So I've been playing a lot of Spelunky lately.It's a procedurally generated, two-dimensional, side-scrolling platformer.  Except it's also a roguelike, as there are no saves, and dying deposits you right back at the start of the game. Except it doesn't, really, as the procedural generation means you're essentially at the start of a new game...It's free, and it's just seen its final release.  Honestly?  On the indie games landscape, I'd say it's pretty much at the top.  Braid?  Too obtuse at times, despite being brilliant.  World of Goo?  Stunning, evolutionary and pretty much perfected, but honestly? I got bored after a bit.  I've been playing Spelunky right through its open beta all year.  I'm sure I've put more hours into it than anything else this year, and I'm still hooked.For goodness' sake, try it out.  www.spelunkyworld.com.  Delightfully, it's getting an XBLA release next year, where I'm sure it will flourish.

I've been researching gender disparities within games and the games industry for a feature over here, which should be online sometime this week.  It's been a really interesting piece to write, for a few reasons.Firstly, because I'm, well, not a female.  It's something I almost didn't really want to write, because surely, a female perspective would be a significantly more sensible one from which to write such a feature.  But actually, the forced objectivity and removal from the female mind has actually worked in my favour, and proved really enlightening.  It's been fascinating to look into different views and opinions from both genders, and not be compelled to write from a gender viewpoint at all.Secondly, because of two brilliant interview subjects.  One's a developer, the other's a researcher; both were absolutely invaluable in helping me with the feature and providing some fantastic insight into the situation.Keep your eyes peeled, anyway.  I'm rather pleased with what's written up so far.

So we're past the year's half-way mark.  I write on the first day in a week that the sun hasn't baked everything in the vicinity to a dark brown crisp - in other words, British summer, which tends to last for a few days in early July.  The unforgiving heat having subsided enough for me to consider doing anything but lying on a bed quietly moaning, it seems a sensible time to look back across the past six months, and compile a list of the ten most interesting, noteworthy, brilliant or best-selling games from this period.The rules are simple: there aren't really any.  To make the list, a game only needs to be worth mentioning for one of the above reasons - though the "brilliant" one might hold more weight.  It's also entirely up to me, so any vehement complaints you fancy sending to FACEOFFGAMES should be marked for the attention of Lewis Denby. I'll promptly bin them.  Never was one to listen to criticism. The Path   10. The Path (PC)It makes the list because... it's just about the most surreal, abstract and generally bizarre "game" anyone's ever charged money for - and rather controvertial to boot.Belgian developer Tale of Tales has produced some thoroughly interesting titles, but The Path - the first major release to emerge from the studio - must top the lot.  A horror-tinged riff off the Little Red Riding Hood story, it pricked up the ears of the shocked masses when a few bright sparks noted that a couple of scenes could be interpreted as a metaphor for sexual abuse.The Path isn't a rape simulator.  It's an interactive experience that isn't afraid to tackle some serious issues.  It's also heavily stylised and significantly unusual: there's no traditional gameplay to speak of, and most of your time is spent wandering around a never-ending forest without much idea of what you're supposed to be doing.  But in terms of atmosphere, creativity, and the guts to actually demand money for this sort of thing, it's about as fascinating as games get.9. Little King's Story (Wii)It makes the list because... it's so effortlessly charming, deep and beautiful at every turn.Little King's Story is one of the richest games we've had the pleasure of playing in a long time.  Drenched in lavish detail and a tremendous aesthetic, it tells the story of a small boy gifted with huge power after finding a magical crown. Part strategy, part adventure, part role-playing and part delicious narrative experience, it's a unique and charming title, one that rightly received critical acclaim across the board.  The Wii's finest moment of the year so far. Empire: Total War 8. Empire: Total WarIt makes the list because... despite some bugs and a steep learning curve, it's the most enormous, expansive, player-centric strategy game ever made.The Total War series has been around for some time, but never has it been so grand.  For this outing, The Creative Assembly crafted almost the entire globe to play with.  Each nation leads to its own array of tactics and battle plans, resulting in perhaps the most enormous and replayable game on the planet.It's not that straightforward to pick up, and the multitude of patches released since the game appeared in March should go some way to suggesting what state it was released in.  These are certainly irritancies, but not even close to being deal-breakers.  If you've the slightest interest in the strategy genre, there's no excuse not to lose yourself in Empire.7. Flower (PS3)It makes the list because... its distinctive aesthetic and simple, relaxing mechanics lead players through a masterful journey of discovery, in a game unlike anything else on the market.It's been a year of indie genius so far.  Like The Path, Flower isn't really a "game" in the traditional sense.  There's no real story, but a whole bunch of themes kicking about.  It's a gradually building experience of freedom, as colours wash into view as you progress.Beautiful, relaxing and highly creative, Flower is proof that the medium can be artistic and ethereal without compromising the creation of an entertaining game.   Street Fighter IV   6. Street Fighter IV (Multi)It makes the list because... it successfully rebirths a classic franchise, streamlining it sufficiently to create a sublime modern beat-'em-up.Fighting games just don't get better than Street Fighter IV.  Its slick visual themes and tight-as-anything combat mechanics place it head and shoulders above the competitors.Some felt it didn't add enough to the mix, but that was never the point.  Street Fighter IV is all about refinement, about quality over quantity.  It also remains one of the most intensely brilliant multiplayer experiences in the world.  If that's not worthy of a place on the list, nothing is.5. Resident Evil 5 (Multi)It makes the list because... it's split opinion something rotten with its action-oriented gameplay, yet still managed to sell remarkably.Whatever you think of Resident Evil, you can't argue with the developers' vision. Until the new installment, of course, which threw away the slow-burning, creepy atmosphere and replaced it with a hefty amount of frantic gunplay.  Many felt the new direction was complete herecy.Others considered the action-heavy, gun-toting, modern-zombie experience to be a breath of fresh air, and the natural progression of Resident Evil 4's approach.  And more still put aside the series' history, and simply focused on how fantastically crafted and highly balanced the game was.  Whatever your judgement, you were probably talking about it.   Red Faction: Guerrilla   4. Red Faction: Guerrilla (Multi)It makes the list because... smashing things up has never been such chaotic, cathartic fun.The original Red Faction was one of gaming's big disappointments.  Touted as "the new Half-Life", with forward-thinking technology to boot, it emerged as little more than a straight-forward corridor shooter with inconsequential and incomplete destruction mechanics.  The sequel failed to do much better.Guerrilla, the series' third installment, takes things back to the drawing board.  Instead of being a game in which you can blow stuff up, it's a game about blowing stuff up.  That shift is key to Guerrilla's appeal, with an enormous sandbox world for players to eradicate, piece by piece.  The pure, unhinged chaos of the game is absolutely delightful, even though the story is wafer thin.  Volition took their time, but they finally realised how to utilise their technology perfectly.3. The Sims 3 (PC)It makes the list because... it's already outselling pretty much every other PC game out there. Such is the commercial power of The Sims...The gaming population is generally split into two halves.  There's those who are addicted to The Sims, and those who haven't played it.The long-awaited third iteration doesn't do much to change the formula, aside from featuring a wide open city to explore.  Instead, it refines and streamlines every area of the game, creating a significantly friendlier yet more customisable experience.  It's still as fiercely addictive as ever - the single-player contender to World of Warcraft's crack-like crown.  And it's already selling like there's no tomorrow, making this an absolutely essential pick for the list.   Killzone 2   2. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS)It makes the list because... there's just so much fun crammed into such a small console!Chinatown Wars is a simply outstanding game.  Returning to the series' roots, with a faux-2D top-down universe, it's pure, cathartic fun from start to finish.  It's also one of the most expansive GTA games to date.Far away from the reams of family-friendly games on Nintendo machines, Chinatown Wars featured prostitution, drug dealing and the general waves of crime that Grand Theft Auto has become (in)famous for.  It's an absolute blast - one of the most masterful and enjoyable titles of 2009 so far.1. Killzone 2 (PS3) It makes the list because... it's the most fiercely debated game of the year so far.  Best game on the PS3? Rubbish single-player? Corrupt reviewers? Or just the godlike power of hyperbole?It was always going to happen.  Months - nay, years - of hype would always lead to a backlash, no matter how outstanding the resulting game was.  Touted as the PS3's killer release, it emerged to a largely positive reception, yet still had ardent console fans locked in furious debate.The PS3 crowd loved it.  The Xbox crowd thought it probably wasn't as good as Halo or Gears of War.  The PC crowd scoffed at the weak story.  The Nintendo lot probably didn't care. Edge Magazine was accused of outright lying when they rated the game a "mere" highly respectable 7/10.  People from all over the world locked horns over the internet.  But the more sensible people played it, didn't worry too much about the slightly underwhelming narrative, and focused on how exemplary the shooting mechanics and wealth of multiplayer options were.  The best game on the system or not, it's an irrefutably fine example of how to craft an action game - and for a combination of the reasons above, probably the year's most significant release to date.   Machinarium   On the horizon... The rest of the year looks set to be just as exciting as the first half.  It's mainly all about the sequels, too, which is an interesting trend.  It's a shame for those excited about new IP - though 2010 looks strong for that, with both Alan Wake and I Am Alive seeming tremendously exciting - but it's hard to complain when we've the likes of BioShock 2, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, Left 4 Dead 2 and Modern Warfare 2 to look forward to. Besides, my main tip for this year is indeed an original title. It's called Machinarium, and is currently nearing the end of its development at the independent studio Amanita Design.  A quaint, hand-drawn, gorgeously designed point-and-click adventure, it's shaping up to be one of the most exciting things to happen to the genre in some time.  I should know - I've played it.  And, when it's released, you totally should too.

Hello! Fancy seeing you here. So I'm going to be doing a bit of writing here at Faceoff Games, it would seem.  Currently beavering away on my first assignment, which I'm sure will appear on the site soon. A bit about me, then. I'm a freelance videogames journalist, currently operating from my home in Leeds, UK. You may have seen me rambling long over word-count in a wide variety of publications based in both the UK and the 'States.I've been playing games since I was far too young to be appropriately doing so, and writing about them since realising I wasn’t all that bad at it. In retrospect, I probably was that bad back then – but I’ve hopefully benefitted from a few years’ experience. I generally blog over at my website (www.lewisdenby.com) but will try to keep things flowing over here as well. For now, adios! L x