Lumines, you're virtual crack.

core tactic

I never got around to playing it when it first launched, and now that I've gone back to it, I'm hooked. And apparently the longer you play puzzle games like Tetris and Lumines, the more efficent your brain gets overall. So, let's throw out some good puzzle game recomendations, for the sake of, "Brain efficiency".

theclam

I can't wait for the PS2 version of Lumines to hit, so I can finally play it.

Meteos is my recent favorite puzzle game. The stages have great variety, so it stays fun for longer than many other games.

Kirby's Avalanche has to be my all-time favorite in terms of multiplayer, though. It's so much fun to hear my opponent's cries of anguish as I drop a couple blocks right where he's about to unleash a 30-block combo of death on me. I'm enjoying Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine on the Wii, right now. It's identical to KA in terms of game mechanics, but the sound effects aren't nearly as good. It's just so satisfying to hear the SNES scream "All Right!" right before you unleash 5 rows of blocks on the other side of the screen.

Lots of people say Tetris Attack is their favorite puzzle game, but I could never really get into it. Moving the cursor around with a d-pad is just too awkward. Using a stylus (Meteos-style) is much better. They should really release a Tetris Attack for the DS.

Shooter Mcgavin

Oddly enough, I just downloaded the Lumines Live! demo last night, because everyone constantly talks about it. To me it just felt like a glorified Tetris, only there's only one shape. Obviously, the shape is made of colors, but still....it may as well be called "stack boxes n stuff". Then again, I only played it for about 20 minutes, so I might need to give it another chance.

core tactic

Well Lumines Live is supposed to be a lot worse than the original.

Triton

Lumines Live! is pretty good - my main gripe with it is just the feel of the d-pad on the Xbox controller frequently ends with me misfiring and putting a block in the wrong position. It just feels loose and imprecise. This is coming from someone who was able to hit the max score of 999,999 in the original on PSP. The best part about Lumines Live! IMO is the high score battling you can do with all the other users on Xbox Live.

The original had a lot of great, creative tracks and was a pretty fresh game. Unfortunately Lumines 2, to me, isn't nearly as good. The licensed pop video tracks do nothing to add to the game. It's still a solid game and has some extra modes the original lacked but all in all it just doesn't feel as cohesive an experience.

Edit: the one thing I am grateful for from Lumines 2 though is introducing me to another musician. Takagi Masakatsu's "Girls" is a really nice, relaxing piano track included in the game. Here's his website: http://www.takagimasakatsu.com/

FreddyD

I got hooked on Devil Dice / Bombastic. You manipulate dice on an isometric game board in order to match them up by number (2 2s, 3 3s, etc.). Combos took a lot of planning but you were never really punished for failing to execute one (unlike falling block games). It was really zen.

Mahnmut

core tactic wrote:

Well Lumines Live is supposed to be a lot worse than the original.

Is this accurate? I've only ever seen complaints about the split packaging. I imagine the d-pad would be annoying, too. However, I thought it was reputed to be basically Lumines--on Live.

leaf

Lumines is awsome, I just can't justify getting a PSP for just the one game =\

Mahnmut

leaf wrote:

Lumines is awsome, I just can't justify getting a PSP for just the one game =\

Loco Roco too. Also FFT and Disgaea soon. And some others.

Yeah, I don't have one either.

redstormpopcorn

The cell phone version is surprisingly good, even if the arcade mode gets ridiculously hard at around the third 'boss' level on medium and it's basically impossible to lose at the challenge and single-skin ones.

leaf

Mahnmut wrote:

leaf wrote:

Lumines is awsome, I just can't justify getting a PSP for just the one game =\

Loco Roco too. Also FFT and Disgaea soon. And some others.

Yeah, I don't have one either.

Ok, yes. Loco Roco + Lumines are the two I want, but still, it's too much for just those two games.

JWFokker

They fucking better release Loco Roco on Live. The 360 needs that shit.

core tactic

Oh, and FF7: Crisis Core, Burnout and Portable Ops are all viable reasons.


Also, I heard Lumines Live is supposed to be bad because it's about 1/10 of the game, and you have to pay for the rest in seperate packages.

RainbowDespair

I love Lumines Live. Yeah, $22.50 (1200 points + 600 points) is a lot for a Live Arcade title, but I think it's a good enough game to warrant it. I was playing it, thinking it was a decent game and then everything clicked and I fell in love with it. Truly one of the best puzzle games ever made.

desperaterobots

Triton wrote:

Lumines Live! is pretty good - my main gripe with it is just the feel of the d-pad on the Xbox controller frequently ends with me misfiring and putting a block in the wrong position. It just feels loose and imprecise. This is coming from someone who was able to hit the max score of 999,999 in the original on PSP. The best part about Lumines Live! IMO is the high score battling you can do with all the other users on Xbox Live.

Can you change the control layout? Move side to side with the bumpers or something? Because I had this problem too but eventually came to play just as well as I did on my PSP. I'm hungover now, so I can't exactly remember how that happened, experience or control layout change. Although you're right, if the 360 controller has a failing, it's that floaty d-pad.

Duchess Prozac

Lumines is pretty good, but the most addictive and fun puzzle game is either Super Puzzle Fighter. Tetris or Puzzle Bobble.

Spackle

redstormpopcorn wrote:

The cell phone version is surprisingly good, even if the arcade mode gets ridiculously hard at around the third 'boss' level on medium and it's basically impossible to lose at the challenge and single-skin ones.

Really? I think the cell-phone (Lumines Mobile) is quite, just a bit to easy for my taste. I'm working my way through 'Hard' mode on the aracde, at about the 3rd boss.

I really enjoyed Lumines Live. Not very good at it (never broke 70 blocks in 1 minute) or got 250k+ in normal mode. But it's a great game.

Hullabaloo

If we're allowed to bring up old puzzlers, Super Puzzle fighter 2 turbo is my favourite puzzle game. I don't know what the general opinion on it is, but i've had loads of fun playing that game with others.

I've been looking into getting lumines once I get a psp, but I just wanted to ask - how many hours would you get out of the game? I've read some things saying it's short - but that sounds kind of odd when talking about a puzzle game.

Zombiemambo

I've tried so hard to like this game (the PSP version), but I just can't. That fun factor isn't there for me. I can see how people would find it fun, but to me it feels like just another puzzle game.

Feral

FreddyD wrote:

I got hooked on Devil Dice / Bombastic. You manipulate dice on an isometric game board in order to match them up by number (2 2s, 3 3s, etc.). Combos took a lot of planning but you were never really punished for failing to execute one (unlike falling block games). It was really zen.

These are really underappreciated games.

AlphaTwo

Feral wrote:

FreddyD wrote:

I got hooked on Devil Dice / Bombastic. You manipulate dice on an isometric game board in order to match them up by number (2 2s, 3 3s, etc.). Combos took a lot of planning but you were never really punished for failing to execute one (unlike falling block games). It was really zen.

These are really underappreciated games.

And I got it for $7. What a bargin.

ben0207

Lumines is great, but as someone who is entirely colourblind it lured me into a false sense of security thinking it was a pzzle game I could play, then giving me a skin a few levels in where bothe colours are exactly the same (to my horrible broken eyes )

Triton

desperaterobots wrote:

Can you change the control layout? Move side to side with the bumpers or something? Because I had this problem too but eventually came to play just as well as I did on my PSP. I'm hungover now, so I can't exactly remember how that happened, experience or control layout change. Although you're right, if the 360 controller has a failing, it's that floaty d-pad.

Hrm, maybe. I think you can change the buttons for which buttons rotate the blocks what ways but I'm not sure about the movement controls. Changing it to the bumpers would be crazy though - would take a lot of getting used to.

I can use the Xbox d-pad fine in most situations but when it gets hectic and I'm making really quick movements I feel like a good amount of the time it's the instrument so to speak and not me that is causing bricks to be off-by-one. Floaty is a good way to describe it... the feedback of the press on the PSP d-pad is immediately apparent whereas on the Xbox it can be difficult sometimes to know when the button press was registered.

leaf

Hullabaloo wrote:

If we're allowed to bring up old puzzlers, Super Puzzle fighter 2 turbo is my favourite puzzle game. I don't know what the general opinion on it is, but i've had loads of fun playing that game with others.

I've been looking into getting lumines once I get a psp, but I just wanted to ask - how many hours would you get out of the game? I've read some things saying it's short - but that sounds kind of odd when talking about a puzzle game.

The cherry song is both cool, and also kills me every time I've tried.

Depends, are you able to go back and play tetris over and over? If so, you'll be able to play lumines over and over as well, if you're at all remotely like me in obsessively playing puzzle games like that.

Torgo

theclam wrote:

They should really release a Tetris Attack for the DS.

Like this?

Roshin

Shooter Mcgavin wrote:

Oddly enough, I just downloaded the Lumines Live! demo last night, because everyone constantly talks about it. To me it just felt like a glorified Tetris, only there's only one shape. Obviously, the shape is made of colors, but still....it may as well be called "stack boxes n stuff". Then again, I only played it for about 20 minutes, so I might need to give it another chance.

I felt exactly the same. Everyone talks about it and I just don't see what's special about it?

Tingle

leaf

I wish I could lime that somehow...

Drunk_caterpillar

I hate to do this...

Lumines, your virtual crack.

I remember that there was a Lumines Plus announced for the PS2 a while ago that still hasn't materialized, but as someone who doesn't have a PSP or a 360 I would be very interested in owning that.

core tactic

But Lumines is the subject, so it makes sense.

Drunk_caterpillar

core tactic wrote:

But Lumines is the subject, so it makes sense.

Well, tell you what... Let's just not argue this one. There's nothing more despicable than an internet grammar fight.

The_Dciple

Lumines, you are virtual crack.

and...

Lumines, your virtual crack.

Two separate sentences with different meanings.

core tactic

The_Dciple wrote:

Lumines, you are virtual crack.

and...

Lumines, your virtual crack.

Two separate sentences with different meanings.

And I meant the first one.

Mitsuhide

leaf wrote:

Lumines is awsome, I just can't justify getting a PSP for just the one game =\

I'll second Meteos. When I got my DS for Christmas I bought that and FF3, and I have to say I play Meteos more. The stylus controls just feel so smooth. Also, the variety of 'planets' (stages) is actually pretty varied, as someone could enter a, say, lava planet and the blocks would move a lot slower, making it harder and harder to clear. As for Lumines, it's basically the only PSP game that would glorify a purchase, personally. (except Loco Roco )

I was at Wal-Mart yesterday, (please, resist flogging for a moment) and as I was browsing for Portrait of Ruin (which is fantastic by the way) I saw a brand-new copy of Lumines for twelve dollars. I was appalled. :x

core tactic

Why were you appalled? It IS a launch title, to be fair.

littwentythree

Lumines is basically the only game I play when I go over to one of my friend's houses. I was really close to buying a PSP last week just for this game, but I had to go with the DS just because it has (in my opinion) a much better library. Still, I almost went for the PSP.

I'll have to check out Meteos and see if it's as good as some of you say.

core tactic

God damn it, I don't understand why people are still saying the PSP has a poor game selection. It's been over a year now and I can list at least 10 amazing PSP games off the top of my head.

littwentythree

I didn't say that, I said the DS has a better selection. I'm on a budget here.

core tactic

Therer are plenty of cheap PSP games actually. I know that Wipeout Pure is under 10 bucks.

littwentythree

In the end, this just comes down to opinion.

Knob

I got the demo of Lumines and I hated it. 'Oh great, generic puzzle game #78,946' I exclaimed.

I played through the demo levels a couple of times while waiting for other stuff, fun stuff to finish downloading.

And then it clicked. And now I'm fucking rabid for it. I just finished a 1,350,000 point Advanced mode run, which was good enough to nab me the #19 spot on the weekly leaderboards. I'm stoked, it's the first time I've broken the top 20 on any leaderboard ever.