There are several puzzle games in the top twenty DS titles, as compiled by Metacritic, and none of them are Puzzle Quest. How can this be?! While we puzzle over that one, we thought we'd ask: with the plethora of good puzzle titles (and games with puzzle elements) available for DS fans, what's your favorite? Or are you -- gasp -- not much of a puzzle person?
Posts with tag PuzzleQuest
DS Daily: Puzzlers
There are several puzzle games in the top twenty DS titles, as compiled by Metacritic, and none of them are Puzzle Quest. How can this be?! While we puzzle over that one, we thought we'd ask: with the plethora of good puzzle titles (and games with puzzle elements) available for DS fans, what's your favorite? Or are you -- gasp -- not much of a puzzle person?
Looking for closure with Puzzle Quest
For all its charms, Puzzle Quest is not a game that ends well. Once you've completed every mindless fetch mission and julienned the anticlimactic final boss, you're dropped back into the worldmap with hardly any ceremony save some brief epilogue text. The landscape appears just as you left it, unaffected by your victory or valor.
The New Gamer laments in its review, "I keep hoping that, finally, my character will have some complete and utter impact on the lands, that all those I've interacted in will pronounce the lands free of evil, free of conflict and that they can finally live their lives in peace." But your deeds are quickly forgotten by the townspeople you've saved, and there's little to indicate that you've had an impact on the kingdom of Etheria. In short, it never feels like the Challenge of the Warlords has actually been completed.
Though this lack of finality isn't exclusive to Puzzle Quest, we really expected more from an otherwise fantastic game. Hopefully, Infinite Interactive will take pains to address the issue before putting out its next puzzle/RPG hybrid, Galactrix. Until then, we'll be haunting Etheria's dusty roads, matching gems against any soul that stumbles across our path, sighing no matter what the outcome.
DS Daily: If only
Sometimes, you pick up a DS game, play it for a while, and think, "Wow, this could easily be the best game ever ... if only it offered an online multiplayer option." Some games just cry out for it. Puzzle Quest is the first that comes to mind, but it's not the only DS game that just seems half-finished without WiFi support. Enedora needs to be able to take her show online. What about SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters? Begging for it. We're happy that Nintendo at least implemented online play with the DS, but we want more. You know how it is -- we're just never satisfied.
DS Daily: Variety - is it really the spice of life?
We're curious ... when you're not playing the DS, what are you playing instead? Are you filling your non-handheld time with the Wii, or even -- gasp -- another system? That's where this blogger tends to fall of late; between the Halo 3 Beta and the recent release of Catan on the Xbox Live Marketplace (we love the boardgame), there's a little variety in the gaming schedule of late. After all, for those of us who aren't Poké-fiends, the last few weeks have been a little more on the mediocre side of things ... which, considering our continuing obsession with Puzzle Quest, is probably a good thing for the ol' wallet.But we do wonder what other games take your fancy. Perhaps World of Warcraft or another MMO? Are you one of the seven people who've bought a PS3? Next week, we figure Mario Party 8 will suck up tons of free time, so we're getting that non-Nintendo gaming in now. How about you? Are you sticking with your beloved DS, or do you sometimes branch out a little?
Homebrew Warlords invades the DS
Though we hate to think of the Nintendo DS as a system overrun with ports of old games, we won't raise any arguments when those ports consist of PC classics. Homebrew developer Beathwho has started work on bringing over a DS version of Warlords, one of the finest turn-based strategy titles to hit home computers in the early 90s. If you've played Puzzle Quest, then you're already familiar with the series' fantasy world of Etheria.With Infinite Interactive already planning a commercial release of Warlords 2 for the DS, we can't imagine that they'd be too happy seeing games from their franchise put out for free. Still, it's great to see someone deliver these old favorites to our handhelds. Now all we need are ports of X-Com and Civilization!
[Via PAlib]
DS Fanboy Favorites: Eric's top five
All this week, the DS Fanboy staff is letting you in on a few of their favorite titles. Each day, a different member of the staff will present their personal top five DS games along with a snapshot of their gaming paraphernalia and habits, in an effort to provide our readers with a little more information on the tastes and personalities of our writers.
When my afternoons aren't busied by hours of photoshopping cat heads onto pictures of my friends, I pass the time with puzzlers and plumbers on my DS Lite. But those kitten-free days are few and far between, so I end up being able to only fit either the most polished or the most eccentric games into my packed schedule. Wario: Master of Disguise? Sorry, I've got things to do and feline faces to retouch. Lost in Blue 2? I'll have to pass -- I'm already lost in trying to get these whiskers to look perfect.
My collection is a mishmash of AAA titles and niche releases, their cases piled atop one another like a Jenga stack of mismatched blocks, threatening to topple over at any moment. Just pulling a game from the middle of the shaky structure is an act preceded by hours of anxiety and self-doubt. Having my wife provide commentary during the ordeal, remarking "Oh god, it's going to crash this time for sure, I just know it. Why'd you even try, Eric?! Game over, man! Game over!" as I tug out my copy of Advance Wars DS doesn't make the challenge any easier.
So when I do manage to put aside the pussycat photos and secure a game to play, it better damn well be worth it. Journey forth and read which of those titles have captured a place not only on my top five list, but in my heart.
Puzzle Quest creators go sci-fi for successor
If, like so many DS owners, you continue to be enslaved by Puzzle Quest, you'll be happy to know its creators are already working on another puzzle title. The new game, Galactrix, promises "a blend of puzzle, RPG, and strategy games" with -- get this -- science fiction. It's like nothing we've seen before! Well, sorta.Infinite Interactive is moving beyond the handheld realm this time around, and Galactrix is in the works for not only the PSP and the DS, but also the PC and Xbox Live Arcade. Some versions will include multiplayer modes and downloadable content, but they're not being too specific about whether or not those features are limited to certain formats.
[Via GoNintendo]
Hacker gets revenge on Puzzle Quest's bullying AI
We're not certain what sort of demonic sacrifices Infinite Interactive made to grant Puzzle Quest its hellborn AI, but we imagine that the cursed contract that authenticated the ceremony was written with the blood of many innocents. The match-three puzzler does everything short of outright cheating, stealing your advantages and setting up multiple combos, each computer-cleared gem bearing the mark of Mephistopheles.DS gamer Zaraf plotted a strategy that would tear down the AI's defenses and avenge dozens of unfair losses. Unwilling to spend months leveling up and making preparations, staying his vendetta, he hex-edited the game to to max out his character's stats. Zaraf then armed his warrior with a class spell called Deathbringer, enabling him to fill the screen with an amount of damaging skulls equal to half of his red mana. Head past the post break for the results caught on video.
Continue reading Hacker gets revenge on Puzzle Quest's bullying AI
Puzzle Quest's AI doesn't cheat, but you can!
If the number one complaint gamers have with Puzzle Quest is its limited availability at game shops, then the second most common point of protest would be the Puzzle/RPG's cheating AI. People are just as apt to sing praises about its addictive gameplay as they are to howl over the AI's godlike prescience. We've spent more than a few battles shaking our fists at the game as computer-controlled enemies racked up lucky combos and more extra turns than chicken on a rotisserie.Sensing that the mob was two forums threads away from storming his house with torches and pitchforks, Infinite Interactive's Steve Fawkner made a public statement assuring players that the AI has no unseen advantages. Having worked on the code himself, Steve reasoned that he's too lazy to have programmed anything that advanced.
If that explanation isn't convincing enough, there are still steps you can take to even the playing field. You can unlock a debug menu by pushing in a complex set of keypresses, allowing you to activate several hidden features. Check past the post break for more details on the cheat code and a comic about Puzzle Quest's AI.
Continue reading Puzzle Quest's AI doesn't cheat, but you can!
Puzzle Quest loved by Penny Arcade, tossed aside by game shops?
Ever since Infinite Interactive released a PC demo for Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, gamers have been scrambling to find a DS or PSP copy of the title. The addictiveness of its Puzzle/RPG blend is matched only by its apparent rarity in stores. NeoGAF forumer Eric P aptly described the game and its limited distribution when he posted, "If Bejeweled is crack, then this is Space Crack that you can only buy from Space Crips in Space Angeles's space ghettos."Don't expect those Space Crips or your local shop to hang onto unsold copies for too long, though. According to Penny Arcade, Electronics Boutique stores in Canada might already be taking the game off their shelves due to disappointing sales. Considering that this much sought-after title was released only a week ago, ousting it this early in its lifetime seems downright unconscionable. We really hope this isn't a trend that other North American retailers will follow.
Meanwhile, both the DS Fanboy and Penny Arcade offices have been caught by Puzzle Quest's steely grip, rendering us incapable of focusing our thoughts on anything else. Tycho and Gabe have drawn up two comics about the title in just the past week, dedicating several posts to their adventures obtaining and playing the game.
Infinite Interactive's Steve Fawkner published a short comic of his own, explaining Puzzle Quest's shipment shortage. Check it out past the post break.
Continue reading Puzzle Quest loved by Penny Arcade, tossed aside by game shops?
Infinite Interactive gives us free crack at Puzzle Quest
With the release of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords today, the good folks behind the game have done something that many others have not: offered a free demo of their game online. That's right, the proposed puzzler with RPG mechanics is available to try online and after giving the game a whirl, we have to say that Infinite Interactive made the right move in letting people try the game online first. It really sold us on the blending of RPG aspects with puzzle gameplay.So what do you guys think? Did the demo sell the game to you or turn you away?
[via Joystiq]
DS gets a new puzzler in Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
In revealing a new puzzle game bound for the DS, IGN has posted several different screenshots and videos for Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. With gameplay that is to be a mixture of strategic and RPG elements, along with classic puzzle action, Puzzle Quest charges players with creating their own hero to save the land of Etheria from the evil that threatens its existence. Gameplay will be turn-based and feature head-to-head battling.Featuring 3 different game modes, with a single-player portion tasking the player to defeat AI opponents through 150 different quests, along with Instant Action and multiplayer modes, the game should have quite a bit of depth. Sadly, however, is the confirmation that the game is only to support local wireless multiplayer.
