To borrow a phrase from the great American poet Walt Whitman, City of Orem employees contain multitudes. While they are obviously the city’s expert in their given professional field, each employee has a hidden area of expertise. Today we kick-off a new series on Walter where our hidden experts enlighten their fellow employees in their area of previously unknown expertise.
Today’s hidden expert is our newest member of the I.T. staff, Justin Wilson. Justin joined the City of Orem in August 2019 and has been a great addition to the Help Desk team. He’s full of life, energy, original puns/jokes, and a near-encyclopedic knowledge of video games. He is currently taking cello lessons and is a great conversationalist.
Subnautica (2014)
Genre: Base Building, Survival – This gorgeous game has you exploring the depths of an alien planet’s sea. Don’t let the pretty fish fool you though, there are things lurking in the deep that can truly be frightening. While this game has its flaws, it epitomizes the survival genre it is based on. (This game is my current favorite to play in VR. Players be warned, you need your VR “sea” legs!)
Hollow Knight (2017)
Genre: Action Platformer/Metroidvania -This game may be about bugs, but there is nothing small about it. Every frame of every character and map was hand-drawn. It is a wonderfully artistic game while at the same time providing a very tough challenge with gameplay. All in all, with a vast map, fantastic art, and great gameplay, this game truly shows that the developers poured their heart into this game.
A Hat in Time (2017)
Genre: 3D Platformer – Amazingly, this game stands shoulder to shoulder with the games that inspired it. This game was originally being developed by a single person, Jonas Kærlev, to bring back games like well known and respected games like Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie, and Psychonauts. Eventually, this project grew to a full development team. They shot for the stars and have now wound up part of them. Many people agree this game wound up better than recent 3D Mario games. The titular character has so much charm, she won the hearts of those who played the game. Seriously, don’t let the cutesy characters turn you away, this game is a solid platformer that oozes style.
Bioshock (2010)
Genre: First-Person Shooter, Horror – For those looking for a thrill, not many games stack up to Bioshock. Though many people have heard of the series, many haven’t played the original game. This adventure takes you through a dilapidated underwater city filled to the gills with terrifying enemies. While this isn’t a strictly pure horror game, the atmosphere swiftly puts you at the edge of your seat. This game got a reputation for the amazing journey it had. If you are interested, don’t look up information on the game because there are lots of spoilers that can ruin the story.
Braid (2008)
Genre: Puzzle, Platformer – Braid is one of the first indie* titles to truly make the public interested in indie games. It quickly became massively popular. It held the record for being the top-rated Xbox Live Arcade game. Made entirely by a ‘s puzzles are elegant and challenging. The game ramps the difficulty up perfectly and while challenging, it never feels unfair. For a puzzle game, this game might just be a masterpiece. (The creator of Braid also released The Witness (2016) which is another wonderful puzzle game.)
*Indie means made by an independent developer or small development team that is not part of a large corporation.
If you would like to talk video games or anything else with Justin, he’s always down for a good chat.