N+

SCORE: 83

N+ impressed me during my time in the Atari booth back at E3 in the year of our Lord 2009. For some odd reason we lost track of this game, and never got it on the review track. That mistake has been rectified with this Playstation Portable (PSP) review. Players get to take on the role of a supernaturally fast ninja. The goal of this hand held video game is to collect gold, and make it to the next level without getting blown to bits. There are a lot of traps that are there to turn the player into itty bitty pieces. Aspiring designers are given the tools to develop their own levels.

The graphics are a bit of a drag in my opinion. Most of the levels contain bland graphics, and the playable ninja is slightly better looking than a stick figure. The colors do contrast against each other well, and each different character (although some look like robots to me) is easily distinguished. The animations of the little guy (editor: we are assuming it is a guy) dancing around are pretty neat especially if you have an appreciation for break dancing. Dying happens a lot, and the character goes into pieces which sets off other traps like mines.

Atari made sure the gamer is rewarded for completing a series of levels (aka an episode) with a sound that got my juices flowing. The normal music is also exceptional in N+. The explosion sounds especially when touching a mine accidentally added to the frustration. I am not thrilled about the pursuit of gold, since it is a hollow and meaningless pursuit. I however thought more about getting by each puzzle without dying.

N+ has great replayability. With two hundred single player levels. There are levels for multiplayer modes, and players can create their own. I have seen this game selling for just under twenty dollars, and feel it is worth the money.

There are moments in N+ that the controls are brilliant. There are some other times when I struggled to get through an easy jump. Usually I could figure out what the problem was, but not always. N+ is amazingly addictive. If I failed on a level I would try again, and again, and again. This is one of those PSP games that gets under your skin. I did find some fun in this hand held video game, and it is one of the more interesting titles to come from Atari in awhile.

I have already mentioned my lack of fondness of anything supportive of greed. N+ does not preach greed, but it is part of the documentation for those of us that take the time to ask what the storyline is about. Using your brain, solving problems, and enhancing those reflexes are some of the good lessons.
- Paul

Graphics: 76%
Sound: 88%
Replay/Extras: 90%
Gameplay: 80%
Family Friendly Factor: 81%
System: Playstation Portable
Publisher: Atari
Rating: 'E' for Everyone
{Mild Fantasy Violence}

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