Well, here it is – your latest PSP Shout!  I'm brand new to this handheld and quickly loving every bit of it.  As such, I'm playing the dual role of “news guy” and “PSP curator,” which means I'll be ranting and raving about the PSP while I take a few moments out of each week to talk about what I've been playing and what I think other people should play, as well.

So, my first impression of the system when it debuted was that this is way too complicated to be a handheld console.  Music?  Movies?  As a gamer, I have no need for these things – just give me the games.  But, that was many years ago.  These days, things are a bit different.  Everyone has a phone that thinks it's a Swiss Army knife, complete with a tool for every occasion: a camera, a media player, a GPS, oh, yes... and a game system – and I'm finally seeing how this is a nifty little machine to have around.  But, like I said, I'm a gamer.  I want games, so, I've been digging through the history of games on offer and came across a gem I only heard spoke of in brief whispers – a game called “Crush.”

“Crush” is the tale of a young man with big plans for his new life in the big city.  Somewhere along the way, however, he runs into a problem he can't seem to solve.  Something's bothering his subconscious and it's got him staying awake at night.  What can he do?  Well, a trip to a kooky head-shrinker's office promises to save the day with a wild, new virtual-reality contraption that seems almost as much a punishment as it is a cure.  Thus, we have the setting for a really fun puzzler that, while it's supposed to cure the young man's insomnia, has actually been causing mine.

What we have in “Crush” is a 3D platformer that occasionally resembles a 2D platformer.  The main point of the game is to go from level to level, collecting marbles – because you've lost them, get it?  The problem is, the platforms are spaced out in a very specific way.  Sometimes, you'll find yourself completely stuck with the only way out impossible to get to – unless you change your point of view, literally.  The trick is to line up two platforms in 3D and then “crush” the world into 2D so that the space between them doesn't exist anymore.  Then, you simply walk to the other side, uncrush and voila: you've traversed the gap.  It's a lot of a fun and I can't seem to put it down.  I'm constantly finding myself smiling at all the clever little traps and situations I find myself in, wondering at what the next level is going to be like.  It's that good.

The music is probably my favorite thing about the game.  It goes from a surrealistic urban jazz sound to acid-laced sea shanties to... I don't know.  I can't wait to see where this game goes next.  I'm about halfway through it and still completely enthralled.  If you have a PSP and haven't tried this one out yet, do it.  In the meantime, I'm looking forward to “Echochrome” and “Patapon.”  If you have any suggestions on games like this, let me know in the comments.  I'd also love to hear your thoughts on the game!

Written by :

EpittarkKat

Points: 6

 

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edgeofblade

PSP Shout!: Utterly Crushed Jun 19 2009 03:09:34 Dale, tell me... is the game distorting the real world? Is your mind crushing even when you aren't playing the game? ...yeah, I did that too.

#10846

EpittarkKat

PSP Shout!: Utterly Crushed Jun 19 2009 03:26:11 You know, it's funny you should mention that... I was driving home from work yesterday and noticed a building that had the front section kinda sticking out a bit, and I thought, "If I just hit the L button, that would go completely flat."

#10848

toowicked4u

PSP Shout!: Utterly Crushed Jun 19 2009 12:30:44 I wrote off this game when it came out because I didn't have a PSP. Thanks for reminding me about ie (adding it to my Q now)

#10857

Aaron

Re: PSP Shout!: Utterly Crushed Jun 19 2009 17:03:00 Oh yeah, Crush is totally badass. One of my 5 favorite games on the system. Good to know people are still discovering it, because it was a big, fat flop when it first hit. I think me and 2 other guys picked it up.

#10864