight, I feel like the Final Fight-ness of SSF4 feels a little lopsided...