Despite having worked for a year as its editor, as a reader, Kotaku Australia (nor its mothership) rarely finds itself open in my browser. Currently, local news and articles appear a distant second to competitions and daily features that rely on user contributions. The mixture, as it stands, doesn’t tempt me to stick around.

The blog format doesn’t lend itself to theses, of course; 150-word can generate as much traffic as a 1500-word. Still, the odd full-bodied local piece would be appreciated.

The US site, on the other hand, does sporadically come up with some great content… even if it’s not produced by its staff writers. An example of such content? This article by Laura Michet.

Ever found a minigame in a title that’s as (or even more) enjoyable than it’s parent? Wished said minigame was its own product? Welcome to the crux of Michet’s post.

The most intriguing idea to come from the exercise is “Herbalist Adventure”, based on the potion-crafting aspects of Bethesda’s Oblivion. To quote Michet:

Herbalist Adventure would be my favourite game of all time. You’d be practically helpless: a weakling lost in a VAST world (let’s make it much bigger than Oblivion; make this a Just Cause-sized world, a huge thing with a million different kinds of plants). Your only skill: the ability to turn flowers into juices. All combat – what little of it there’d actually be – would be enabled by the crazy cocktail of stimulants and steroids you’d chug before every encounter. See a kobold? DRINK THAT POTION OF STRENGTH! DRINK TWELVE!

While the open-world bit makes me ill to my toes, the rest is golden.

Distilled To A Purer Substance [Kotaku Australia]

~ by Logan on May 18, 2010.

Posted in Gaming

Tags: games, Gaming, herbalist adventure, kotaku, minigames, oblivion, pokemon, team fortress 2