Good evening, giant bomb, I would like to speak to you this evening about Jamestown. Jamestown is a two dimensional, vertically scrolling, shmup. It's also one of my favorite games of last year. However, I'm not one that usually enjoys games with punishing difficulty, something that Jamestown has in spades. So what drew me to this indie game from June of last year? Yes the price point in the humble indie bundle (cheap as free) certainly did help, in fact it was only it's inclusion in the 4th humble indie bundle that got me to play it all. I was unimpressed with the quick look, thought it was incredibly stupid, not worth my time. Eventually, I came around to playing it because of it's short run-time. I still haven't finished the game and I'm having a blast with it. Here's why.

Jamestown is brutal and unforgiving in it's difficulty. The game can only be finished on the third difficulty level. Jamestown is a game that was not designed like most games today that have a follow icon over their NPC tour guide.

It's games like Jamestown that set games about tourism, into games about true exploration. While Jamestown is a linear game in the truest sense of the word, indeed, it's more a shooting gallery than any Call of Duty game is. However, it's combat and challenge provide different depths of exploration that are far greater than any of Call of Duty game's combat could ever be. That's where Jamestown shines, it's a game about challenging the player and giving a sense of accomplishment with every try at that last level. It reminds me, in a way, of Guitar Hero. I can remember trying so many times to beat Bark at the Moon on Medium difficulty, and finally doing it was exciting. The same feeling, I'm sure, will finally come when I conquer the Conquistador. That's why I press on playing this game that I'm not really progressing in. It's fun, and it challenges me in ways I haven't been challenged before. I think that's what all games should strive to be first and foremost. Too often the experience side of 'experience-wrapped-in-a-challenge" get's top billing. Sure this means that you're able to play more games, but the games that you do play start to feel shallower and shallower after awhile. Jamestown is a game I will remember for the time I spent fighting with it, and for me that's not a bad thing.