Why is it so damn fun to compare video games to food? “Wha?” You say? Let me get you up to speed…

-Gears of War is a steamy plate of beef ravioli, smothered in red sauce.
-Wii Sports is a basket of chips and salsa you get while waiting on your entrees.
-Braid is a glass of dry red wine.
-Halo 3 is ramen noodles (something you can live off of for months).

‘Splosion Man, the latest from Twisted Pixel (of The Maw fame) is a delicious game that’s good for what ails those hungry for a fresh new take on the classic 2D platformer.

So what exactly makes this such a tasty dish? Perfectly seasoned game play is a good start. Tactile, responsive controls are crucial to platformers, something that the folks behind this game obviously get. Remember how fun it was to simple run around and jump off stuff in Mario 64? That same sentiment is found in ‘Splosion Man, a game that’s character has but only one proper “move." Hit any of the XBOX 360 controllers face buttons and ‘Splosion Man will do what he was born to do, “‘Splode!” ‘Sploding off the walls, vending machines, platforms, and unlucky mad scientists inspires a giddy sort of joy that only comes along in video games ever so often. The core mechanics are so fun to play that you wont mind getting hung up on some of the later levels.


A key ingredient in a good platformer recipe is an appealing protaganist that the game will undoubtedly be named after. In ‘Splosion Man you wont find any stuffed animals with plasma rifles or cute and cuddly babies made out of burlap sacks. Twisted Pixel opted for a homely, slaphappy screwball made of magma that delights in blowing himself and everything within eight-feet to complete smithereens. For a video game character, ‘Splosion Man has a lot of, well…character. S-Man’s animation library is more expansive than any game character in recent memory and borders on Hollywood quality. ‘Splosion Man is more Bugs or Daffy than Mario or Sonic.

Sure ‘Splosion Man plays and looks great, but what glues the entire experience together is the games cheeky and unpredictable humor that draws from both past and present eras of comedy. The game’s “escaped monster reeks havoc on creators” premise conjures up the spirit of golden age cartoons while stuff like the in-game song “Everybody Likes Donuts” is like something straight from Adult Swim. The gags never turn stale and the laughs lead up to a jaw-dropping crescendo of an ending that would make Hideo Kojima blush. Gamers will talk about it for years.


So if ‘Splosion Man was a food what would it be? Perhaps it’s a bit early to say, but it would definitely be something scrumptious that will have you coming back for seconds.