Lumines is the new Tetris, only about a hundred times better. Don't get me wrong, back in the day Tetris in its own right was a great game especially for the dazed and confused. But Lumines kicks it up a notch with glowing graphics that'll nearly have you seeing trails and a smooth groove soundtrack to soothe your brain (it's crucial to wear earphones!). You could play this for an entire afternoon and not even notice the time go by. Mesmerizing!
At first you wonder why an adventure game is on here? Well, think about it: the heroine Jade, in purple hair and lipstick, channels energy through her walking stick. She's a hippie! And like many of the games mentioned above it's a visual feast, bright and colorful. Also, although there's a plot and mission objectives, there are also other things to do like wander around and take pictures of animals, which sure sounds like something that fits a stoner state of mind. It's short enough to finish in one long lazy afternoon, too.
The perfect slacker party game, for when you start feeling that tingling of manic. You've got Link vs. Bowser vs. Samus vs. Ness... it's like Nintendo World in there. The controls are way too hard for real precision, so just mash mash mash the buttons. The game will make your head feel all twirly.
In the much-discussed Katamari, you're a...a what now? Some sort of dung beetle prince-of-the-universe? And you're rolling up everything in the world...everything in the universe? Just go with the flow. The game defies explanation, or even description. Everything about it--the gameplay itself, the music, the crazy storyline must have come straight out of a substance-enabled haze. And it's strangely captivating and brilliant. The game has spawned a cult following, with knitters and jewelry-makers and cosplayers joining in the fun.
Mizuguchi strikes again with the game that was on EVERYONE'S list for stoner classics, the inimitable and genre-defying Rez. (If you read Japanese, check out his blog.) It's a shooter, it's a beat-matcher, it's a tripped out allegory of hacking into a computer, it's smooth and smart and immersive, it's synesthesia. The "travelling mode", where you don't take damage, was MADE for stoners. The Japan-only peripheral, the Trance Vibrator, brings a tactile element that Mizuguchi says is meant to evoke the beat you feel at a club. It's also, um, good for other things too.
