I downloaded The Unfinished Swan (for PS3) today from the Playstation Store, and have played about 20 minutes (to the first autosave).
This sounds most intriguing. We just got a new PS3 this weekend, so getting this through the store is a distinct possibility. My wife gets vertigo, which is why she doesn't play FPS. Knowing that she can't play Team Fortress or Halo, how does the Unfinished Swan compare in terms of first-person immersion?
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Tell me the freakin' key to press, you choad.
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+1 for choad, and +1 for the acknowledging the
stupidity dis-functionality of their omission.
I can't speak to vertigo, which in the strict medical sense is a feeling of motion when one is stationary. But I too cannot play FPS, because they make me seasick, and the two maladies are bound to be related, regardless of the proper terms of art. FULL DISCLOSURE:
Unfinished Swan is making me sick too, but please read on, as there are MANY factors that may potentially mitigate this issue for your wife.
The game is not a true FPS, though the perspective is definitely first person. First, you are not taking fire from an enemy (there is no enemy). Therefore, (at least up to where I currently am) there are no pressures regarding time/movement/life points, so you have the option of moving slowly. I suspect if I played it more slowly, I would not be affected as much. Also, movement through the landscape is often (though not always) linear, through hallways, etc, so the amount of turning your "head" to look around is reduced compared to the few FPS I've tried (
Call of Duty and
Uncharted are the only ones that come to mind). The "shooting" part is a bit of a misnomer, as you don't see a gun barrel. What you see is a very small circular reticle, and when you "fire", you see a black paintball leave your vicinity headed toward the "target". It splashes paint on whatever it was aimed at, and from that you begin to get info into your surroundings. It is basically an exploration game, but not in the sense of Zelda.
I think the game would be worth a try, both for your wife (given the above) and for you. It's a lot less expensive ($14.99 US) than a lot of games. (I felt like I got that much value in the first 20 minutes, even if I had let it go at that point.) The concept is completely fresh (which is hard to do). The artwork is stunning, and keeps getting better. The instruction manual was essentially one page (with no hanging choads). I am now about 45 minutes in, just past the 3rd autosave. The artwork keeps getting more expansive (I've reached my first long distance vista, and WOW). Apparently, as gamestate challenges are added, other artwork cues are added to help reduce the painting burden (for instance,
shadows are now being supplied).
Finally: I am not a doctor, and am not giving medical advice, but I have found that meclizine, the active ingredient in the anti-seasickness med Bonine
(TM) helps me a great deal with the seasick thing. It's available over-the-counter, and is really inexpensive (don't pay for the brand name stuff it's hideously expensive). I think a bottle of 100 tablets cost me about six bucks - ask the pharmacist directly. I keep it around mostly for diving boats, but I took a dose before playing the game the second time and it helped.
