Here's a very brief list of adjectives I would almost never use to describe video games:
- Genteel
- Laid-back
- Soothing
Historically, a handful of titles have bucked this trend --
Electroplankton, PlayStation 3 curio
flOw, Pilotwings and its sublime 64-bit
follow-up (one of this writer's all-time favorites)
-- but on the whole, the term "video game" conjures up images that are far from tranquil: gobby, cornrowed marines shooting the bejesus out of this week's alien threat, epic battles with scaly fantasy creatures, futuristic pod racing, urban gang warfare. You get the idea.
Endless Ocean does things differently. Arika's scuba-diving sim is almost certainly the most relaxing, pedestrian game of 2007. And while that's certainly a welcome change from other video games, occasionally it can become a little too laid-back for its own good. Or, to be blunt,
boring.
