Posts tagged Puzzle at DS Fanboy

Posts with tag Puzzle

See Crosswords DS in motion

Posted Apr 21st 2008 11:15AM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Video

You might be surprised to know that Crosswords DS is one of our most anticipated games. Supposing Nintendo offers this as a budget title (which is what online retailers are indicating), not much will stop us from picking it up. If you haven't been following news on this particular puzzle game, though, you can check out the gameplay video embedded above.

As we suspected, the anagram mode is almost exactly like Text Twist, which (to us) is Crosswords' main draw. Such a basic but awesome addition will make this the deepest crossword puzzle title to date. We also like how clean the interface looks, even if it is relatively simple.

Fortunately, the wait for the game won't be long. Those of us in North America can expect to see it in stores on May 5th.

Gallery: Crosswords DS

Boxart battle: Rock Blast vs Trix

Posted Apr 18th 2008 11:15AM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Fan stuff

We recently came across this cover for UFO Interactive's Rock Blast -- a game we'd never even heard of before -- and immediately thought of, what else, Trix. Juxtaposing the two designs, it's impossible not to see the similarities! Comparing the two releases, though Rock Blast doesn't limit its potential audience to "just kids," Trix, being a breakfast cereal and all, has the advantage of being delicious.

Yes, you could argue that Rock Blast's puffed spheres have more color to them, implying richer fruit flavoring, but you're forgetting that Trix is also a good source of whole grain and calcium. No need to feel embarrassed, it's a common mistake. Bring a spoon past the post break and dig into a larger version of the Rock Blast cover.

See also: Boxart battle: Emblem of Gundam vs Front Mission 2089

Continue reading Boxart battle: Rock Blast vs Trix

Tetris-like chocolates make our mouths water [update]

Posted Apr 17th 2008 10:30PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Fan stuff

Okay, so this isn't true, blue Tetris (that would probably infringe on some copyrights), but these faux-Tetris-esque Meiji chocolates still look fun to us. If there's one thing we've learned from disobeying our parents, it's that playing with your food is fun. The goal in this case is to put all the pieces together so that you completely fill in the rectangle board.

These Meiji chocolate bar puzzles come in different difficulties, too -- as the chocolate flavor gets more bitter (white, to milk, to dark), the piece placement gets harder. Of course, the hardest part would be the test in willpower. It's not easy to play the puzzle after you eat all the pieces, we're sure.

These might stale by the time you import them, but if you'd like some anyway for the novelty they cost 730 JPY (about $7 USD) each at Strapya World, sans shipping. As of posting this, there were only four units in stock, so you might want to get on that quickly if you covet such treats.

We just hope there's not too many zigzags.

[Update: I just found out that the chocolate isn't actually edible! (Hear that? It's the sound of my heart breaking.) Sorry if I got any of your hopes up, too!]

[Via About:Blank]

NMS08: Crosswords DS impressions

Posted Apr 15th 2008 5:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News

One surprising gem of the Nintendo Media Summit was Crosswords DS, Nintendo's most recent puzzle game. Not letting itself get overshadowed by all the other stuff at the convention, Crosswords DS managed to rack up favorable impressions from many a gaming site.

IGN found the title to be "awesome," and was very impressed by the diversity in the game. Even though it's called Crosswords DS, there's more to it than crossword puzzles. The game also includes word searches and anagrams. According to the site, the controls are very intuitive, and even easier to understand because of the great interface.

Game|Life also enjoyed the software, finding the anagram mode to be even more addictive than the crosswords themselves. From what we can tell by Game|Life's comments, the anagram puzzles look almost identical to those in the online game Text Twist, which this blogger can confirm to be the computer equivalent of crack cocaine.

GoNintendo describes this title as a "must-have" if you like crosswords. RMC reported that the puzzles are challenging (although the ones shown in the gallery must be from the "easy" setting), so don't worry about a dumbed-down experience.

Also, don't be put off by the game's lame box art -- it seems like this title is definitely something to look forward to!

Gallery: Crosswords DS

Read: IGN's impressions
Read: Game|Life's impressions
Read: GoNintendo's impressions

Pipemania flowing into stores this summer

Posted Apr 15th 2008 10:30AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News

We still don't have a concrete release date for Empire Interactive's Pipemania (now one word, according to ... most of the text in the press release!), but the publisher has announced that they're planning to release the game this summer on DS, PSP, Wii, PS2, and PC. The new version features more than 70 levels spread across seven different themes, including (we're guessing) "Here are Some Pipes" and "These Pipes are a Different Color than the Last Set of Pipes."

Pipemania features two-player co-operative play, so you can play through the whole set of puzzles with your favorite plumber's helper. It also features "new play mechanics, multiple attacks and damages, various Floozes, and an army of characters for players to help and hinder along the way." Wait, attacks and damages? What do you attack, the pipes? Is "attack" just a fancy word for "attach normally?"

Gallery: Pipe Mania

Want to play Puzzle Quest: Galactrix early?

Posted Apr 11th 2008 12:45PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: News

D3Publisher is looking for some help with the next Puzzle Quest game. See, they need people to give it a play, however it should be noted that this only applies to folks living in the L.A. area. Where's the east coast love, D3?

How do you get on board with this? Send an email with the subject "Puzzle Quest Research" to lisa[at]mindofthegamer[dawt]com before April 18th. Names will be chosen on a first come, first serve basis, and are also subject to "additional criteria" needed to qualify. We guess you'll find that out the day of.

The lucky gamers that do get to head on down for some quality time with new Puzzle Quest stuff will not only get to play Galactrix, but also that Xbox Live expansion, Revenge of the Plague Lord, along with "other" Puzzle Quest stuff. Any of our west coast readers going to sign up for this?

Gallery: Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

All the way live: Red Bull BC One

Posted Apr 7th 2008 7:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Screens

Red Bull BC One has little to do with the energy drink in its title and more to do with the Red Bull-sponsored international breakdancing competition, a series of b-boy battles presenting the best of the best break-boys from around the world. In addition to announcing a DS extension of the tournament, publisher Playlogic released a batch of screenshots (hit the gallery below) and an online demo (browser plugin required).

Despite the game's questionable art direction and insipid dialogue -- in one of the custcenes, a faceless challenger yells out, "Chiggidy check yourself before you wreck yourself," I kid you not -- the demo is fun and easy to pick up. Players connect groups of like-colored dots with the touchscreen, racing to form geometrical shapes against a time limit to execute moves. If you watched Step Up 2 and have felt compelled to "bust a move" while T-Pain croons a song about girls wearing "boots with the fur" ever since, this title is for you!

Red Bull BC One promises a plethora of customization options, 100+ dance animations, and "WFi multiplayer levels." According to the screenshot above, the game will also feature characters modeled after movie monsters.

Gallery: Red Bull BC One

Doodle Hex's vexing video

Posted Apr 2nd 2008 10:30AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: Video

We fully approve of video tutorials for puzzle games. It's often a lot easier to show us the new mechanic of a puzzler than it is to describe which blocks you arrange in what formation, etc. Unfortunately, the tutorial for Doodle Hex is no help at all. It starts off well, introducing all of the onscreen elements -- but then it skips the part about what those onscreen elements do or how to use them or what's going on. We feel more confused now after seeing the rapid-fire combat than we did before watching this "tutorial."

At least we can enjoy the announcer, who delivers his lines with hilariously false, sarcastic enthusiasm. "You draw magical symbols known as runes! That's ... so great! I am completely enjoying this job."

Rumor: Galactrix landing in October

Posted Apr 1st 2008 4:00PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News, Rumors

Given the insane popularity of Puzzle Quest, DS match-three/level-grinding fans are going to line up as soon as they can for Infinite Interactive's follow-up, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix. According to Gamestop, they'll be exploring the game's dramatic storyline and color-matching hexagonal gems this October. The retailer's website now lists Galactrix with an October 14th release date.

Upon hearing this news, Eric's monocle fell right out and he sprang out of his leather chair, exclaiming "By Jove! I must arrange for delivery of this item immediately upon its release! To the phones -- post haste!" Alisha was more reserved, but we saw her teacup tremble a bit.

Gallery: Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

Professor Layton and the New, Low Price

Posted Mar 24th 2008 12:00PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: Sales

Here's a puzzle for you, and we think you'll find it to be an absolute humdinger: if you haven't already purchased Professor Layton and the Curious Village, then why not? There are several different answers to this brainteaser, but you'll have to go past the break to find them.

Anyway, Level 5's gorgeous adventure is now available at Target for $26, a minuscule price to pay for what is easily one of the best DS games of 2008 so far. Also in Target's bargains line-up this week: Brain Age 2 (for $17), Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day (also $17) and, um ... Petz Bunnyz 2 ($26 too much).

Gallery: Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Continue reading Professor Layton and the New, Low Price

When puzzles attack: Jigsaw Battle World

Posted Mar 21st 2008 5:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News, Screens, Imports

Puzzle Quest may have made crazy genre-combining games popular, but we have no qualms when other titles follow suit. Take, for example, Jigsaw Battle World. Fusing jigsaw puzzles with action gameplay, this combination of styles sounds incredibly addicting. It's been a long time since we've obsessed over a jigsaw, but those things are like crack once you start them; there's really no stopping until you finish.

This time, there's even more of an incentive to get your jig on, since there's a story included that involves overthrowing Satan. So, where exactly does the "action" element come in, then? Basically, you race against your opponents to complete puzzles. You can also attack your opponents, though (and vice versa), and by correctly putting pieces in place you gain stronger attacks.

The game is being developed by Nippon Ichi, makers of such gems like Disgaea. There will even been a Disgaea character, Etna, featured in it. Also, since NIS is furiously localizing games for us English-speakers, there's a chance this one might show up in North America eventually.

If you're curious about this crazy hybrid, you can check out some screenage after the break.

Continue reading When puzzles attack: Jigsaw Battle World

Professor Layton and the Unlocked Content [update]

Posted Mar 21st 2008 2:15PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: Hacks

Stop all the downloadin'! It turns out that Nintendo had those "downloadable" Professor Layton puzzles on the cartridge all along! When you download a puzzle, all you're downloading is an unlock code. Which isn't a big deal -- it's not like you're paying for the extra content or anything.

One user figured out how to find that content in the game data, and has compiled all 162(!) ~~bonus~~ puzzles, with screenshots, on a single web page. The solutions are also provided, but hidden behind links so you can actually play these puzzles if you want. Or you can spoil a friend's good time every week as you wait patiently for him or her to complete the download and then blurt out the solution.

[Update: this is actually all the puzzles!]

[Via GayGamer]

Slot this NEVES demo into your schedule

Posted Mar 20th 2008 5:00PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: News

In case you haven't already raided the cookie jar for the last of this month's housekeeping money after hearing of NEVES' universal price drop, allow us to further test your resistance.

Yuke's Company has placed an excellent (albeit brief) flash demo of the elegant puzzler on its site, giving interested parties access to three of the game's 500 puzzles. There's a time limit on each, and we cut it pretty fine with the third, but pulled through like heroes in the end. The controls in this PC demo are a pretty close approximation of those in the DS version, so if you like this, get reaching for your wallet. Just be warned that far harder puzzles await you in the real thing!

[Via Siliconera]

It's a good week for NEVES

Posted Mar 20th 2008 10:30AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News, Sales

Yuke's Company announced yesterday that their tangram-based puzzle game NEVES was awarded an "Editor's Choice Award" from Children's Technology Review, a magazine about educational toys, games, and software. Not only is it great for Yuke's and publisher Atlus that their game is getting some praise from educators, this award means that someone -- at least one magazine editor -- played their game. And we're not saying that NEVES is forgettable -- with a small release like NEVES on a console with tons of great puzzle games, it's easy to slip through the cracks.

Also in the press release about Yuke's Company's good news is some good news for everyone else: a universal price drop has been enacted for NEVES, to $19.99.

Gallery: NEVES

[Via GamesPress]

Eidos shows a little more Soul (Bubbles)

Posted Mar 18th 2008 1:30PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: Screens

Eidos just blew a further ten screens of Soul Bubbles our way, and aside from Eric's interpretation of some, erm, questionable imagery, Mekensleep's game is looking charming, not to mention pleasingly devoid of "licensed racing cars, post-apocalyptic soldiers, gang fights, and elves, orcs, and magicians." Yay for that!

The accompanying press release also exposed more on Soul Bubbles' gameplay (which we have previously discussed), describing how players are able to draw, deflate, and cut bubbles, as well as join them to other bubbles. Some puzzles can only be negotiated by filling bubbles with water or gas, and there's a host of sticky or dangerous surfaces that will slow your bubbles down throughout the game's forty levels.

Gallery: Soul Bubbles

[Via press release]

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