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Posts with tag puzzle

Two more new DS games from Level-5?

While we're not sure why these two weren't announced with the same fanfare as Inazuma Eleven 2, Professor Layton and the Third Game with a Long Title, and Ninokuni: The Another World, it looks like Level-5 is kicking out even more DS titles. These latest two just aren't as high profile.

Akira Tago's Brain Exercise Vol. 1: Travel Around the World Solving Puzzles and Sloane and McHale's Mysterious Story were both listed in the same issue of Famitsu in which the other games were announced, though these two were buried in the schedule for 2009. We don't know much about Sloane and McHale, but Akira Tago is the puzzle master whose works inspired Professor Layton. That's all we need to know!

[Via Gamekyo]

Gaming to Go: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords



The premiere Puzzle Quest title debuted to generally positive reviews, many of which praised the unexpectedly compelling mix of Bejeweled gem-swapping puzzles and standard RPG elements. Any gamer who has given the title a whirl knows the critical claim doesn't come unwarranted, even with a few niggling things like cheating AI and a complete lack of closure. Those minor complaints are more than made up for with the mind-boggling amount of depth the developers crammed into the cartridge, transforming what could have been just another puzzler into an addicting little package still worth playing over a year since its release.

With the space-age sequel rumored to land sometime in October, now is as good a time as any to take a look back at the sword and stone puzzler that started it all. If you never bothered to pick it up, consider yourself thoroughly shamed -- but don't let the weight of your emotional guilt bring you down. Come along with this week's edition of Gaming to Go for one last reminder that sliding colorful stones around a board is a perfectly viable way to wage digital war.

Gallery: Puzzle Quest

Continue reading Gaming to Go: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords

Henry Hatsworth in the Trailer Adventure


Though there've been some great screenshots and amazing art released for Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, we've had to rely on old indirect-feed videos for previews of the action/puzzle hybrid in motion. Not so anymore!

EA put out this short trailer to show off Henry's upcoming adventures, and it pretty much looks as awesome as we thought the game would be, if not awesomer. The game even has a combo counter at the bottom right, just like one of our favorite 2D platformers, The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night!

Simple, addictive homebrew word search

One of the benefits to any DS homebrew cart is the sheer number of homebrew games you can pack in to one small space. With the variety of well-crafted homebrew titles out there, from the simplest games (and apps) to the more elaborate, you can find something for nearly any occasion.

The occasion today is Word Find DS, which is just a word search game (albeit it one with amazingly silly, chirpy sound effects). Simple, yes, but very clean, if not complicated, and a little addictive. It's the perfect thing for a little zone-out session, and we can't think of a better way to spend a Monday afternoon. Veg with us.

Wacky Japanese games, emulation, DS Fanboy's recommendations, naughty homebrew, independent projects: our recent week of homebrew coverage had it all. Don't be put off if you're a beginner, either -- we have guides and a glossary for the newest of newbs.

MillionHeir is a poor man's Layton



The concerns we voiced about Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir after playing it at E3 have not been assuaged by the latest videos for the game. While we were hoping for a puzzle-based adventure in the vein of Level 5's brilliant Professor Layton and the Curious Village, MillionHeir won't be that title. By relying mainly on one type of puzzle -- the "Where's Waldo?" variety where the player has to find objects in an elaborately painted scene -- the game already looks like it will lack serious depth. We don't really hold it against developer Big Fish Games; this was obviously made with younger gamers in mind, and not for us. Shame.

The bright side of all this: now we want to play Layton again. Locate and go through the post break below for a MillionHeir developer walkthrough and more footage.

Continue reading MillionHeir is a poor man's Layton

Fanswag: Win a signed copy of Soul Bubbles


Yes,. you read that correctly. We've got copy of Soul Bubbles that was signed by developer Mekensleep to unload onto one lucky reader. What must you do to get your hands on this signed copy of Soul Bubbles (retails for $30)? Simply leave a comment telling us what your favorite Eidos game is (list here if you need to jog your memory) between now and Wednesday, September 10th at 11:59PM ET, after which we'll choose one lucky winner via random drawing. Entrants may leave one comment per day.

There are a few things you should know before entering. Entrants must be current and legal residents of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec) and at least 18 years of age or older. Read up on the rest of the official rules right here. Good luck!

'A' for optimism, 'D' for style: the Red Bull BC One DS


It's normally only the biggest names that get splashed across limited edition DS Lites -- the Nintendogs, Zeldas, Pokémons, Guitar Heros, and Final Fantasys of this world. Playlogic clearly feels that Red Bull BC One is ready to join that elite bunch, because it ordered in an unspecified number of Onyx Black DSes and proceeded to uglify them by slapping these forgettable transfers on each.

We don't wish to be mean-spirited, but we're struggling to see who will pick this up. In our experience, limited edition DSes are based on games with either a rabid fanbase, huge brand power, or both. As out of touch with modern culture as we are, we're fairly certain that Red Bull BC One has neither. At least the children of Playlogic CEOs know what they're getting for Christmas.


[Via Go Nintendo]

First look at DS Neopets Puzzle Adventure

This holiday, DS puzzle fans will grudgingly line up for a game about Neopets, and Neopets fans will grudgingly line up for a game with actual gameplay in it. And lots of us will line up for glorified Othello! The reason for the strange situation is Infinite Interactive, whose Puzzle Quest has inspired deep loyalty in pretty much everyone who has played it.

IGN has the first screens and videos of the DS version of Neopets Puzzle Adventure, a game which we fully expected to scale down to the DS admirably. And it has, although certain changes have been made from the other versions. For one, Petpets, which act as special magic attacks, are limited in stock (to five) rather than by a supply of MP. The changes don't sound like anything done to adapt to the DS's limitations, so maybe Infinite Interactive is just trying to sell you two versions.

Fanswag: USA Today Crossword Challenge goes to ...


Our latest giveaway has come to a close. We've selected 5 different winners, all of whom should be solving crosswords in record time now. Our winners are:
Congrats to the winners and better luck next time to the rest of you. Thanks for reading DS Fanboy!

Gaming to Go: WordJong



I like words. I even go so far to fancy myself as one of those indomitable writer types, wielding a pen for all things mighty and righteous and incredibly nerdy. It is with great reluctance that I write this particular column, however, for one simple fact: I suck at WordJong.

It's a simple game: clean interface, smooth gameplay, and a surprisingly entertaining mixture of classics Mahjong and Scrabble. The unholy union of these two titles brought about a gem of a game largely ignored by the DS-playing populace, though its relative obscurity might prove to be an advantage. It makes WordJong easier for all of you to track down, for one, but it also provides fewer people to compare my pathetic scores with. And that, my friends, is sweet.

Interested? Grab your handy dictionary and come along with this week's edition of Gaming to Go, wherein this columnist's crippling shame manifests itself in an overabundance of big words.

Gallery: WordJong

Continue reading Gaming to Go: WordJong

Henry Hatsworth's adventure slightly less puzzling

MTV Multiplayer's Patrick Klepek got some hands-on time with EA Tiburon's surprisingly non-EA-like puzzle-platformer Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure. His impressions can be summed up in the elongated sentence "I want more nooooooow."

Klepek offers the clearest explanation yet of the two-tiered gameplay. Defeated enemies are sent down to the bottom screen as squares in a "Planet Puzzle League-esque" puzzle game. In addition to the benefits provided by successful combos in the puzzle area, it is important to clear these squares quickly, or else they will go back up into the platform world as enemies again.

As for those combo benefits, Klepek gave an example: a lightning attack earned by pulling off combos, which allows Henry to damage an enemy severely. We think somebody pulled off a combo of John Madden-shaped blocks that afflicted us with the status of "being interested in an EA game."

Gaming to Go: Planet Puzzle League


Remember Meteos? The vertical block sliding? The fast, frantic action, and the maddening tick-tock of the clock at the top of your screen? The sweeping, dramatic story of taking your alien ship into the heart of madness and bombarding it with pretty squares and blocks? The others don't understand. They couldn't possibly comprehend the bloody tears you shed for every planet lost along the way -- every warrior that stood 'til the end and mumbled something heroic in whatever freaky alien language they knew.

It's pretty intense, man. But let's talk about this game called Planet Puzzle League, shall we? It's pretty similar to Meteos, minus the ecstatic hyperbole I threw it out above. But don't let the dearth of heart-pounding plot deter you! Planet Puzzle League may forgo the charm of its extraterrestrial brother, but the title more than makes it for its lack of emotional impact with a wealth of gameplay options. It also has the distinction of being pretty much perfect for a gamer on the go, a fact which should make my job a hell of a lot easier and your wallet just a little bit lighter. Grab your penny bank, ladies and gents, and come along with this week's edition of Gaming to Go. The Puzzle League awaits.

Continue reading Gaming to Go: Planet Puzzle League

Overlord to quench your insatiable thirst for power

Power. Glorious, undiluted, corrupting POWER. That's what we crave as we slave away at our tiny desks working for The Man, and that's what Codemasters will be bringing us soon. The publisher has announced a DS version of the Pikmin-inspired Overlord, in which players must use a crack team of minions to maintain control of their kingdom.

Giblet, Blaze, Stench, and Zap are your unquestioning servants throughout Overlord Minions, and instantly win points with us by resembling the Gremlins. Unlike the home console editions of the title, you'll be controlling your willing slaves remotely with touches of the stylus. By combining their scaly assets, the four can help you solve puzzles, duff up enemies, and generally further your despotic desires.

The polygon-saving omission of an Overlord avatar aside, this looks pleasingly close to the fairly well-received original, and we're promised that all of that game's humor and physical comedy will have made the leap when it releases next year. We command you to hit the jump for a second screen.

Continue reading Overlord to quench your insatiable thirst for power

Fanswag: USA Today Crossword Challenge


You know what gets taken for granted a lot? The morning crossword. Seriously, it seems like nobody opens up the paper anymore and sits down with their breakfast and enjoys a crossword puzzle. It seems everyone is nuts for this Sudoku thing. Well, we're trying to bring back the crossword, baby!

This week, we're unloading USA Today Crossword Challenge onto 5 lucky readers. That's right, we've got 5 copies (each valued at $20) of the game. How can you enter for a chance at one of these? Easy, leave a comment telling us the last time you sat down and did a crossword!

You can leave one comment per day and the contest will be closing on Sunday, August 17th at 11:59PM ET. The giveaway is open to folks 18 years of age or older and all entrants must be current and legal residents of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec). Before you enter, give the official rules a read by clicking here.

Best of luck to you all and, as always, thank you for reading DS Fanboy!

Are games with puzzles a dying breed?

The Brainy Gamer has an interesting op/ed piece, in which the author states that youths of today aren't interested in the puzzles that come along with adventure games. While crotchety old veterans like ourselves (who were actually alive when games like Monkey Island flooded shelves) still enjoy the genre, younger gamers don't have the patience and just don't see the point.

We're inclined to agree a bit, as adventure gaming has become a lot more niche than it was in the past. We would argue, however, that the DS has been doing a good job of reviving such puzzlers, even for younger fans craving more action. With the touchscreen making point-and-click (or point-and-touch, if you will) much more accessible, not to mention the added bonus of portability, we think adventure games reach more than just a veteran gamer demographic. Maybe that's just wishful thinking on our part, but we wouldn't be surprised to see young teens popping in a copy of Phoenix Wright or Professor Layton.

What do you think, though? Are we just too oldschool and stubborn to let the genre lay to rest? Maybe those of you with younger siblings might have more insight when it comes to the patience of the younger set of gamers.

[Via DCEmu]

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