HIGH Tutorials that help me get better at Lumines.

LOW Visual overload can make it hard to focus.

WTF How is the soundtrack this good?

TRANSCRIPT:

Hi everyone, Eugene Sax here with another review from GameCritics.com.

I haven’t played a lot of Lumines, historically.

The remastered version from 2018 was my first intro to the series, and honestly… well, I didn’t really enjoy that first pass at it. It felt too loud, both audio and visually, and I couldn’t wrap my head around the horizontal puzzle style. Knowing that the people behind Tetris Effect were also behind Lumines, though, I wanted to give it another shot and see if this new entry was a better way to get into this franchise.

Mea culpa, Lumines — I was wrong about you. (At least in some ways.)

Lumines: Arise is a block dropping puzzle in conversation with Tetris, but rather than the classic tetrominos filling horizontal lines, it instead focuses on asking the player to create 2×2 blocks anywhere on a horizontal plane. Blocks drop from the top of the screen, and players need to move them around in order to create 2×2, 3×3, or larger, in order to score points. A “timeline” moves across the screen and erases any complete blocks it comes across, clearing more room for players to create more blocks, and so on. There is also a rare “chain block” that will allow all linked blocks of the same color to be erased from the timeline, even if they’re not in the shape of a square.

The big mechanical addition to this version is “burst”.

As players create blocks, a meter will fill at the top of the playfield. At any point, players will be able to activate the burst, which then stops blocks from falling for a few moments. If players can create a block during this burst period, it will cause blocks of the opposite color to fly above the screen. Players can continue and make more fly up. All of those blocks come rushing back down once the burst is over, then creating a large chunk of squares to combo with.

Gameplay is broken up into a couple of modes for Arise.

Journey takes players through sets of stages (four or five, normally) with increasing difficulty as things progress. Playlist mode allows players to combine their favorite stages together in a custom order to play, or just to watch if they want to take in the visuals and music. Lastly, there’s multiplayer, which consists of some solo leaderboard competition or battle modes.

I also will shout out the tutorials specifically as Arise tailors them to new players and gives small missions that make it easy to understand and learn not only how to play, but also how to grasp more advanced techniques. These tutorials made me better in a way other puzzle titles haven’t.

At this point in the review, it feels a little like burying the lead to only just now mention the visuals and the music.

Since each stage only has two colors players need to match, this mechanical simplicity allows for some creative and striking ways to keep the play field visually interesting, and the developers lean hard into delivering over-the-top sound and graphics, far above what you might expect for a puzzle title.

One in particular that I enjoyed was a food-themed level. Blocks started as red apples and green melons, but then changed to broccoli and tomatoes as I got further in, while classical string music played in the background. Another had orbs of fish and hermit crab shells that changed color to reflect the sun setting on the beach landscape behind the playfield while listening to slow, smooth pop vocals. The visuals and music combine masterfully to pull players into Arise on a level above just block-matching, and it eats up time in a way that hasn’t happened to me in a long while.

With that said, some of the levels do get overwhelming as previous versions of the game. However, there is a moment of pause and the music fades out between each song, giving a welcome break to catch your breath and reset before going into the next stage. There are also a wealth of accessibility options that allow players to adjust any of the visual stimuli including background effects, particle effects on the playfield, and so on. If it’s too much to take in visually, it can be turned down.

While my memories of playing it in the past weren’t great, the masterful music and visual presence combined in Lumines: Arise really turned me around on the series. It’s not one to miss!

For me, Lumines: Arise gets 8.5 blocks exploding into glitter out of 10.

Disclosures: This game is developed by Enhance and Monstars, Inc. and published by Enhance. It is currently available on PS5, PSVR2 and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 6.5 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. Around 1 hour was spent in multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated E and contains Mild Fantasy Violence.  The blocks will explode into particles on screen, fantasy violence amounts to spiders and snakes that fight each other in the background (but these can be turned off in accessibility menus).

Colorblind Modes: There are multiple colorblind modes available.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: Sound is not needed to complete the game. Captions for character dialogue can be resized. The game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: The controls are completely remappable.

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HIGH The VR integration works beautifully.

LOW There’s no adversarial multiplayer.

WTF Why is the default camera zoomed out so far?

‘Tetsuya Mizuguchi does Tetris‘.

These four simple words perfectly describe Tetris Effect as the developer of Rez and Lumines brings his unmistakable brand of soaring, trippy visuals and marries them to a soundtrack that melds perfectly into the onscreen action.

Before going further in a review like this, we generally explain what the game is, but I mean, really… is there anyone out there who doesn’t know what Tetris is? All right, just in case… Tetris is a puzzler where differently-shaped blocks called Tetrominos fall from the sky into a pit, and if they’re arranged neatly into lines with no gaps, they disappear and award the player some points. Over time they drop faster and faster until it becomes nearly impossible to keep up, and if the blocks stack up too high, then it’s game over.

Well, that’s the core game at least. Where Tetris Effect shakes things up is in the various modes it has to offer, all uniquely themed to offer a stunning audiovisual trip.

The main mode is Journey. It’s here that players will embark on a playthrough of Tetris against a backdrop of constantly-changing environments, visual styles and soundtracks. While the gameplay remains faithful to the original with just a few small tweaks, hearing soothing audio play while skimming waves alongside dolphins or being in the middle of a frenzied ritual filled with half-naked weirdos worshipping a flame certainly adds a new spin.

While the diversity of biomes and sound effects means that not every arrangement will appeal to every player, it’s a seriously cool experience overall and a great introduction to the other gameplay modes available – and there’s a ton, with fifteen to start.

For example, Marathon mode has players attempt to clear 150 lines whilst attaining the highest score they can on the stage of their choice. Then there’s Ultra mode, where players clear as many blocks as they can in three minutes, or Countdown mode, where players try to set it up so that a block falling from the sky in several turns will clear the lines they set up. There are a pile more, and all have their own leaderboards. Don’t expect to closely contest the best players in the world though — exceptional Tetris players are absolute savages.

Possibly the most amusing one is Mystery mode — it’s a standard, vanilla game of Tetris with the quirk being that random effects will occasionally interject themselves. Ever played Tetris upside down, or have bombs and giant blocks suddenly appear on screen? It’s an interesting experience, for sure.

For experts, there’s also an option to play the aptly-named Master mode where blocks streak to the bottom in nanoseconds. As a lark, I dialed the speed up to maximum and was surprised to find that I often couldn’t even move the blocks left or right before they slammed into the bottom of the pit. Clear 300 lines at that speed? Nice try, mate.

On top of this, there’s an experience system for unlocking various avatars and the like. Unfortunately, EXP is only earned for games completed, which is a missed opportunity since it’s unlikely that players going for high scores will stick it out to the very end if things start going south.

One of Tetris Effect‘s other selling points is the VR integration. While the devs were undoubtedly constrained by what they could realistically do given that players are essentially just playing Tetris, they’ve still managed to craft utterly engrossing virtual spaces to be absorbed into — things like flames and other particle effects swimming around in front of the player, or seeing the camera pan out to dizzying heights over a mountain range..

Even better, with the ability to choose a mode that dispenses with Tetris part of the equation, it’s possible to just relax and experience these environments without having to focus on the game. Owning a VR headset may not be required for Tetris Effect, but having played it in that manner for hours at a time, I doubt I could go back to playing it flat at this point.

There are some small oversights that are disappointing, of course — there’s no ability to download replays from the best players in the world to see how they approach things, and it’s not possible to challenge others to adversarial game modes online. Allegedly this is because the developers didn’t want to introduce mechanics that could stress players out. However, I see that as a great big thundering lie considering the palpitations that occur when the fall speed goes above 10.

Overall, it’s tough to describe Tetris Effect as anything other than what it is – a great game of Tetris with a bunch of cool modes and filtered through the same stylistic lens as Lumines and Rez. It looks awesome in VR too, though the lack of greater online functionality is unfortunate. Still, it turns out that the Effect of playing Tetris is simply having a damned good time. Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Enhance Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is currently available on Playstation 4. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher. Approximately 12 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game’s Journey mode was completed. There are no multiplayer modes, only online leaderboards.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game has not been rated. However, it’s Tetris. There is literally nothing here that could offend anyone other than a crazed psychopath deliberately looking for things to be offended by.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available in the options.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: Despite Tetris Effect‘s efforts to tie audio into the visuals, there is no actual reliance on the audio for gameplay purposes, and it should therefore be completely playable in all modes. Text cannot be resized, and is used only for menus and relevant onscreen information — see pics above.

Remappable Controls: There is no single control diagram, although the controls are explained during a tutorial. Certain functions are remappable – as in, whether or not the camera is controlled with the d-pad or the left analog stick. The other buttons cannot be reconfigured. O rotates blocks clockwise, X rotates counterclockwise. Pushing down on the d-pad brings blocks down faster. Pushing up on the d-pad brings blocks down instantly. L1 or R1 will place/remove a block in a “hold” queue. L2 or R2 activates a special “zone” mode.

[*Special thanks to @BobbyBlackwolf for his assistance with this review. – Ed.]

The post Tetris Effect Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

Here Michael Cunningham, lifelong gamer and fountain of wisdom currently on loan from RPGamer.com, gives his thoughts on some of the Vita launch titles. Michael has been burning through a stack of titles, spending between one and three hours with each.

To be clear, these are not final, scored reviews, they're thoughts and impressions from extremely sharp gamers meant to give a little guidance and share some knowledge.

If you have already taken the plunge and purchased a Vita and games, we'd love to hear what you thought of the system and the launch titles. (Please leave a comment below.)

The Software

Touch My Katamari

The Katamari series has always been an amalgamation of disturbingly weird content and insanely addictive gameplay, and Touch My Katamari does not break that trend. Players once again control the little green Prince as he carries out ridiculous requests for the King of All Cosmos. The core concept for the Vita version remains unchanged from prior releases, as players are still tasked with rolling their katamari ball around cluttered stages, gathering up items.

The key change in Touch is the ability to flatten out the katamari to gather more items at once or to fit it into tight spaces. It's a natural addition to the formula and it makes the game more accessible to newcomers–on the other hand, it can make things a little too simple for series vets. Difficulty aside, this is one of the smoothest Katamari games to control and the best portable version to date thanks to the option of using dual stick controls or the touch screen.

For anyone yet to try the Katamari series, this is a great entry point. It features everything that makes the games fun, and is extremely accessible thanks to the new mechanics. Long time fans will enjoy this as well, but they should be aware that it doesn't offer much that's new. The stages, goals, and extras are more or less the same as they have been over the past few games. Katamari was a blindingly original game idea when it debuted, but it's been sad to see that the developers have been hesitant to move it into new territory.

Verdict: The best portable Katamari, but it doesn't offer much for long-time fans.

Lumines: Electronic Symphony

Lumines was one of the most popular games for the PSP, and Q Entertainment is attempting to recapture that success on the Vita with Lumines: Electronic Symphony.

A puzzle game with a strong emphasis on the electronica music that plays in the background, the concept of Lumines is rather straightforward. Squares consisting of four colored blocks drop, and players must match or stack four blocks of the same color to remove them from the board. There are only two different colors to work with, so the gameplay isn't extremely complex and it's also worth noting that both standard and touch controls are supported. However, regardless of which control type a player prefers, it's easy to learn but difficult to master.

As players progress through the game, different background skins (think of them as stages) are unlocked. Electronic Symphony features an XP system where players can unlock these skins, as well as new avatars, by simply building up points over time instead of having to be skilled enough to obtain them in a single playthrough.

Making this an even deeper experience than the original is the addition of new block types. The chain block helps clear areas quickly, and the wildcard shuffle block might help or harm depending on how it's used. In addition, avatars also possess a special ability to use during play, such as creating a chain block. There's also World Block mode, where players can work toward a united goal of clearing a set number of blocks for bonus experience.

Verdict: It's a great pick-up-and-play puzzler, and works best as a digital download so that it's always available as a backup on the Vita without needing to carry the game card around.

Michael Jackson: The Experience

Like many of Ubisoft's Vita launch titles, Michael Jackson: The Experience is already available on other platforms. The console versions have players dancing along with the videos of classic Michael Jackson songs while the portable versions have players using touch screen controls instead. The Vita version is no exception, as it uses a similar formula to what the DS, 3DS, and iOS releases offer.

In Elite Beat Agents-style, players are injected into a Michael Jackson music video where they must perform screen-swiping actions along with the beat of the song to score points. This could mean tapping a certain part of the screen, swiping a line, or tracing a swirl. The controls are intuitive, but due to the size of the Vita, it can often be difficult to complete these actions while holding the system. Tapping the top and bottom of the screen and then quickly moving to clockwise swipes can also be difficult due to hands obstructing the view of the screen. Placing the Vita on a surface makes this much more manageable, but obviously, this hinders its portability.

Control issues aside, Michael Jackson: The Experience is shockingly fun, assuming you're a fan of the King of Pop's music. I found myself often coming back for a quick session of "Smooth Criminal" or "Billie Jean" when I only had a few minutes of downtime.

Considering this is available in other, less expensive portable forms, it's hard to say this is a great investment for gamers with other options despite the Vita version looking sharp, visually. It's also important to note that there doesn't seem to be a lot of depth, simply harder versions of the same songs. It's difficult to say how long it will stay fresh, but it should be an enjoyable experience for Michael Jackson fans.

Verdict: Surprisingly fun for fans of MJ's music, but don't expect depth.

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack

In my opinion, Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is the most enjoyable title to hit the PlayStation Vita at launch. It follows the same format as 2011's PSN release Tales from Space: About a Blob– players control a blob in a 2D environment as it has to continuously eat items in order to grow larger. Imagine 2D Katamari Damacy with a platforming twist, and you'll get a good idea what it is.

For example, the game's first area is a college, so players will take their blob through the frat house and other collegiate areas. The blob will eat his way through all the items in a dorm room, devouring every small objects in its way until it's large enough to move on to the next area. Some sections are quite challenging and will likely require many attempts to pass, but the game is so full of variety and crazy stages that any hard work is worth it.

Though only available as a digital download, it's easily worth the purchase, especially compared to the other full-priced, packaged titles available at launch. Mutant Blobs Attack is a fantastic addition to the Vita library, and a great game to wave the banner for smaller digital releases on the system.

Verdict: If you like fun, don't miss this one. It's simple, challenging, affordable, and enjoyable.

Dungeon Hunter: Alliance

If you have an iOS device or a PlayStation 3, you've already had an opportunity to play Dungeon Hunter: Alliance, and for much less than the asking price of this version.

The PSN release last year brought multiplayer to what was initially a single player iOS release, but offered little additional content. The Vita release offers the exact same experience on the go. It supports four-player Wi-Fi, local co-op, but features the same tedium found in the other versions. The worst part about this situation is that Gameloft has released other iterations of Dungeon Hunter on iOS which show that the studio has new ideas, but Ubisoft instead opted to bring out the original game again.

Anyone playing Dungeon Hunter better not be playing for the story, as there's little interesting going on in that area. While it can be somewhat enjoyable in the drop-in, drop-out multiplayer mode, the monotony sets in pretty quickly. It's nothing more than a simple loot-grinding game with characters that are too small to tell whether they're wearing the new gear you just picked up, which eliminates half the fun of gathering loot in the first place.

While I've yet to play Sony's upcoming Warrior's Lair, I can't help but recommend that people wait to see if it contains more depth than this. At least that's an original game, not a port of a port of a shoddy iOS title. There was very little effort put into Alliance beyond simply making it technically sound on the Vita–it played smoothly and I was able to join and host games with no problems, but I can't say I had fun during any of those sessions.

Verdict: Do not waste your time, but if you cannot help yourself, try a cheaper version first.

Asphalt: Injection

The other Gameloft offering for the Vita launch, Asphalt: Injection is (believe it or not) the lesser of the pair. The Asphalt series on iOS is on its sixth release, the most recent of which actually looks nicer than Injection does and likely offers just as many options–not that I'd recommend the iOS version, but like with Dungeon Hunter: Alliance, it shows how little energy Gameloft put into these Vita releases.

Despite having thumbsticks and buttons to work with, the starting cars don't control very well, often feeling loose and awkward to steer. The courses are dull, uninspired, and offer little motivation to replay them. The opponents are never far behind regardless of how much boost is used or how far ahead the player gets. Knocking other cars out of the race is always an option, but that's easier said than done, and make sure to avoid crashing if you don't want to wind up in last place pretty quickly. In spite of my best efforts to give Asphalt a chance, the game did nothing to make me care.

Injection does offer both online and local multiplayer modes along with a variety of single player options, but despite that, the game is lacking at its core, and offers not even a bit of entertainment.

Verdict: Lacking in quality, content, and doesn't even look all that good.

Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational

Since the Vita launched, Hot Shots Gold: World Invitational is easily the game I've spent the most time with–it's a very solid golf game, offering local and Wi-Fi tournaments. Players can also choose to play alone, scoring points to access more characters, courses, and equipment.

The game's wacky cast of characters each have different skills they excel in, but unfortunately, there are no options for a player to create their own. While a custom character option would have been fantastic, having to unlock content does add a carrot to keep players going. Unlocking a new character or a new outfit can sometimes give a reason to keep going in what would be a rather short experience otherwise. Even with its anime-style characters, Hot Shots is a fairly straightforward golf title; nothing more, nothing less.

Technically, the online modes I mentioned are a welcome addition, even if they are somewhat confusing to get started. Ad hoc mode is merely a local match, but the online features both an asynchronous tournament and a course to download, play through, and then upload to the leaderboards. It's nice to have multiplayer options that don't require any specific time commitment, and it works perfectly here.

Verdict: A great golf game with robust multiplayer options, but lacking in customization.

Dynasty Warriors Next

While I can't speak with authority about the Dynasty Warriors series, my time with Dynasty Warriors Next was interesting. Next offers little in the way of easing players in, so I dove head first into the campaign to see what it had to offer. What I found was a lot of action, a great deal of assuming that I understood the plot (I didn't), and then more action.

I'd heard stories that the Dynasty Warriors games were all about slicing and dicing hundreds and hundreds of foes, and Next does not disappoint on that end. After a brief cinematic where three warriors vow to fight together until death, that promise was quickly put to the test as they were tossed into a battle against an army of easily defeated foes. The game handled well and ran smoothly, even if enemies did seem to pop in out of nowhere. That said, it was simple to cut through wave after wave of attackers, and thanks to a touch screen feature, I was able to send an additional squad across the map to conquer other areas. Everything was streamlined, including the touch screen and motion-controlled attacks.

My enjoyment continued over into the conquest mode where I created my own soldier and once again attempted to clear a map. I had no issues vanquishing all who opposed me until I got to the end and had to go one-on-one against an enemy commander using only the touch screen to fight. This showdown reminded me of Infinity Blade on iOS, and I found only frustration. The controls were slow and inaccurate, and I would up losing my patience after multiple losses. While the rest of the game was rather enjoyable, the required touch screen duels felt clumsy, forced, and ruined the enjoyment I was having with the rest of game.

Verdict: Fun, mindless combat marred by horrible required touch screen sections.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus

Team Ninja's action title Ninja Gaiden has really gotten around. Initially released on the Xbox in 2004, it was then remade as Ninja Gaiden Black for the 360 in 2005, then again in 2007 as Ninja Gaiden Sigma on the PlayStation 3. Now in 2012, gamers get yet another chance to play the same game as Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus for the Vita. There may be some tweaks to content and gameplay, but all versions are the same retelling of Ryu and the Dark Dragon Blade, and everything fundamental remains unchanged.

This is the first portable version of Team Ninja's well-known Ninja Gaiden, and it looks and runs wonderfully on the Vita. The controls are smooth and the camera handles (for good or for ill) almost exactly as it did on the console versions. Enemies are sneaky and relentless, often hidden more by odd camera angles than by an environmental obstacle. Even on the new easier option, there's still a decent difficulty.

While it brings nothing new to the table, Ninja Gaiden is still an interesting, over-the-top, challenging game, and seeing a console game port this well to the Vita is impressive, and the fact that this is built off the PlayStation 3 version's engine is highly encouraging for future multiplatform titles.

Verdict: If you can't get enough Ninja Gaiden or haven't played the original, it's worth a try.

Army Corps of Hell

Army Corps of Hell has been described by many as Pikmin with demons, but having never played Pikmin, I can't completely verify that statement. What I can say is that Army Corps is a neat little action game that is best played in short bursts because its long-term appeal seems to be lacking.

Players take up the mantle of the Real King of Hell as he gathers an army of minions to prove his might. The story is completely ignorable, because it's all about the gameplay. Controlling the King, players launch their squad into action, swarming and stomping on foes until they're smashed to pieces. This continues over and over until a stage is completed.

While a bout or two of this can be fun, the spark fades rather quickly since there's not a lot of depth. That said, when played a little at a time, it takes longer to wear out its welcome. It can even be rather enjoyable. Playing for any long amount of time shows the game's weaknesses and lack of variety, but doing it in chunks makes the thinness of the content harder to notice.

Verdict: Smashing demons is fun for a bit, but quickly loses its luster during prolonged sessions.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

While Uncharted: Golden Abyss was not developed by series creators Naughty Dog, sub studio Sony Bend still managed to bring a lot of the series staples to the Vita. However, it seems that for every one thing the devs did right, they also took one wrong turn. Golden Abyss sports high production values and looks fantastic, but it's mixed up when it comes to the core gameplay.

The perfect example of this right/wrong dichotomy are the newly implemented touch screen features–they're both quite handy and fairly annoying. It's great to have an option to take down enemies by merely tapping the screen, but having to wipe all over the screen to do a charcoal rubbing is the game serving the technology, and not the technology enhancing the game. That's the thing about Golden Abyss; it's not the optional touch controls that are the problem, it's the forced use of them that sours the experience.

Unfortunately, the new supporting characters aren't that interesting, and the game appears to be heavier on combat. Having action is great, but it doesn't all have to be combat. Shooting and melee sequences have never been the strongest aspect of Uncharted, so taking the focus off of those areas would have been helpful. I hate to sound too negative though, because despite its failings, I'm actually enjoying Golden Abyss.

Basically, players need to go in expecting Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and not the superior Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Fans of the series will love being able to play as Drake on the go, and it's fantastic that Nolan North is reprising his role. That said, if the series has yet to appeal to you, Golden Abyss is not likely to change your mind.

Verdict: It's more Uncharted, but a regression to the original, rather than a progression to something new.

–By Michael A. Cunningham

(Be sure to check out what Matthew Weise impressions of the PS Vita hardware.)

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