Flower (PlayStation 3)

Perhaps best described as an experiment in aesthetics and user interface, Flower is a serene and wholly delightful interactive experience. With no lives to lose or points to win, your objective is simply to go with the game's agreeably calming flow. At first, players will simply experiment with movement, tilting the controller to steer petals and pressing a button to accelerate. They'll fly low and high, fast and slow, exploring the boundaries of the giant field.Then, eventually, players will realize that there are actually a few objectives in this beautiful open world. Swooshing through unopened flower buds, for example, will cause them to bloom and release petals that will get caught in the breeze. Flying through whole groups of flowers will cause yellow patches of grass to turn green, other buds to pop up, and wind turbines to start spinning. The order in which you discover and tackle these goals is up to you.

What's more, the graphics are stunning. In the later moments of most stages there are hundreds -- perhaps even a thousand—colorful flower petals moving through the air at any given time. And when you send your breeze low to the ground it will push aside hundreds of individual blades of grass in rapid succession, creating an effect not dissimilar to a comb moving through a huge pile of silky smooth hair. Simply put, there's little else in the world of games quite like Flower. Floating over the countryside surrounded by flickering dabs of color is a unique experience, and one that open-minded gamers will carry with them for years after playing.