Toronto Thumbs: N+ Review

Toronto Thumbs writes: "When discussing a video game, I'm often inclined to think about elements outside of the game's mechanics and how they add or take away from the core game-play of the title. With classic gaming this isn't so much an issue. Early video games offered little story outside of the game's goal. Space Invaders had you hunkering down, shooting at oncoming waves of alien invaders until you could do so no longer. That was it, and that was all you really needed to know.

With games having branched out to seemingly compete with other forms of entertainment, we've seen the introduction of full-motion video, computer-generated cut-scenes, and more recently quick time events. This is all in an effort to make video gaming a more immersing experience to the player. Now think back to the early arcade titles. While playing Pac-Man, does anything exist other than your incessant need to consume every pellet on screen while avoiding the ghosts in their aggressive state? I would say that's an immersing game. With the exception of the humourous cut-scenes between certain stages (which also serve to give the player a quick rest), there is nothing that would take the player out of the game."