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How to relax, just a little


The game pictured above is Switchball, a puzzle game from Sierra now available on Xbox Live Arcade and PC. I downloaded it a few weeks ago and it's been my go-to for a quick gaming fix ever since. It's a deceptively simple puzzle game that's along the lines of Marble Madness or Monkey Ball, but with a clever twist. You're trying to get a simple marble past widely varied puzzles, but can change the ball into other states when the puzzle requires. There's a heavy metal ball for pushing heavy objects or getting past fans, or an air ball that can be inflated to float past spikes and other obstacles, and a sort of super ball that can be charged to jump, dash, or be magnetic. The puzzles start out simple, but get pretty complicated pretty quick. There's also a multiplayer race mode, but that's not my cup of tea.

What's so amazing about this game is how clever the puzzles are. They're so good in spots that you just have to smile when you solve them. I'm through about 20 of the 36 levels so far, and have yet to encounter a level without something new and unique. Also, unlike some frustrating puzzle games, this one actually relaxes me. I usually play with a custom soundtrack on and can get caught up for a few minutes or a few hours.

My girlfriend, who refers to Switchball as "that ball game," thinks it's the stupidest thing I play these days. I haven't been able to get a good reason out of her as to why this is, other than that it's "fuckin' gay." She doesn't know what she's missing. This is going down as my Live Arcade game of the year.

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