In a year full of pale sequels, I'm pleased to say this one's very good. I played through the single-player story on wimpy mode. The dialog is predictably "gritty," and it includes the usual storyline of the maverick soldier who refuses to leave his men behind .. but once you relax into the cheesemo, predictable "war hero" stuff, it's kinda boy-game fun.
The multiplayer is where this one really shines. Natch, you get the usual deathmatch mode, and the capture-the-flag style modes. The "operations" mode is really fun tho; it's basically a mini-story where your team completes (or defends against) a progressive set of missions. e.g. blow up the doors, take a strategic position, then destroy the mainframe. (Should they update that to "destroy the 'cloud?'")
The other interesting thing about the multiplayer mode is that the choice of "careers" for your character doesn't seem to actually include a "heavy grunt" sort of character. Everyone is specialized for something: heals, turrets, sniping, stealth &c. The talent trees for each are quite short and narrow, and different maps are better for different careers. It makes you try more than one career, and switch them up to match the map and your teammates' styles. Well done!
Osmos is simple. You're a floaty-glowy bubble, squirting around in space. You can absorb smaller bubbles, adding their mass to yours in the process, while bigger bubbles can absorb you to death. In a representative round, the goal is to "become the biggest." Off you go, absorbing bubbles to get bigger, which allows you to absorb larger bubbles, and so on ... and then you look up and an hour has passed.
There's a section in the Bhagavad Gita about a million deaths that are fated to happen, right? Super Meat Boy is like a pre-battle meeting with Krishna, if Krishna was a devilishly difficult platformer that packs in nods to other games, other game makers, and other gameplay styles at every possible spot. It's an epic of game playing. You'll find yourself gasping "argh" as you die just millimeters from the end of a level, only to smack the keyboard and start the level again. Just one more and you'll get it. Sure... Keep your RSI braces handy -- you won't be able to stop playing this one.
