Five strong video games deserving of your attention

Lest you think that summer is only for blockbuster games, take note that two of the best titles to be released in recent weeks are more modest ones that are available only for digital download. Smaller, maybe, but stronger as a result. Two other games created with kids in mind actually manage to make the most of the source material they’re based on, instead of simply exploiting the marketing opportunity. A fifth game may be derivative, but it deserves some attention.

DeathSpank (Electronic Arts; PS3, Xbox 360; rated teen)
If you buy only one game this summer, make it DeathSpank. Blending action, treasure collecting, and humour, this gem from Vancouver’s Hothead Games is pure enjoyment. You take on the role of DeathSpank, a hero of sorts in a world populated by quirky characters and bizarre creatures (including two types of chickens: “stoopid” and vicious). In your quest to acquire “the artifact”, you roam the countryside, undertaking whatever side missions intrigue you. The 10-hour experience can be as easy or as complicated as you want. You can wander around hacking away, letting the game automatically do the nitpicky work (it will equip you with the best armour and weapons, and will even collect the loot for you, storing it in lost-and-found bins) or you can manually muck with the intricacy. Everything about this game is funny, from the dialogue (referencing such bons mots as SCTV’s “blowed up real good”) and voice acting to the art direction, the weapon selection, and even the game design itself (when DeathSpank dies, he respawns in outhouses that are found throughout the countryside). Deftly balancing the goofy and the absurd, DeathSpank ranks as one of the best games of the year.

Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Warner Bros.; DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii; rated everyone 10+)
What makes Lego video games so charming is how the narratives and the emotions and attitudes of characters are conveyed without dialogue. This first Lego Harry Potter game—it covers the first four books and films of the series, and I fully expect at least one sequel—does this admirably. You’ll better understand what’s going on if you’ve read the stories, but even if you haven’t, this game is fun. You explore environments from the books and collect Lego bricks. Unlike other Lego games, you’ll have to cast spells and mix potions. Hogwarts is as full of surprises in this game as it is in other media, and you’ll have fun finding hidden portraits of the various unlockable characters.

Limbo (Playdead; Xbox 360; rated teen)
The world of Limbo is a dark and foreboding place, presented in a haunting black-and-white palette that makes everything appear in silhouette. It’s dangerous too, filled with stake-lined pits, bear traps that will cut off your head, and all manner of deadly creatures. The game starts simply, with a boy waking in a forest and having only one direction to travel in. The game is simple to play too, with a thumbstick for movement and buttons for pulling and jumping. But successfully navigating this—hell?—requires the solving of varied and clever environmental puzzles. While all you’re really doing is moving across the screen, the game never gets repetitive. And the developers at Playdead have made good use of the stark visuals and sound design. This is one of the creepiest, scariest games you’ll play this year. With a narrative that leaves everything open to interpretation, Limbo is also one of the best you’ll find.

Singularity (Activision; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature)
This first-person shooter is derivative, but it borrows from the best. Fans of the genre will recognize echoes of BioShock, Dead Space, Fallout, and others, but they won’t be disappointed with Singularity. The high-concept story involves a new element, E99, that the Soviet Union discovers during the Cold War and secretly experiments with on a remote island. Cut to 2010, when the helicopter carrying your protagonist—an American soldier who’s part of a team sent to investigate radiation emissions in the area—crashes. Wandering through a ghost town, you find yourself in 1955, saving a Soviet scientist from an explosion. When you return to 2010, you discover that your actions have changed the course of history. Aside from the basic shotguns and assault rifles, you’ll use a Time Manipulation Device to move objects, including people, backward and forward in time to solve problems and puzzles. Singularity may seem familiar, but it’s different enough to warrant attention.

Toy Story 3 (Disney; DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii; rated everyone 10+)
Toy Story 3 the video game is excellent. It’s a platformer in which you’ll be running and jumping as Sheriff Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and Jessie, in two different modes: story and Toy Box. The story mode follows the plot of the film and requires players to switch between the three main characters—Woody can swing with his string, Buzz can throw the others, and Jessie can balance on small steps—to solve the environmental puzzles. But the real joy here is the Toy Box, which drops players into a Wild West town and lets them roam. Collect gold to purchase new toys for the Box, complete tasks for other familiar characters, and even customize the buildings and residents. It’s sandbox play for kids, and it’s about time a game aimed at kids realized the power, potential, and fun that an open world provides.