Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

Tycho at Penny-Arcade comments on flOw that it’s nearly the “breathtaking exclusive experience” that everyone is waiting for to justify the price of a PS3. It’s not quite it, but his praise for it echoes the 1Up Show review of it this week in saying that it looks great, sounds wonderful, and makes very good use of the Sixaxis controller. Gamespot called it “an attractive and soothing showpiece” for the PS3 in their review. I call it one more notch towards buying a PS3.

Let’s face it, the motion sensing aspect of the Sixaxis has been mostly a gimmick for the PS3 so far, and two games that make good use of it — Blast Factor and flOw — are both things I like the most about the PS3′s offerings so far, even if one of them wants to sound cooler by having a wacky spelling for its name. Seeing the 1Up crew twisting and turning the controller while gazing at the screen in their video review intrigued me. They weren’t standing around waving a virtual tennis racket or throwing a bowling ball, they were steering their creature through the liquid world in search of food and other animals to eat to grow and advance. I’m wondering how many more PS3 titles will need to resonate with me before I go ahead and take the plunge.

What isn’t resonating with me? Resistance, because it’s just another console shooter. The Motorstorm demo alone impresses me with the sheer number and type of competing cars on the muddy terrain, but it’s just another racing game. Gran Turismo’s downloadable version? I don’t need help sleeping, thanks. What about when downloadable Tekken shows up? I’m terrible at fighters and passed on the stellar PSP version, so no interest here.

I’ll also admit to more than a little anxiety about Sony’s horrible announcement that they’re going to be cutting PS2 compatibility back in the PS3. Getting an existing model on the shelves will ensure I can play all the great PS2 titles I want to play with a minimum of hassles. Being able to pick up a PS2 for $49 might make me forget there ever was the need for backwards compatibility in the PS3, but that’s just a crazy dream given its persistent $129 price tag, and it’s also something my spouse would absolutely not tolerate in my entertainment center. “Two gaming systems?!”

Via Penny-Arcade, the 1Up Show Episode 65, and Gamespot’s review.