8 Awesome Video Games That Prove Less Is More

Amongst waves of explosions and high-octane thrills, it's nice to have so many titles that are awesome without the pyrotechnics.

By Henry Ranson /

We have now reached the next generation of gaming with the release of the Xbox One and the PS4, giving titles a new level of realism that has never been seen before. Accompany this with a nation of gradually-reduced attention spans and instant gratification junkies, and the most plausible outcome is an orgy of high octane, shoot €˜em up, beat €˜em up, blow €˜em up titles where the most sophisticated piece of plot-twisting dialogue borders upon €œWhere€™s my wife!?€ It€™s in times like these when we should give credence to that old saying that less is more. You don€™t need constant explosions, collateral damage and protagonists who look like a gigantic bicep to make a game great; sometimes it€™s the simple games themselves that hold our attention and are the most memorable - whether it be in visual style, gameplay, narrative or thematics. The best trick that these titles pull off is their ability to make players forget how simple they are; to have them be so absorbed in the game that upon completion they look back and think to themselves €œI can€™t believe I€™ve spend a day playing a game with two buttons€. From mainstream titles to indie classics, here€™s 8 games that prove less is more.