I reckon this one deserves a mention. The tech demo has been around for a long time and it was a sleeper hit so I'm sure many of you will have heard about it by now. Perhaps you noticed the official release on Steam a few weeks ago and wondered how anyone in their right mind would pay $29 for this.
Spintires is more flagrant than most about being weird and not necessarily aiming for wide audience appeal. It could be said that it only barely qualifies as a game; Soviet soil simulator is probably a better description. But no question that it can provide many hours of entertainment.
To me it's just another demonstration of how PCs remain relevant in gaming by being the environment that gestates the likes of Minecraft, World of Tanks, War Thunder and err.. Euro Truck Simulator 2 and Farm Simulator 2013 (both surprisingly fascinating).
Official trailer. (Hilariously ill-fitting) dubstep alert:
As someone who just finished Watch Dogs, thoroughly trained in the art of circling Chicago running red lights and jumping bridges in my attempts to shake off the supernatural police cruisers, the change of pace couldn't be bigger. I spent about 6 hours in Spintires and ended up traveling a grand total of little over 6 kilometers.
Every yard can turn into a struggle. You might spend more time face to face with a particular rock than a Mars rover. Finding a path is no guarantee you'll find it again, and even if you do by the 3rd time the ground may be so churned-up that it is now impassable. Your trucks will get stuck again and again. You can send a Soviet era ICBM carrier after them to winch them out. And then that will get stuck.
I'm entertained.
Spintires is more flagrant than most about being weird and not necessarily aiming for wide audience appeal. It could be said that it only barely qualifies as a game; Soviet soil simulator is probably a better description. But no question that it can provide many hours of entertainment.
To me it's just another demonstration of how PCs remain relevant in gaming by being the environment that gestates the likes of Minecraft, World of Tanks, War Thunder and err.. Euro Truck Simulator 2 and Farm Simulator 2013 (both surprisingly fascinating).
Official trailer. (Hilariously ill-fitting) dubstep alert:
As someone who just finished Watch Dogs, thoroughly trained in the art of circling Chicago running red lights and jumping bridges in my attempts to shake off the supernatural police cruisers, the change of pace couldn't be bigger. I spent about 6 hours in Spintires and ended up traveling a grand total of little over 6 kilometers.
Every yard can turn into a struggle. You might spend more time face to face with a particular rock than a Mars rover. Finding a path is no guarantee you'll find it again, and even if you do by the 3rd time the ground may be so churned-up that it is now impassable. Your trucks will get stuck again and again. You can send a Soviet era ICBM carrier after them to winch them out. And then that will get stuck.
I'm entertained.
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