Alright so i just got done dedicating my would be day off to playing my newly free PSP from my bro. I started playing lumines at about 12 tis afternoon and took some breaks here and there and i just now stopped. First off let me tell you that this game is really akward at first.
When i first popped in Lumines, i thought for sure i was gonna love it no matter what. I loved Rez, Space channel 5, everything that dude does ( i forgot how to spell his name and i'm lazy right now). I first tried single player mode, single skin. Just to get a feel for what the heck was going on. I figured it out pretty fast and learned the ropes. Although at first glance and playtest i wasn't even moderately impressed. I loved the look, and the music is freaking amazing, but it just seemed to simplistic and it felt like i could download a flash game and play it. So i decided to go back to the main menu and check out the other modes. I than proceeded to try out puzzle mode. If you get this game i suggest you start out with puzzle mode. It makes you think about how to arrange the blocks to make certain things, arrows, alligators, etc. It sounds wierd but you have orange blocks and white blocks. You arrange it so the orange blocks look like something
XXX
OOO
XOX
XOX
OOO
Even though what i just tried to make there in the game wouldn't be possible, that is the Letter I. The "O" is orange and "X" being white. So with the orange i made a I. Needless to say I got totally hooked on the puzzle mode instantly and was determined to master it. There are some tough ones in puzzle. If your reading this remember this one, "Create 4x4" Unbelievably hard. I even had a post in the portable gaming section of the forums desperate for help, but i figured it out and it was TOUGH to do let me tell ya.
Now i take a 2-3 hour break and do some other stuff and come back to the game around 8. I decide lets try challenge mode in single player. Challenge mode is a mode where you basiaclly try to stay "alive" (screen not full of blocks i.e tetris) as long as you can. You just keep creating four by four of the same color then it makes a solid block and it gets "wiped" by the sliding time keeper. I was having fun and all the sudden the song changes and the colors and backgrounds change and the blocks look different and i sorta made a funny face and said "Hrmp?" Its called "skins," you unlock skins by staying alive through each song and then the blocks change and you have unlocked that "skin". I thought that was ok and pretty cool. I still wasn't excited about the single player tetris like mode though. I went back to puzzle until about 10ish and got alot unlocked. I noticed that i started to understand the methods of how to drop and the strategies of how to drop to get some sick scores in certain puzzles that required it. So, after another break, i decided to try it again at about 1:30 am today. I go to challenge mode again, single player tetris like mode, and start it up. It happened. It clicked. Something in my brain went click, and i got it and i started making some incredible combo's and crazy stuff started happening and i said "whoa" (in a neo voice) and i was hooked. To give you an idea of how much fun i had and how hooked i was, i just set it down to write this. Currently its 4 am. When i started it was 1:30 am. I didn't even realize that so much time had passed. Two player mode, which i forgot to put up there in the review, i can't tell how it is yet cause NO one else has this. I did try out Vs. cpu and man if thats what two player is going to be, omg awesome party game. Think screen split and everytime you get a 2x combo or higher it moves over the opponents screen so they have less space to do drops and combo's. Similiar to Shaun palmers pro boarders, "Push" mode. Awesome fun and man i would love to play people in that.
I have to say that right now the PSP is incredibly impressive, and your talking to a sorta anti handheld guy. I usually think handheld is for kids and people who like subpar stuff. I do have a GBA sp, had a DS, sold that next day. PSP though is different guys, its not your normal handheld, its almost like a high tech multimedia player that has PS2 graphics. I can tell you that so far i would recommend the PSP to anyone. I have NEVER EVER EVER played a handheld game for almost 3 hours straight like i did tonight. I can't imagine what will happen later today when i get Hot Shots golf. I did download some music, sounds fantastic and has good software that works fast. I did upload a movie also, I downloaded Napoleon Dynamite at 768kps with 128k audio and i have to say that it's dvd quality with Mpeg 4 format. Guys this could be it, this could be the killer app that is going to change the portable gaming industry, much like Playstation 1 changed everything, my prediction is that the PSP is going to change portables forever. Let me just say this, as a AVID portable hater, Nintendo you got you work cut out for you and DS is definately not going to get it done. I know the DS has great games coming out, but from what i've seen so far, people are attracted to looks also. If i'm standing in a Retail store and i know NOTHING about games and i'm looking for a inexpensive Christmas present, you know the BIG present you get each year from the folks, and i look at the DS and the PSP and they have the same price tag. I'm definately picking up the PSP. Video's, MP3, PS2 graphics, Great control, amazing sound, UNREAL screen (i mean it when you boot it up the screen literally made me laugh with delite i literally gasped at it). DS good luck, its going to take a "revolution" to stop this handheld.
Thanks for reading
Maynard
PS no ds wars here please, keep your comment to questions about the review and thoughts about what you think, i dont mind ds comments just no DS wars (that means you nintendo avatar fanboys :P)
like we haven't heard that tired shit before.
