One of the more interesting trends in gaming these days is the rise of downloadable games for home consoles. While only a few have, so far, been really successful — like Geometry Wars and Castle Crashers — the ability for independent developers to make great, small-budget games and sell them directly to players through their consoles or online both expands the options for consumers and augurs what the future of gaming is likely to be: all download, all the time. And it really is the best way to buy a game – you download a demo and get to play the first level or so to see if you like it. Once it has you hooked, just a couple button presses and you're out $10, but have a new game. If it sucks (and oh yes, some of them suck –- looking at you Interpol: The Trail Dr. Chaos) press those buttons in a different order and the pain is but a memory. A memory that is easily replaced by something good like, for instance, The Maw.
I totally fell for the marketing on this game. It was being pimped on the first screen of X-Box Live when I logged in, featuring a purple monster with a big mouth that reminded me of the classic board game from my youth, Awful Green Things From Outer Space.
This article appears in Jan 21-27, 2009.