Features

Go on, admit it; you're just a wee bit tired of shooting stuff in the face, right? Of trawling through another enemy horde of insurgents/robots/goblins/[insert nemesis here]? So how about a change? How about going on a Journey on your PS3 instead...

First things first; you should banish any notions of 'typical gameplay' when booting up this exclusive PSN digital download. Instead, approach the third-person Journey as a unique gaming experience, one that sees you charged with a single, solitary task - to make it to a mountain in the far distance of the game's arid world. Trouble is that there's a vast desert between you and it - and one packed with genuine mystery and intrigue. And no AK47s whatsoever. Sorry.

It's the antithesis of every mainstream game you've played then. Out go leaderboards, stats and lives; instead, in comes uncovering the world's secrets on your way to the mountain, accompanied by visuals and a soundtrack that are beautiful. You'll walk, explore and jump to traverse Journey's rich, stylised landscape and explore its blissfully dragon- and orc-free caves and ruins.

Adding to this unique experience is the equally unusual co-op. You won't be chest-bumping buddies or exchanging rapid-fire obscenities with teen numbskullz-with-skillz. Instead you may (or may not) be joined by a completely random player. Instead of engaging in smack-talk, you'll communicate with each other by pressing a single button on your joypad. It sounds barmy in principle but in practise, it works sublimely. And you can dump them whenever you want so it's all good.

Everything in Journey smacks of the innovation that can be found in all of developer thatgamecompany's titles to date; they're the chaps who created flOw and Flower. So cleanse yourself of body counts, sniper scopes (and gun-toting nuns) and instead go on this short, sweet Journey. We suspect it will be one you'll want to take again and again.