Game Review - Journey PS3

Is this really a game? I'm not entirely sure, but it is the best experience I've had on my PS3 or any gaming system in a long time. Experience being the operative word.

You are a strange stylised little fellow dressed in a long robe, trudging through a desert. I know. It sounds really dull. In the distance you can see a huge mountain (in a similar way to Half-Life 2); you know from the very start that that is where you are heading. The path along the way is always signposted by various landmarks and I never got lost once. The only control you have over your figure is to walk, jump/glide and shout. A shout is a musical note that changes with each button press. You can make short notes and long notes. And that's it. No shoulder button action in the slightest.

The journey through the landscape is incredible, with some absolutely gorgeous sights. The lighting effects deserve special mention. The game clocks in at about three hours, which doesn't sound like much, but it never repeats itself, something new is always happening. The only gamey thing about Journey is the ability to collect some swirly glowy things. Arguably this wasn't really needed and actually detracts from the whole experience of travelling.

The best thing about this game is the multiplayer aspect. Normally I wouldn't touch multiplayer with a barge pole. Tried it. Got tired of having my sexuality questioned by twelve year old boys. In Journey you only ever meet one other player at a time. You don't know who they are. You can't talk to them. All you can do is use your shout. When you run into the other player, you both glow and recover some flying energy. This results in two players rubbing their avatars up against each other on a regular basis. Always a treat. On one occasion, there were two towers. I stood on one; the other player stood on the other. We must have spent about five minutes just singing to each other. A quality gaming moment. When I lost the player that I was travelling with, I felt gutted. I would look for them and shout out to see if they would find me again. And then, in a Dark Crystal moment, I decided to carry on alone. Luckily, it's not long before another player is met. There is the option to turn off the multiplayer component, but I strongly recommend that you share the experience with another.

A great game (I'll call it a game). This is an experience that I will be going through again very soon. Give me a shout if you meet me on the way...

evlkeith