Once in a while a new game strikes an emotional chord within the very heart of the gaming community. With so many great titles this year (that ar wow-ing us with the graphics and gameplay route) none have come close to what Bastion has delivered to the plate.

In essence, Bastion is a rich and colorful action-RPG reminiscent of Diablo with a tinge of the classic look of games such as Chronotrigger and Grandia. Beyond it is something more emotional: the game’s narrative element plays a vital role in the immersion, guiding the player through a completely aural treat. You can really say that it’s a game that utilizes Spoken Word as a core mechanic.

Whoever wrote the narrative has such amazing command of prosaic cadence. The best example is at the start of the game, when our protagonist wakes up and makes his way to the Bastion. The narrator explains the destruction of the world as you make your way to the end of the first level, “The ground forms up from under his feet .. he don’t stop to wonder why…” is the introduction to the world of Bastion.

Full gameplay with narration without voiceovers

Whereas in typical real time strategy games, where we always have an “invisible hand” guide troops to battle, all the player’s actions are consolidated by the narrator into a flowing story that just seems to work. From picking up weapons to introducing new enemies, the narration serves as a replacement to cut scenes by keeping the player tied to the action.

To give you a sample of what I mean, here’s the first track from the game with the narrator filling the player in on the general scope of things. This track is titled “Get Used To It” by Darren Korb.

You can have a listen to the complete album and download the tracks DRM free from Bandcamp

Industry-wise, spoken word narratives seem to be the new thing when it comes to adventure games. The mechanic is rather similar to The Stanley Parable, a half life mod which we featured some time ago.

Bastion will be available soon for all platforms. There is a demo which you can download via Steam.

First, I must admit that I’ve always been fascinated by objects that dance or move in an interesting way in response to music, be that plastic sunflowers in a pot, gyrating Coke cans, or just the iTunes visualiser.

So, when I read that this electric blue plasma heart can sit on your stereo speakers and shoot out cool bolts of light in response to the bass notes, I was intrigued. It can also react to your touch with pulsating red light.

I’d really like to see a video of it, but perhaps that’s another excuse to buy one so I can film it and post the video here.

What’s more, it’s not a bad size, either, being just over 22cms (8.5 inches) high in total (the heart is 13cms / 6 inches high).

It’s not expensive either, coming in at £7.49 each (about $15).

Product page

Still, the retailer has launched a high-end iPod dock made from environmentally-friendly material.

M&S reckons the BLOK comes in at an “affordable must-have price”, though my wallet shrivelled at the sound of £229 ($321). Mercifully it’s not called an iBLOK.

So what do you get for that? Sound-wise, you get 40 watts of sound from the Class D amplifier – not huge but far from pathetic. The eco-warrior in you can relax because the casing is made from natural, chemical-free bamboo, while the aluminium is 100% recyclable.

It works with all iPod models, and probably the iPhone as well if you turn it to airplane mode. It’ll be available from next month, and you can get it shipped to the States too.

Marks & Spencer

The SoundShelf designer (Polish designers Witek Stefaniak and Anielka Zdanowicz ) nailed it when they observe speakers are literally shoved in a corner and adorned with “novelty” items just to make it “blend in” with all other furnishings. This concept takes the speakers and “makes it” part of any room by making it serve a purposeful role. A hanging bookshelf or a standing DVD rack, good ideas!

Sure, the design may not be just as able to produce great sounds like traditional speaker sets, BUT as it is only a concept I’m sure if this takes off it will sound acceptable. I’ve seen speakers as small as a mouse from Pioneer, this shelf needs that type of sound technology.