Flower

Developer: That Game Company
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: Feb. 12, 2009
System: PS3
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web site

In a nutshell: The world's most artistic flight simulator.
0:00 I feel like I've been hearing about the beautiful wonder that is this game for years now. I wasn't a huge fan of the developer's previous Flow, but I'm still vaguely looking forward to this one.

0:01 The preview screen lays it out for me: "Tilt the controller to soar. Press any button to blow wind. Relax, enjoy." Nice and simple. I'm already digging the gentle harp music.

0:02 An explanatory graphic shows how to tilt the controller -- forward and back and left to right, not on the plane parallel to the floor. The game begins in a gray apartment with a weak little stem of a plant sitting in a pot by a window, with clothes hanging on the line outside. A quick tilt of the controller zooms in on the stem, which has a glowing bulb. "Hold any button" and the screen fades to black. Video of a city street comes up, with car lights flying by in super-speed. A police siren blares in the background. Zoom out to show a twisted black skyline. Then fade to black and fade in on a single yellow flower, sitting in a verdant field with beautiful flowing grass and gentle wind. Harp music again. OK, but what happened to the city?

0:04 Pressing a button blows a petal off the flower, setting it into bloom with a piano chord. Tilting the controller blows the petal gently left and right. Wheee!

0:05 Holding down any button blows my petal forward with the wind while also zooming out the camera to a nice, wide angle. The field seems to go on forever. I see some white dandelions over in the distance ... maybe that's where I should go?

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer