Official site - $9.99.

This weekend I happened to purchase Noby Noby Boy and Flower on the PlayStation Network.  NNB ended up being a good distraction for an hour and then I started Flower.

This. Game. Is. GORGEOUS.  Everything from the blue skies to the rolling hills of grass has been done with the most absolute detail.  No drop in framerate and even the six-axis controls feel natural.  I showed it to alot of my friends and family this weekend and they were all intrigued/awestruck. 

If you're wondering what the "point" of the game is (much like my wife) it's kind of like a re-awakening of the land.  There's practically no text in the game and alot of the "goals" are easily figured out by the player.  Not once was I stuck on what to do next.  I'm not going to give away too much about the plot but I didn't think that I could get as emotionally attached to a flower as I was.  The ending was superb.

It's gaming in its purest form.  Simple gameplay, a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack done by Vincent Diamante, and a wonderful story all wrapped up in a well-priced packaged.  Anyone who owns a PS3 owes it to themselves to get this one.  ...and while everyone's caught-up in Street Fighter IV-mania, I'm quite content to sit down and stare at the flowers.

I just bought this last night and was up until 3 AM without realizing it because I was entranced by the music, sound effects, and stunning visuals (which look SPECATCULAR in 1080p on my 55" XBR8 Bravia).  I almost felt like I was rushing through the air myself playing the game and weaving through the blades of grass.

This is definitely on my 'to get' list. My gaming time has been reduced to close to zero and I'm just starting The Lost and the Damned but Flower is next on my list. It looks absolutely lovely and I've heard nothing but great reports. I loved Fl0w too and that seems to have a similar sort of attraction to it.

I downloaded the game last week, but being one of the IV-mania driven, I haven't had much of a chance to check it out.  What little I've played looks pretty neat.  The six-axis controls work well, and I dig the whole reawakening of the land bit -- there's definitely some Okami vibe going on there.

I don't know why, but why did I think Flower was developed by Capcom?

because you've been on a capcom crack-high for a quite a while, Angie 

I'd love to check it out, but there's no demo, and I'm not ready to drop $10 for something I probably don't have time to play anyway.  I wish Sony would require demos for everything the way Microsoft does.

You don't have an hour?

I did invest an hour into Flower last night, actually.  Managed to get through the first level; it took me that long, partly because I was just enjoying that exhilarating feeling of flight, but also because I was struggling somewhat with the Six-Axis mechanics.  The core motions are fine, but when it comes to precision control, I found it difficult to come to grips with it - like in the first level's case, trying to collect all the various flowers became a chore when I constantly had to double-back around, because I missed a few on the first sweep.  Maybe I haven't gotten the hang of controlling the wind and turning physics properly, but it felt awkward to me.

The line of flowers you do have to follow do seem a bit on the small side so when you just have at her and fly, if you can't aim right you just end up missing them all instead and have to back track to get them all.  Mind you there are no points in this game (but there are trophies) so i guess if you want to "get everything" it'll take a little work on your part I suppose.  That and when you are flying around with a lot of petals following your trail and you double back on yourself you see everything whipping around you and that's purty too.

The six-axis controls do take a little while to get used to I suppose.  Maybe ease up on the wind a little?  Oh, and when you get more petals behind you, your area-of-influence (power distribution term, sorry) becomes bigger making it easier to get the flowers.

Man, can anybody hook a brother up with a gamerip?  Vincent Diamante is on my list of up-and-coming composers who just blow my mind.

Just got through the second level.  I think I'm getting the hang of the flight/wind mechanics, and collecting definitely does become easier as you gather more and more petals. 

I might be up for doing a game recording, though the structure of the musical palette could be a bit tricky.  For instance, you'd need to constantly be moving about for the music to play. (Which would mean the sound of wind will be inevitable.)  And then there's the accompanying sounds of the petals; I know it's gonna take me a lotta practice to get the proper flow and rhythm of hitting those flower strings correctly. *_*

Here's an interview with the composer:

http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/02/col … n_flow.php

The last question talks about a possible soundtrack release and apparently he's working (or rather talking) to Sony about it. I hope the idea of soundtrack release blooms rather than wilts. Sorry, had to make a flower reference.

It has been a groovy month for PSN.

This game is totally worth $10. The sensation of speed and flight just feels natural. Finishing the games me realize how rare it to play a game where you restore instead of destroy/avoid being destroyed.

Vincent's soundtrack for Cloud can be found on his website, apocalypsewow.  There is a link to the download page in the GameSetWatch interview.  It has a similar feel to Flower.

Great interview, but I did have to chuckle at the unintended FFVII reference:

Totally.

Well I got it and played it. What a lovely experience. The graphics and music are just gorgeous, especially early on. Really beautiful and even a little emotional.

Not much actual game here. I'm not big into just collecting. If I was, well, I'd just go hunting for some of my missing socks. I find that a poor basis for a game, hence my LocoRoco disappointment.

But the feel of this has more value than the game itself. It's just really enjoyable to swirl around those first few levels and take it all in. I wasn't a fan of the last few not just due to the atmosphere but I also found them very stilted with pauses everywhere. But if they offered me a few more beautiful open meadows, I'd pay for more of this without question.

Relaxing stuff. Probably good for the soul.

Really glad I read the recommendation on STC.  I picked it up last night, and me and the fiancee were entranced to the highest degree.  I believe we have one more level to go which we'll probably finish tonight.  A great experience, that is instantly accessible.  Definitely recommended!

I finally got to try Flower at a friend's house the other night.  I like it, but I think they should have either limited the amount of vertical movement or allowed the analog stick to be used since the sixaxis is a little awkward.  If Sony ever puts this on sale, I just might pick it up.

I also checked out Noby Noby Boy which is more or less pointless, but engages for a short time since you keep trying to figure out what the hell the point is.

Not sure if you're still looking, but FFS's xenoman (by way of game-0st.net) put up a rip of the score.  At an hour and forty minutes, it looks fairly complete:

http://ifile.it/0wjdlsx

I really should go back and finish the game up.

Angela, you just made my week!  Thanks!

Sony finally put it on sale for $5 the week of Thanksgiving, so I picked it up.

Now I've finally sat down and played through flower, I'd have to say that is was wonderful.  For $5, it was simply a beautiful experience, however short it may have been.  Highly recommended.