My review for the PSP and PS3 versions of echochrome went up on GameSpot a couple of days ago. The text for both reviews is identical, but, as I’ve said before, the PS3 version is the one to download. It has cleaner visuals and its online capabilities are far superior to those of the PSP.
It’s also nice to be able to review a game that isn’t absolutely terrible. I don’t mind reviewing low quality games. In fact, those reviews are probably more fun to write. But echochrome is a game that I can whole-heartedly recommend, even to friends who don’t normally play video games. The goals are clear, the gameplay mechanics are easy to understand, and there are no distracting visuals to turn off non-gamers.
Nintendo talks a lot about their blue-sky marketing goals and how they want to get more of the non-gaming public into video games. For the most part, they’ve done an excellent job. But the inundation with shovelware on the Wii is dangerously reminiscent of Atari during the 80s. Instead of mini-game compilations or games with unresponsive motion controls, Nintendo should focus on games like echochrome that could potentially appeal to the entire market. It seems like Sony has been much more selective than Microsoft or Nintendo when it comes to their catalog of downloadable games, and I think the PlayStation Network is all the better for it.
