Nino
May 7th, 2007, 01:29
While you were chainsawing mofos in Gears of Bore and plasma swording people in Halo 2 I was out playing Puzzle Quest all day on my PSP and boy let me tell you. It's great. I initially thought little of it and ignored it because I don't like RPGs or strategy games but this game is my new favorite handheld game since Lumines. It's a weird blend between Bejeweld and an RPG and it works really really well. You basically take turns with your opponent while playing Bejeweld and certain items on the screen represent certain actions. If you combine 3 skulls you do 5 points worth of damage to your opponent, if you collect the colored squares you get mana to do your spells and the purple stars gain you experience to level up your character. This simple concept works really really well and the recent XBLA announcement (http://www.xboxic.com/news/2835) means that you will be all over this when it comes out, mark my words. I do a poor job at descriptions so here's a little quote from the official website (located here (http://www.infinite-interactive.com/puzzlequest/)).
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is a brand new, genre-bending title that ups the ante on traditional puzzle games by incorporating strategy, role-playing elements and a persistent storyline. Set in the Warlords universe, the game challenges players to save the land of Etheria from evil Lord Bane as gamers engage in battles fought by means of competitive, head-to-head "match-three" style puzzle games in one of three gameplay modes: Single-player, Instant Action or Multiplayer. Victory will advance a player's customisable hero, magical arsenal, creature companions and more—ultimately rewarding gamers at nearly every turn and deepening their immersion into the richly diverse world. The game's remarkable mix of classic puzzle gameplay and an abundant suite of characters, customisations, spells, companions, tameable monsters and more provides a fresh take on the puzzle genre that offers endless hours of replayability. Designed specifically for handheld gaming systems, Puzzle Quest can be enjoyed in long or short doses, cultivating a casual but deeply satisfying and compelling gameplay experience.
http://files.xboxic.com/xbox-360/puzzle-quest/thumbs/puzzlequest.jpg
(yeah you get to take another turn if you manage to combine 4 of the same items in a row, a key technique to winning your battles)
http://www.infinite-interactive.com/images/PQ_PSP_20.jpg
(world map)
http://www.infinite-interactive.com/images/PQ_PSP_21.jpg
(gameplay)
http://www.infinite-interactive.com/images/PQ_PSP_23.jpg
(gameplay)
http://www.infinite-interactive.com/images/PQ_PSP_22.jpg
(gameplay)
(screenshots from the PSP version)
I drained my batteries twice today during this highy addictive piece of gaming crack, I suggest you check out the PSP demo if you have PSP or get really really stoked for the Xbox Live Arcade release later this year. It's also available on DS but I dunno how that version is. You can thank me later.
Edit: PC DEMO HERE (http://www.gamedaily.com/canvases/gd/_a/download-puzzle-quest-demo/20070315101009990002)
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is a brand new, genre-bending title that ups the ante on traditional puzzle games by incorporating strategy, role-playing elements and a persistent storyline. Set in the Warlords universe, the game challenges players to save the land of Etheria from evil Lord Bane as gamers engage in battles fought by means of competitive, head-to-head "match-three" style puzzle games in one of three gameplay modes: Single-player, Instant Action or Multiplayer. Victory will advance a player's customisable hero, magical arsenal, creature companions and more—ultimately rewarding gamers at nearly every turn and deepening their immersion into the richly diverse world. The game's remarkable mix of classic puzzle gameplay and an abundant suite of characters, customisations, spells, companions, tameable monsters and more provides a fresh take on the puzzle genre that offers endless hours of replayability. Designed specifically for handheld gaming systems, Puzzle Quest can be enjoyed in long or short doses, cultivating a casual but deeply satisfying and compelling gameplay experience.
http://files.xboxic.com/xbox-360/puzzle-quest/thumbs/puzzlequest.jpg
(yeah you get to take another turn if you manage to combine 4 of the same items in a row, a key technique to winning your battles)
http://www.infinite-interactive.com/images/PQ_PSP_20.jpg
(world map)
http://www.infinite-interactive.com/images/PQ_PSP_21.jpg
(gameplay)
http://www.infinite-interactive.com/images/PQ_PSP_23.jpg
(gameplay)
http://www.infinite-interactive.com/images/PQ_PSP_22.jpg
(gameplay)
(screenshots from the PSP version)
I drained my batteries twice today during this highy addictive piece of gaming crack, I suggest you check out the PSP demo if you have PSP or get really really stoked for the Xbox Live Arcade release later this year. It's also available on DS but I dunno how that version is. You can thank me later.
Edit: PC DEMO HERE (http://www.gamedaily.com/canvases/gd/_a/download-puzzle-quest-demo/20070315101009990002)