PSP

Lumines II

It’s hard not to love this game as it is perfectly suited for the handheld world, and the PSP’s large widescreen LCD and music capabilities make it the optimum choice for gamers. The soundtrack may pique your interest, but the gameplay will hook you for hours at a time as you try for that one, dramatic explosion of blocks that cleans the entire slate. The budget price is inviting, and even though the lack of online play is a major disappointment, it shouldn’t keep you from enjoying this genuinely fun game.

"Lumines II" já nasceu com a partida ganha. Traz a mesma fórmula irresistível do antecessor, mas com mais modalidade de jogo, mais conteúdo e novas "skins", incluindo clipes e músicas de artistas da grande mídia, que certamente é um chamariz. É difícil recomendar para quem já tem o antecessor, pois a essência é a mesma - apesar do grande volume de conteúdo desta continuação -, mas se você ainda não viu esse quebra-cabeça, certamente vale conferir o porquê da fama do game.

If you want a second helping of Lumines II go right ahead, you can never get full of addictive and fun gameplay. The original Lumines did everything right and Lumines II follows suit with an upgrade to the visuals with music videos interlaced with the game. Lumines II might not have the same impact as before, but Q Entertainment is still on the pulse.

Lumines II may not reinvent the wheel, but it takes that vaguely attractive wheel, gives it a facelift, and turns it into a beauty queen. The new visual style and the addition of streaming video make Lumines II an even more immersive game than its predecessor. While the lack of online play or significant gameplay additions keep Lumines II from receiving the score of an all-time great, make no mistake: This is one of the best puzzlers to ever grace a game system. It just never feels entirely necessary, especially for those who were not overwhelmed by the original. Still, if you have been feeling the symptoms of withdrawal, hit up your local pusher (or retailer) and take a trip with Lumines II.

Lightning striking twice. The sophomore slump. Sequelitis. Whatever you want to call it, there's always significant concern about a follow up to a successful title. Usually, this is because the game can't recapture the magic that made its predecessor so engaging, comes off as a bland carbon copy or ranges so far away from the formula of the series that it might as well be a standalone. But there are some titles that rise above these issues to surpass their predecessors. For example, when Lumines came out at the launch of the PSP, it was considered to be a classic title for Sony's handheld that set the benchmark for puzzle games rather high. Well, that standard has now been redefined, thanks to Lumines II from Buena Vista Games and Q Entertainment, which provides a larger, richer and more engaging puzzle experience.

For new players like myself, Lumines II is an easy recommendation to make. For returning fans though, the lack of any sort of changes that really impact gameplay may be a tad disappointing. On the whole though, Lumines II is probably the best puzzle game on the PSP, but not as special (hence the lower score) as the first one was.

All of the new content and good-as-ever gameplay make Lumines II a great game and one that's easy to recommend if you haven't played the original. There are lots of great songs and a number of ways to keep busy for hours on end. However, the new play modes might not hold much value for veterans of the series, some of whom might also be turned off by the Americanized soundtrack. But even if it doesn't feel particularly fresh, Lumines II is a great game and one of the best games to hit the PSP this year.

Sans vraiment changer ni évoluer, Lumines est une nouvelle fois une vraie drogue pour qui est attiré par son concept de base. Les possesseurs du premier volet devront réfléchir avant de dépenser 35 nouveaux euros. Les autres pourront s'offrir le titre de Q Entertainment les yeux fermés.

We're cutting Lumines II some big-time slack. This is one of the least-advanced sequels we've seen that doesn’t involve sweaty millionaires tossing around an oblong ball. It's still Lumines, and that means it's an excellent puzzle game. However, if the next installment once again offers only incremental improvements, we're knocking somebody's lights out.

Familiarity aside, however, Mizuguchi’s latest experiment in merging simple mechanics with mesmerizing feedback remains an invigorating success, and probably more compulsive and complete than any other he’s conducted, even if it’s not necessarily the final word on the subject.

Is this sequel worth a purchase? Ultimately, the game amounts to a very extensive map pack with one new game mode, but because the great gameplay of the original is left intact, Lumines II is still a very enjoyable experience. If, for whatever reason, you're a puzzle game fan and PSP owner that doesn't own the original Lumines you should run out and buy this game. If you have the first one and are hungry for more music and skins, then this sequel will provide you with a fresh canvas.

Het vervolg op het ultieme PSP puzzelspel Lumines is eindelijk verschenen. Met Lumines II wil ontwikkelaar Q Entertainment de grens tussen verslavende gameplay, muziek en stijl laten vervagen. Een moeilijke taak, want Lumines was op dat punt al bijzonder succesvol. Toch heeft ontwikkelaar Q Entertainment zijn best gedaan om van een bestaand concept nog meer te maken.

Puzzle games are a unique genre in the gaming industry. Casual gamers plunk away their dollars by the truckload on countless puzzle games each year. It seems a new legend in the puzzle genre seems to pop up every few years that attracts hardcore gamers along with casual gamers. The first Lumines game for the PSP was a trendsetter for the PSP and in the puzzle genre. The amazing visual presentation, sound production and intricate gameplay made hardcore gamers salivate and casual gamers take notice. Now with Lumines II gamers have the opportunity to continue the Lumines experience on the PSP.

Dabei hatte ich gar nicht so viel erwartet! Unterschiedliche Mehrspieler-Varianten vielleicht. Oder die Möglichkeit, Hintergründe, Klötzchenfarbe und Musik der Skins beliebig miteinander kombinieren zu können. Womöglich auch Abwandlungen des eigentlichen Konzepts – mir kommen fiese vom Himmel fallende Extras, explodierende Steine und ein Superschnell-Modus in den Kopf. Doch Lumines 2 fehlen solche Details, um die fortlaufende Nummer zu rechtfertigen. Außerdem gleicht die Fortsetzung dank der recycelten Skins dem Vorgänger zu sehr, um wirklich eigenständig zu sein.

Along with Wipeout Pure, Lumines was the definitive launch title for the PlayStation Portable nearly a year and a half ago. Widespread praise for the game was complemented by a call for more content, which was promised with its sequel, Lumines II. While the game certainly offers more content than the original, Lumines II doesn't provide enough of an upgrade to justify its purchase.

Overall, there’s little reason to pick up Lumines II. Aside from the new skins, not much content has really been added to this sequel. The core gameplay remains intact, which is a great thing since the original was fantastic; however, with only a few new modes and no online multiplayer, you’re just as well off picking up the original at half the price.

As with the first game, the different modes didn't do much for me -- especially the unchanged multiplayer, which still lacks options and tends to end far too quickly. Couldn't Q have also included true online play this time? Or at least a tweaked mode with power-ups or new gameplay concepts? Reviving the same old versus mode for this second outing seems awfully lazy. Likewise, Puzzle mode feels overly familiar, and the new Mission mode isn't actually that different than the Puzzle mode. Still, the core single-player experience is as addictive and elegant as ever, and this UMD will stay locked in your PSP for weeks to come.