Metareview + Our take: flOw

by Nick Doerr { Mar 3rd 2007 at 11:30AM }

Hey guys, it's about time we pulled out another one of these review thingies. This one will be significantly shorter because, well, the game is significantly shorter/smaller/whatever. First up, here's what the critics say about flOw:

IGN: 7.6
Gamespot: 7.1
1UP: 7

So, that's about as above average and below great as you can get. Here's why the game apparently failed to swoon the critic's higher numbers:

No challenge (you can't actually die)
Not a whole lot to do (eat stuff, get bigger, rinse and repeat in a linear fashion)
Co-op play is neat, but really doesn't add anything to the mix

What did the game do right? Well, they say this:

Atmosphere is spot on soothing, presentation is excellent
Getting to see what's next in your evolutionary chain is a huge draw
The SIXAXIS controls feel pretty finely tuned, not tacked on
The sound and graphics are "barely there" in that "good, artsy-fartsy" way
...It's cheap? (that was me)

I don't really have much to add to their reviews. I feel the same way. It's fun as hell, but once you've seen it, the experience doesn't change. It's an absolute blast to watch your friends try to get a hold of the SIXAXIS controls, but then you get mesmerized by what they're doing. It's definitely a chill-out game to play before you take a nap. Or if you're of legal age, after a few brews the game practically becomes a college football game -- people yelling at the TV, saying to go eat that thing, etc. It's got lasting value, but not if you're all by yourself. It's worth the price, though.

PS3Fanboy: 7 crescent-moon tapeworms out of 10

What are your thoughts?

Tags: flOw, Playstation 3, Playstation3, PS3, Sony

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

GRT @ Mar 3rd 2007 12:41PM

I can't disagree, but it's almost like fl0w shouldn't be reviewed as a game. We all know its barely a game. Its almost more like performance art or something. I find myself dropping into it almost unexpectedly just because it's there on the bar. If it was a game that you had to get up off the couch and find a disk for it would fail.

Y'know what it reminds me of in an odd way? That classical music 'game' from Sid Meier that came out for the 3D0... *googling* CPU Bach. Only this is visual where that was aural, and this was cheap and that wasn't.

bmac @ Mar 3rd 2007 12:44PM

It has it's own style and approach, and it does it's thing very well. Like you said, it's a surprisingly cool game to play with friends. Everyone gets into it, and anyone can pick it up and play it. It would be cool if there was more consequence to being attacked by the other creatures, but for the price and what they were aiming for, I think it's great.

Joop @ Mar 3rd 2007 1:49PM

7 isn't really above average. There have been a few studies on game reviews and almost all of them are quite top heavy, with 7 being the most common score given...thus, 7 is average.

Tyler @ Mar 3rd 2007 2:18PM

Maybe i just suck, but getting banished to the previous level for the creatures eating all your d00dz got annoying.. Felt like somewhat of a challenge :p

And I have to agree with #1 It's not really something that should have been reviewed compaired to other games, it's of its own catagory

Dahk @ Mar 3rd 2007 2:21PM

So you guys think its worth the money?

I was hesitant on getting it, because it just looks like you go around eating stuff on the screen.

Also, how is sixaxis used? ahhhh should i just use the 7 bucks and get it. =/

Colin @ Mar 3rd 2007 3:10PM

I'd say its definitely worth the money. It's only 7 bucks and its a fun little game for sure.

People are right about it being hard to review as a 'game'. It's almost more of a videogame experience. I love using it as a 'cool down' game after playing twitchy fast paced games. Fire it up and 15 minutes I'm in a relaxed little ball on the couch.

-Colin

Stef Geiger @ Mar 3rd 2007 3:19PM

For the price, it's truly worth it. And yeah, it is seriously relaxing and pleasant, especially after a beer or two.

Don't forget that there are plans to release new content (I guess that would mean new species) over time.

Stef Geiger @ Mar 3rd 2007 3:22PM

The motion sensing controls work by having the angle the controller is at determine the direction you move in, and NOT turning left and right like you'd expect. The distinction is that to head left, you don't just tilt the controller to the left and then tilt it back to "forward" in order to move that way, instead you keep the controller tilted to the left. It's like how you'd control a character in a top-down game like zelda - holding down LEFT means you move left. you don't hit left to face that way and then hit "up" to continue in the direction you're facing.

Ryan @ Mar 3rd 2007 3:26PM

Dahk: get it. It's worth the money. I find myself going back and playing it even after I explored everything. The lasting appeal is in seeing how massive you can get your creatures to be. Also the MP mode works well, so it's a good one for when friends are over and want to see what the PS3 can do.

humpty @ Mar 3rd 2007 3:58PM

Yea, i got this partly to show off my XBR2 panel... it looks very good. If they could sync it with music i would use it as a screensaver during parties and let people play with it.

FrankTheCrank @ Mar 4th 2007 8:57AM

The first thing that grabs you about this game is the high definition. It looks like your really in some deep water with little specs of dust flying about. Looks really nice.

The controls took some getting used to. Sometimes I think the Sixaxis controller isn't ergonomic enough for being a motion controller. When using it as a motion controller, it doesn't feel natural like the Wii's. Anyways...just my opinion. Once you get used to it, your pretty amazed at how well it works and how well it senses your input. Pretty interesting.

The game itself is not very "deep", pardon the pun. There doesn't seem to be any other objective but to float around eating crap. It's like a new age Pac-Man without the ghosts. In some ways this game it like a piece of art more than a game. Or some sort of futuristic game that they would be playing in a Star Wars universe.

Is it worth $8 bucks? I think $5 would have been a better price, but that's just cause I'm cheap.

Jiffylush @ Mar 5th 2007 10:31AM

I disagree with one part, the coop does add a lot to the game, because you can eat the other creature when you turn red.

It is really fun in coop. You spend all this time either trying to be nice and share the food or speeding around eating everything you can. Then one of you turns red (after eating a certain creature), and the whole thing changes.

Loads of fun, lots of shit-talking, not going to be taking away a lot of time from Tekken 5 DR, but a good and original game.

TheSh0wstopper @ Mar 5th 2007 3:24PM

yo, you wanna have some fun for under $20? download this game for $7, then go buy a dime bag ($10) of some good bud, a vanilla dutch ($1). And you are good to go. Thursday night I got stoned and played this for like 2 hours. you might have to sub the music for something else though, I used Third Eye Blind's first album. Try it and tell me its not the best experience ever.

TheSh0wstopper