Lumines
SCORE: 75
Lumines on the Playstation Portable (PSP) is a first generation
puzzle game that was released a little over a year ago. This is a hard
game to describe. Square blocks that are two by two come from the top to
the bottom. The blocks can have any combination of colors, and can be
rotated. The blocks can also be broken in half, if one half of the block
has open space below it while the other side has connected with existing
blocks. Got all that so far? I sure hope so. The way to remove blocks
from the field of play is to get four of the same color in a two by two
grid. It sounds really complex, but in application it is actually
extremely simple. Then after playing for a little bit, strategies start
to emerge. Those strategies can get deeper as the blocks are dropping
faster.
Graphically Lumines is very bright and colorful. There is one area
where the graphical background is sexually suggestive. There really was
no reason to put that into such a game. This reviewer does have to
question why the ESRB thinks sexually suggestion content is appropriate
for a ten year old. The field of play feels strange since it is so wide,
and not very tall (think of a movie in widescreen). This led to
confusion more than one time for this reviewer during playtime.
The sounds in Lumines are nicely done. The music is very upbeat, and
energetic. The song that goes along with the sexually suggestive visual
background is entitled: "Shake Ya Body." This song has that exact lyric
being sung over and over again. It is obviously by design that Q?
Entertainment did that, and Ubisoft published it. There really is no
point in adding this to a puzzle game, and it hurts this game quite a
bit.
Puzzle games almost always give a lot of reasons to replay them, and
Lumines is no exception. The unlocking of new skins is a welcome
addition. The fact that like most other puzzle games it can be played,
and replayed is most certainly welcome. We found this game being sold
for under twenty US Dollars, and think it can be worth the money. The
major concern has already been mentioned. The other concern is how
addictive this game can be. Like a lot of other puzzle games the player
wants to get farther than before. Lumines is not a game where it can be
quickly played, and then put down again. In a way this is a console game
that was put on a handheld, and it really feels like it would be better
suited on the home video game consoles.
The controls are very quick and responsive in Lumines. The control
scheme works well, and the level design just does not quite feel right
(the widescreen issue). This is a fun game to play, once I learned how
to play it. The weirdest thing was when the colors, and scheme changed.
For some reason that threw me off every time.
*It really is a shame that they had to throw in some sexually suggestive
content. Since it is in the background, some may even miss it. To me, it
is almost like they tried to make it subliminal, which is even more
troublesome. It would have been nice if the game developer had decided
to show women in an honoring, and respectful way. I still hope and pray
for that kind of portrayal in video games. If they can take out the bad
content, a sequel to Lumines would be most welcome indeed (and they are
developing a sequel).
- Paul
Graphics: 73%
Sound: 74%
Replay/Extras: 81%
Gameplay: 83%
Family Friendly Factor: 66%
System: Playstation Portable
Publisher: Ubisoft
Rating: 'E10+' for Everyone 10+
{Suggestive Themes}
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