By setting its action in a literal out-of-body experience, Limbo changes our perception in two major ways that make it essentially and marvelously different than its peers.
More Articles in playing
Machinarium: The Beauty of Simplicity (and Beauty)
By brian longtin • Jun 17th, 2010 • Category: playingDespite bigger games pushing the boundaries of technology, a short little Flash game about robots has more personality and charm than any number of its blockbuster competitors.
Being and Nothingness and Farmville
By brian longtin • Apr 2nd, 2010 • Category: playingA desperate letter from inside the biggest game ever.
Choosing Your Own Adventure: Uncharted, Assassin’s Creed, and The Da Vinci Code
By brian longtin • Feb 9th, 2010 • Category: playingThe troubling implications of Uncharted 2’s distaste for genuine problem-solving, as compared to Assassin’s Creed II and The Da Vinci Code.
Modern Warfare 2: The Most Right-Wing Game of the Decade
By brian longtin • Dec 3rd, 2009 • Category: playingWhat Modern Warfare 2 does as a game makes it a must-buy. But what it says, and how it says it, is a much more fascinating question.
The Ballad of Gay Tony: Bailing Out on High Hopes
By brian longtin • Nov 24th, 2009 • Category: playingJust as Rockstar are verging on gaming’s closest thing to a Scorcese film, they swing the needle back toward a big zany playground for something that’s bigger, but not necessarily better.
Heavy Schafer: How ‘Brutal Legend’ is the ‘Chinese Democracy’ of Video Games
By brian longtin • Nov 10th, 2009 • Category: playingThough there are moments of brilliance, elements of the game fight against each other and prevent it from being the instant classic it could have been — not unlike another long-awaited metal masterpiece.
Living with Sequel-itis: The Most Promising Follow-ups of E3 2009
By brian longtin • Jun 11th, 2009 • Category: playingTired of the same old games? Here are the top 7 sequels shown at this year’s E3, and why it may be worth revisiting them instead of just wishing their creators would move on.
The Perils of an Open World: What Far Cry 2 Can Learn from Burnout Paradise
By brian longtin • May 22nd, 2009 • Category: playingFar Cry 2 is an exceptional game buried beneath a pile of inconveniences. Burnout Paradise is a decent game condensed down to the purest, most concentrated fun.
The City That Never Sleeps: GTA Grows Up with ‘The Lost and Damned’
By brian longtin • Apr 3rd, 2009 • Category: playingWhat makes this downloadable ‘Grand Theft Auto’ a big step forward for the series, and what they can learn from an unlikely source: ‘The Simpsons’.

