I made the Nanoblock version of the Eiffel Tower before. This is the Lego Architecture version.

Kelly Gunderson's 87-year-old mother has Alzheimer's disease and on some days, her mother can't even recognize the daughter she raised. Despite the odds, Kelly's mother manages to remember long enough on this day to have a conversation with her daughter.

I pride myself in remembering a lot from my childhood and, generally, a lot of my past with vivid, almost absolute, accuracy. It would be devastating if I suffered dementia such as Alzheimer's (God, forbid). There's irony in contemplating memory loss. The thought haunts and disarms me. Of course, my mental health would deteriorate and, eventually, I'd be incognizant of my condition.

The people I know... relationships... places I've been... home... sights, sounds and scents... the only treasures all should cherish... slowly unwinds... phasing in and out your mind... then, suddenly... gone.

Strangers. Foreign. Alien. Confusion. Alone.

"Oh, Mama, look at me one minute as though you really saw me. Mama, fourteen years have gone by. I'm dead. You're a grandmother, Mama! Wally's dead, too. His appendix burst on a camping trip to North Conway. We felt just terrible about it - don't you remember? But, just for a moment now we're all together. Mama, just for a moment we're happy. Let's really look at one another!....I can't. I can't go on. It goes so fast. We don't have time to look at one another. I didn't realize. So all that was going on and we never noticed. Take me back -- up the hill -- to my grave. But first: Wait! One more look. Good-bye , Good-bye world. Good-bye, Grover's Corners....Mama and Papa. Good-bye to clocks ticking....and Mama's sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new ironed dresses and hot baths....and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you are too wonderful for anybody to realize you..." - Emily's monologue in Act 3 from Our Town

Such a final farewell is fitting for an afflicted mind that's fleeting.

I'm done.

I gave up on completing this game more than a year ago, but I've finally beaten it. Here's a video review from IGN.

Fez is a 2D puzzle game with a 3D perspective. You start out as a character named Gomez. He wakes up in his bedroom and explores the outside platformer world, talking to denizens about how everything is flat and two dimensional. Reaching the top triggers an event: a cube descends from the sky and introduces another dimension. As it turns out, this two-dimensional world is actually in the 3D realm. A few moments after that, the cube explodes into smaller cubes. It is your job to collect as much of the cube as possible to restore the balance of the world.

A screenshot midturn - You have to see the video to see what I'm talking about

Fez plays like a 2D platformer. Navigating your way around the world requires turning the entire screen 90 degrees (top down). It's all about perspective. What appears to be an unreachable platform turns out to be inches closer when turning dimensions. Separate ladders on different platforms turns to a complete ladder in a different angle. The illusion of a complete ladder is completed in 2D.

Other than these puzzle-turning events, there are codes and drawings imprinted on stones and walls. If it weren't for the huge online community following Fez, you would easily dismiss these puzzles. Ciphers, counting, etc. You need a paper and pen to solve these riddles. One particular puzzle is an obvious QR code. With your smartphone, you can scan the QR code to get the code for obtaining a cube or anti-cube piece.

The core game takes a few hours to complete. Finding all collectibles and cube pieces will take more.

I'm done.

I recently played Proteus for PS3. I didn't think I'd like it because of the graphics. I was wrong.

Originally posted on Metro:

Proteus (PS3) - Mystery Island

Another indie classic makes the move from PC to console but is Proteus an interactive experience on the scale of Journey or just a pretentious non-game?

The term ‘non-game’ is not one you hear much nowadays. Very popular a few years ago, especially as a term of abuse, it was applied to everything from Brain Training to Wii Fit, as well as many an indie download. Perhaps some gamers meant for it to imply a general state of worthlessness but it always seemed a perfectly reasonable and non-derogatory description to us. Whatever way you look at it Proteus is not a traditional video game, but it is a fascinating interactive experience nonetheless.

Perhaps the best way to describe Proteus is as Oblivion without the gameplay. And without the attempt at photorealistic graphics. Or indeed the mammoth play length. Proteus uses a much simpler form of procedurally generated visuals, but despite their abstract nature there’s an undeniable beauty to the island world in which you find yourself. A huge sun looms over you like a protective sunflower, bathing light on the fractal geometry that recalls the magic of 8-bit graphics – and yet still allows for a fully explore-able 3D world.

And if there is any goal to Proteus it is exploration. As you emerge from the ocean and into the game world you’re given no backstory or princess to save, and it’s entirely up to you where you go and what significance you choose to apply to the strangely empty buildings and quasi-alien fauna and flora. Do the animals look odd just because of the graphics or are they a hint that Proteus is meant to take place somewhere specifically not of this Earth? Is the nonsense sense of scale, where trees are gigantic but mountains can be climbed in moments, an accident or intentional?

The visuals have a haunting beauty of their own but it’s the music which is the key to the game’s secrets, and the majority of its interactivity. Simply by moving you add to the strange, otherworldy soundtrack but it also changes on its own depending on the time of day, the weather, and the season. Animals and plants make their own sounds – sometimes pleasant, sometimes not – and they in turn react to your presence.

Chasing strange 8-bit butterflies and watching pastel-coloured flowers bloom into life is as action-packed as Proteus gets but, much like Flower and Journey, it’s hugely compelling nevertheless. Soon or later you work out how to advance the seasons, and continuing to do so will bring an end to the game within about an hour.

Proteus (PS3) - the changing of the seasons

There’s still no way to win (or lose) but the short playing time ensures the experience can never outstay its welcome, and when you do play again the randomly-generated landscape will be completely different (almost – the PlayStation 3 version use the time and location to generate its worlds so it is technically possible to see the same place twice).

This seems an odd new feature though as it appears to contradict the game’s deeper themes about the impact of man on the environment and the unavoidable progress of time. And if you resent applying those themes to the real world they seem all the more relevant when you consider how you usually interact with video game worlds.

Proteus’ island may be small and roughly formed compared to other games but because you’re unable to shoot or race anyone you’re given the excuse to simply enjoy the virtual landscape for what it is, and wonder at how it came to be and what it really represents. There are gameplay mechanics in Proteus but its main form of interaction is between its audio and visuals and your imagination.

With Grand Theft Auto V still fresh in everyone’s minds, and the Christmas games rush in full flow, Proteus seems much more relevant now than when originally released on PC earlier this year. But even if you enjoy its enigmatic charms the obvious complaint is that it’s too expensive for such a short experience. You can keep replying on different islands but it has to be admitted that your first time is always the best.

But Journey was short too, and although Proteus doesn’t have quite the accessibility and structure of that game (and Journey definitely was a game) it’s an experience that will stay with you just as long.

In Short: Many will argue as to whether it’s a ‘real’ game or not, but Proteus’ ability to stimulate your imagination and your senses makes it a more satisfyingly interactive experience than many.

Pros: Mesmerising visuals and cleverly interactive soundtrack create a game world unlike any other, hinting at deep secrets – both physical and metaphorical.

Cons: It has very few of the elements that make a traditional video game and a single walkthrough lasts no more than an hour – which makes the high price harder to justify.