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Zendoku offers Sudoku battle action
Think sudoku is for chumps? Well, Zendoku is trying to change all of that. The game takes the classic numbers-on-a-grid gameplay of sudoku and spices it up with ninjas (and other generic, stereotypical characters)! Zendoku is trying to do to sudoku what Puzzle Quest did to Bejeweled. Is this action-oriented approach to sudoku necessary? Or does it add too many distracting elements in what should be a much simpler game?
Toon-Doku threatens to break our brains
Despite thinking we're pretty smart in general, we're just terrible at sudoku. We know that, conceptually, you can use any nine symbols instead of numbers to play the game, but we never wanted to try that because it sounds pretty confusing. It's a lot easier to glance at a line and see that 4 and 9 are missing than it is to see that walrus is missing.Majesco's Toon-Doku, then, is a puzzle weapon that can be used to melt our unfortunate psyches. Not only does it have picture-based sudoku, where you line up rows, columns, and squares of little dessert icons, but it has custom "distractors" that block the screen with a drawing of your choice. We feel our Brain Age approaching infinity.
Everything you ever wanted to know about Zendoku
If you've heard that Zendoku is a fusion of sudoku and martial arts, you might have wondered why. We don't blame you; on the face, it certainly seems like an unusual combination, but Pocket Gamer's interview with Zendoku creator Martin Hollis reveals the inspiration behind this unusual puzzler, and much more as well. So what's the story? It's simple, really. "Sudoku needed some ninjas," Hollis said. Frankly, what doesn't need a ninja or six?Now that the question of inspiration is out of the way, the next logical question is: how does one mix puzzles and action? In Zendoku -- which uses symbols, not numbers -- the puzzle board, if you will, is the field of combat. Completing a row, section, or column initiates an attack -- and those attacks are played out in microgames. It all sounds good on paper, but we'll have to give it a try to see if it's any fun in action. It may be promising, but sometimes you just want to finish the puzzle, you know?
Zendoku set to make us care about Sudoku again
We'll admit it -- when we first saw Sudoku in our local paper, we were a little taken with the simple logic puzzle. When we found a decent touch-screen version included with our copy of Brain Age, we thought it was a nice little bonus. Now, however, when it seems everybody and their brother is trying to cash in with a video game version of the little time waster, we find it harder and harder to care about those little grids of numbers. That was until we stumbled across the website for Zendoku, an Eidos-produced version of the familiar puzzle for the DS. Zendoku spices up the basic Sudoku gameplay with an RPG-style quest-mode, a two-player wireless battle mode (complete with blockable attacks) and super-deformed martial arts stereotype characters. Sounds a bit like Super Puzzle Fighter II: Turbo to us, and it looks like it has the same potential to spice up an overdone puzzle genre. We'll let you know if it does when it comes out June 1.
Sudoku ... for the Wii?
That's right, the popular number puzzles are making their way to living rooms across the world, because there can apparently never be enough sudoku. This is an easy choice for the DS -- that's why there's so much of it -- but we're uncertain about the potential fun of Wii-based sudoku. Maybe as part of something else, but as its own game ... we'll see. Not sure how it'll be played out? Never fear, developer Hudson Soft prepared a movie that should serve to answer all those questions.
Import game releases for the week 02/04/07
We're back with our weekly import release list, After the lack of import games last week, we strike back this week with a slightly less anemic import game release week. Since your PSP plays import games, you might want to pay attention! Onto the week's releases .... Continued after the jump ...
Because there can never be enough Sudoku
How many different versions of Sudoku do we really need? Maybe some of us are just a little slower at solving them, but apparently there is some gaping void of demand for brain-crunching number puzzles. If you've already devoured all available Sudoku like a ravenous beast and are desperate for any puzzle fix, one homebrew artist whipped up a fresh batch over the holidays just for you. Yeah, between pinched cheeks and presents, this guy programmed a (mostly) working homebrew Sudoku game. And here we thought we were doing well not to just pass out on the sofa on our off days. Maybe we need to aim a little higher. That t-shirt project sounds a little easier, though. Forgive the digression. DSudoku, by Crescent Moon, the homebrew solution for your raging number puzzle needs.
Because more Sudoku is what you need
The market may be glutted with oodles of puzzle titles, but there's always room for the right game to slide in. Crave Entertainment's trying to be that ultimate puzzle experience with Sudokuro, which features more than 6,000 Sudoku and Kakuro puzzles, plus a generator that can create more Sudoku puzzles. And all this for a budget price. Hey, when it's only $20, maybe more Sudoku is what you need.
Lemmings & Sudoku appear on PS3 store
PlayStation Store's downloadable PlayStation 3 games catalogue doubled yesterday with the arrival of Lemmings and Go! Sudoku. These aren't exactly huge blips on the radar, but it's good to see Sony adding content, even if it's a sporadic effort.The updated version of Lemmings, trying players' leadership skills across 50+ levels, is being offered for $2.99 $5.99; the basic Sudoku package tops that. It's free. Additional puzzle packs (bundled by difficulty) are $2.99 a pop. The number of puzzles per pack has not yet been verified, but Sony hopes to offer roughly 1,000 grid variations in all.
Brain Buster screens
Wow, it seems like just yesterday that we were first talking about the new Brain Buster Puzzle Pak that's coming out in February, and already we have crisp new screens filled with puzzle goodness. The background screens are attractive, and not so busy as to distract from the numeric action, and the mostly pastel palette should be easy on the eyes after a few hours of puzzle grinding. Check out a few more screens after the jump!
Get ready to bust that brain
Does your brain need some hot puzzle action? Not to fret! Agetec has the answer, though you'll just have to wait until next February to get down with the puzzles. The publisher's latest, the Brain Buster Puzzle Pak is set to bring five different games to the DS: Sudoku, Kakuro, Light Up, Nurikabe, and Slitherlink (aka Fences), all of which were created in conjunction with popular Japanese puzzle mag Nikoli. [Via press release]
Zoonami announces Zendoku for the DS
Zoonami, the Cambridge-based developers, have announced they will be creating a new puzzle game called Zendoku for the DS. Publishing duties for the game will be handled by Eidos Interactive and it is said to combine "exciting puzzle battle action" with Sudoku gameplay. Other details on the title have yet to be revealed, however the press release does confirm wireless multiplayer without elaborating whether said support will include Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connect service or not.
FoxTrot's Sudoku-ometry [update 2]
Bill Amend's FoxTrot is known for its love of video game themes. Today's strip found Jason Fox adding another layer of complexity to the latest pen-and-paper craze, Sudoku, while his sister Paige questions his actions.Break out your books on calculus, sequences, binary and hexadecimal number systems, logarithms, algebra, geometry and trigonometry and get cracking -- or, if you're lazy, continue reading for the solution guide.
Acer's upcoming 20GB PMP, the MP-340
So Acer's upcoming MP-340 PMP doesn't really hold a candle to the last media player we saw from the company -- it's pretty sparse in the video codec department and has a smaller, lower-resolution screen -- but on the plus side, it's infinitely more pocketable and probably a whole lot cheaper. Unlike the MP-500 which preceded it, this model's got just a 1.8-inch, 160 x 128 TFT display (a little too small for extended viewing sessions, in our opinion) and only supports H.264-formatted video; however, you're still getting a 20GB hard drive, MP3, WMA, and WMA DRM compatibility, along with voice recording and the obligatory JPEG photo playback. Also on board are an SD slot for a little expansion action, two headphone jacks for sharing that tiny screen with a friend, a 10-hour rechargeable battery (with the screen off, of course) and a number of preloaded games, including everyone's new favorite, Sudoku. Since this model is officially debuting at IFA in Germany next month, pricing and availability are still a closely guarded secret, but if you happen to be in Berlin from the 1st through the 6th, try to stop by the Acer booth and smooth talk that info out of the booth babes company reps for us.[Via MobileWhack]
Nintendo sends President Bush DS Lite, Brain Age
At first glance, you might think we were kidding. We're not. President Bush turns a whole sixty years old tomorrow, and Nintendo of America felt fit to send him a birthday package of their own creation: a white DS Lite, a copy of Brain Age: Train Your Brain For Minutes A Day, and a nice congratulatory letter (read it after the break).Aside from being absolutely ridiculous (guy at Nintendo who thought to do this, I love you), one must wonder if President Bush will receive the package personally and actually attempt to play a round. Just think! With rigorous training, President Bush may usher in a new era of world peace! Sudoku transcends all cultural barriers.Marketing genius, Nintendo. I wonder what his initial Brain Age would be... (watches as the commenters rush to post the largest number they know)Once again, the full letter from Nintendo after the break.[via GoNintendo]
Upcoming DS games dated [Update 1]
No doubt attempting to organize the masses of people who constantly barge into stores at random intervals and demand games that aren't due for release in months, Nintendo has sent out a handy "release list" thing. If we understand this correctly, it's supposed to tell you on which day some of their major DS games will be set loose upon the public. That's Nintendo for you--always innovating.June 5: Big Brain Academy™June 5: Magnetica™June 11: Nintendo DS™ Lite (although that depends on where you're shopping)June 26: Sudoku GridmasterAug. 28: Star Fox DSSept. 18: Pokémon® Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue TeamSept. 25: Mario vs. Donkey Kong™ 2: March of the MinisOct. 9: Clubhouse Games™Oct. 30: Children of ManaSadly, it looks like the new Kirby game and Yoshi's Island 2 will only be released during or after the cheerfully explosive holiday season. Don't let that stop you from demanding it from the store clerk next week.[Update: To clear up any confusion - this list encompasses Nintendo titles only.]
Oops! Brain training doesn't help aging brains
In a blow to Nintendo's hopes that their Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day title for the Nintendo DS would sell bajillions of copies to aging boomers who want to halt the rate at which their brains slip into senility, the Wall Street Journal's Science Journal debunks the idea that brain training of any sort can help slow the rate of mental decline. The Journal quotes a recent study by University of Virginia’s Timothy Salthouse that found "little scientific evidence that engagement in mentally stimulating activities alters the rate of mental aging" calling the belief "more of an optimistic hope than an empirical reality." Furthermore, "Even in the most mentally engaged elderly -- chess experts, professors, doctors -- mental function declines as steeply as in people to whom mental exercise means choosing which TV show to watch," Sharon Begley -- the author of the piece -- writes. The news isn't all bad, though. Even though rigorous training fails to halt the rate of decline of our wetware, trained brains do perform trained tasks better, according to the Journal. If, for instance, you were to regularly practice math, you'd be faster with numbers than those who haven't been practicing. Later this week, Begley will examine which types of training provides boosts brains best. We'll be sure to follow up then.
Brain Maiming: New Sudoku game
Nintendo sends word regarding a matter of gray importance: Sudoku. Not to be confused with the murderous little Japanese girl that crawls out of the television on a weekly basis (that would be Sadako), the puzzle game has addicted many with its gentle massaging of that most intelligent and squishy of organs, the brain. With 400 different puzzles (all selected by the original creators of Sudoku), however, Sudoku Gridmaster is likely to be less of a massage and more of a brutal mashing. Not content with sticking some Sudoku puzzles in the upcoming Brain Age, Nintendo is releasing a stand-alone title featuring four difficulty settings and input via the touch screen. If you're keen on subjecting your brain to that sort of thing, make a mental note of Sudoku Gridmaster's June 26 release date.
Japanese doctors recommend Brain Training for seniors
Nintendo's line of brain-training games for the DS has found success among a wide range of ages in Japan, but its success with seniors has now been noted even among doctors and hospitals over there.According to the Associated Press, some hospitals have started placing DSes in waiting rooms and wards for patients. An administrator of a "memory loss clinic" in a Kyoto hospital said that doctors there have gone so far as to recommend the purchase of a DS and a game for elderly people to "stimulate their brains regularly at home," even watching patients play as an informal method of diagnosing dementia.Apparently, "Sony rushed out its own version of brain-training software in October but has yet to release sales figures." It's unlikely that the title could match the millions of units sold by its DS-based rival, but regardless of who's ahead, the gaming community should be pleased that 67-year-olds are now eager to "play a little everyday before going to bed," maybe even beating their grown-up children at the game someday.[Thanks, madgamer & samsoon; via Go Nintendo & GameDaily BIZ]
