planetpuzzleleague
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WRUP: So many games, so little time edition
With so many excellent games having released this week, no doubt many of you are having a tough time deciding on what new game (or games) to pick up, if any. As for us, we picked up a certain puzzle game and are considering joining the front lines, but have nothing else really planned for play in our DS Lite.What about you, fine reader? Are you going to pick up something new or will you be rocking something a bit older? What are you playing?
DS Fanboy presents: Game Night 6/21/07
Can you smell that? That certain something in the air? That's right, Game Night is upon us! Are you prepared? Have you told your loved ones you will be unavailable tonight? You probably should. Have you set out some nice clothes and clean underwear? You probably should. Have you clicked past the post break for the details, yet? You probably should.
Metareview: Planet Puzzle League
Planet Puzzle League has been known by many names over the years, but we really only need one word to describe it, and that word is awesome. It's not just us, either; the reviews have been pretty positive so far. The puzzler has even edged out Ouendan 2 score-wise, by a single point. That's quite a feat! Here's what the reviewers have had to say:Nintendo Power: 85% - "Holding the DS like a book and pushing blocks with the stylus makes for an intuitive and fast-paced experience ... Planet Puzzle League lives up to the rich tradition of its heritage, and puzzle fans would be remiss to ignore it." (Issue 217, p. 97)Game Informer: 85% - "Sure, it's not terribly original, but I'm not complaining about another chance to play one of the all-time greats – especially when this new DS version has been created with such care. The touch-screen functionality (which allows you to slide blocks with the stylus) fits perfectly, and Wi-Fi play means that you can take your skills online."IGN: 90% - "... the core gameplay is identical in the Nintendo DS, but the biggest change is its control: instead of using a D-pad to control a reticule in the stack of tiles, now it's a simple matter of tapping and dragging the tiles left or right. While it changes the overall feel of the original Panel de Pon by increasing the pace of the game, that's the only thing that it changes. The puzzle game still has that same enormous amount of strategy -- much of the skill comes from shifting tiles around in a way that'll trigger the stack to fall multiple times for huge amounts of points, a technique that's absolutely important in Vs. play. But now it can be done a lot more quickly and intuitively with the stylus."Games Radar: 90% - "It's not as inventive or charming as last year's Tetris DS, but that game's overwhelming Nintendo aura could easily have turned a lot of people away. Planet Puzzle League opts for a very clean, uncluttered approach that simultaneously makes it seem generic and intensely stylized. The ability to share this joy with people around you and then play them from anywhere in the world serves to make this one of the better buys you can make for the DS."
DS releases for the week of June 4th
At last, the long-awaited DS browser is here, but just remember to be careful when you buy -- there are versions for both the Lite and Phat DS models, and it looks like not all online retailers have separate listings yet. Obviously, Nintendo thinks you should just buy another DS, since that seems to be the hip thing to do these days. So who's planning on celebrating this week with a little browsing? Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu Nintendo DS Browser Planet Puzzle League For this week's releases in the rest of the world, check out the lists behind the break.
NMS: Planet Puzzle League hands-On
If this is a league of planetary bodies comprised of many puzzles, we want in. If this is a planet full of puzzle leagues, we want in. Okay, we just want in. Our fondness for puzzle games is well-documented in these parts, so it should be no surprise to you that we want this game. We want it now. But, alas, we must wait, as Joystiq reports the game isn't due out until next month. But, in the mean time, we can read about their exploits with the puzzle game at the Nintendo Media Summit.Played entirely through the touch-screen, the player is charged with holding the DS in the book style (like when playing Brain Age). But, we're happy to report, that even though the folks at Joystiq find the gameplay to be kind of de rigeur as far as puzzlers go, the inclusion of full voice chat between two players over Wi-Fi Connect, along with up to four players over ad-hoc gameplay, should instill some more value into the title.%Gallery-3456%
Nintendo Media Summit: Planet Puzzle league hands-on (DS)
One of the DS games on display at this week's Nintendo Media Summit was Planet Puzzle League, the newest title from the developers of Tetris Attacks and Super Paper Mario. The game is a block-based puzzler along the lines of Bejeweled and Tetris and offers easy, accessible touch controls. You use the stylus to grab blocks and pull them left or right to line up three blocks of the same color to make them disappear. Like many games of its ilk, the goal is to create chains and combos by lining up multiple sets of blocks at once. All the while as you do this, the game is constantly shoving more blocks up from the screen, forcing you to react quickly.While playing the game, you hold the DS like a book, something thats always felt a little awkward to me. The controls are entirely touchscreen based, and the top screen (or left screen in this situation) gives you level detail and your score. The levels themselves look nice, with lots of bright flashing lights and pleasing music and the gameplay was entertaining, if not particularly original. The game also offers online play with full voice chat for two players and supports up to four players over ad-hoc wireless. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any versus play in while I was at the event, but I heard from some other writers that the game really started to shine when in a heated battle over WiFi.Planet Puzzle League comes out next month, and it should definitely make puzzle game fans happy, as long as they're not too burnt out on moving blocks around for points. And really, who ever could get tired of that? %Gallery-3414%
