Even though we encounter physics and gravity in our everyday lives regularly, there is always a surprising novelty in seeing it recreated in a game. I could drop a ball on a plank of wood at any time in real life and watch the results, yet I’d probably be more willing to fork out for a full price game based on such a dynamic. In praise of this bizarre phenomenon, here’s a list of the top ten physics based games.
10. Skate 3
The Skate series has always been a game about freestyle kick tricks and, as a result of this, the board physics have always been damn impressive. The third game in the series perfected this element, but also added in some tasty rag doll physics for the high flying hall of meat challenges. Though the physics weren’t the sole point of Skate 3, they were well executed enough to deserve a mention.
9. Trials HD
A lot of 2D games seem to rely heavily upon physics, prompting me to believe that 2D physics engines are easier to develop and implement than their 3D counterparts. Regardless of this, games like Trials HD are still deserving of praise for their physics. Considering the sheer difficulty of the game, you need to be able to master the physics of the bike and the environment if you hope to get anywhere in Trials HD. This was no easy task, but it was certainly a satisfying one.
8. Pain
Pain has its issues, but it’s a bloody good example of rag doll physics at their best. The use of the Havok engine in this PSN title makes it reminiscent of the seemingly endless amount of games that use Havok Physics, but the focus of the game allows the engine to shine through. Pain revolves around catapulting a suicidal gent through the air, with points being awarded for maximum destruction. There wasn’t a whole lot to it, but it was certainly satisfying.
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