I'm a British writer who loves indies, reviewing games regardless of platform or budget, with a soft spot for anything retro. I'm also part of the Gamescom Award jury.
The PlayStation 2 ushered in a whole new era for game storytelling, thanks to its blockbuster introductions. Players from that time are all to familiar with the quick, stylishThese were iconic, memorable, and cinematic, but they also lacked the golden formula: dancing pandas, singing geese, and a tortoise carried by a yellow-billed stork. Thankfully, 20 years ago today,gave everyone what they wanted. With it, lead designer Keita Takahashi and Namco created the best-ever PS2 game intro.
Was this prelude related to the story? No. Did it explain how the game worked? Not in the slightest. Did it provide the perfect set-up for an incredible, genre-breaking console release? You can bet the Solar System on it., which roughly and delightfully translates as “Clump Spirit” or “Clod Soul,” arrived on the PlayStation 2 on March 18, 2004. In a surprising move for the time, this overwhelmingly unhinged game crossed the pond to the U.S. on September 21.
That’s why its intro is so perfect. Nobody knew what they were walking into. The story was farcical. The controls were unpredictable. The lands you traversed were ludicrous. Why bother trying to create an elaborate tutorial, or make more than it was?is about rolling a ball until the ball gets bigger and you can then get bigger things on the ball to make it even bigger, while the soundtrack effectively acts as a demented cheerleader as you wreak havoc on sentient life.
on PC and Switch in 2018, which was ported to PS4 and Xbox One in 2020. Its sequel got the same treatment in 2023 with the launch ofis the best of humanity distilled into a stupid game–one that everyone should play. If you’re not sure why, just watch the intro. You’ll be singing that song for