It's rare when you play a videogame that captures that original feeling that got you into videogames in the first place. That spark of interest that gave birth to your love affair of the medium. As gamers, especially weathered gamers such as we that play everything, it is easy to become jaded. To become cynical, always at the ready with a critical eye at most games and really who can blame us? With most games being derivative, not adding anything new, infected with sequelitis, one may think most people who cover games have lost their way, their passion for the genre. I beg to differ. They merely seek what a truly good videogame should offer the player... the illusion of being somewhere else.

Of being someone else. Maybe a sleepy young boy who eventually becomes a hero, or it could be a rotund plumber with a fetish for jumping, regardless of who or where you're at, what they all share in common is an immediate pull that immerses you in their lore and makes that controller in your hands melt away. Rare indeed are those games that can achieve this. I come to you with the revelation that this game, simply called Flower has done just that for me... and could very well do the same for you.

Without given away any information that may disrupt your experience with the game, I will merely tell you in a basic overview that in Flower you are a pedal of a flower being carried by the wind. You use your six axis to move about and press any button you please, to dictate the strength of the wind that makes you glide through the air. If you tap a button, you get a sliver of wind to propel you. If you hold the button, you soar like a bird. That's all I will tell you. I guess as a descriptive to get you to play this game, that doesn't sound too exciting. And on paper it really doesn't. Some even have said this is merely a Zenish screen saver. It isn't. To those that think that all I'll say is: You're doing it wrong.

There is an objective. You just need to seek it.

Flower is gorgeous. From the initial start up, to the menu, to the game itself, it's just simply gorgeous. The graphics to this game have a subdued beauty that is hard to articulate. Not only that but the music, which changes depending on what you are doing, is absolutely fantastic. My wife who loathes videogames walked in on me while I was playing in the den, sat down in my LayZ Boy chair to read like usual and was hypnotized by it. While playing it I had the goofiest grin on my face that I couldn't get rid off. That and the feeling of Wow that I couldn't shake.

I want to say a LOT more but I can't. I wont ruin it for you. The game is 9.99 at the PSN Store. If you have a PS3 buy it. Period. For the price of a bucket of chicken at KFC you can add this game to your collection. If you don't have a PS3 go to your friend's house who owns one and tell him to get it so you can get a shot at it. Just play it. To me, it's that good.

Bottom line:

Yes. You NEED this game.