All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'puzzle, casual' on The Great Games Experiment All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'puzzle, casual' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'puzzle, casual' on The Great Games Experiment en-us The Secret of Monkey Island
I cursed my luck again as I slid down the monkey's throat. Have my dreams of guzzling grog and plundering galleons been reduced to this. "Three small trials and you're a pirate like us." Fair enough. If only I could stomach the foul brew these scurvy seadogs swilled, the rest would be easy. How could I have known I'd meet a powerful and beautiful woman with a jealous suitor too stupid to realize he'd been dead for years? And how can I crawl through this great stone monkey to find a man who walks three inches above the ground and sets fire to his beard every morning?

-The Memoirs of Guybrush Threepwood: The Monkey Island Years
]]> 06 Feb 2007 04:24:31 Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
I thought I'd killed the Ghost Pirate LeChuck for good. Wrong. How many times can that bloated old fool die? Other pirates tell me there's no escape. "When LeChuck wants you dead, you're dead", they say. Legend has it that the treasure of Big Whoop holds the key to great power... I must find it before LeChuck finds me.

-The Memoirs of Guybrush Threepwood: The Monkey Island Years
]]> 06 Feb 2007 04:45:44 Ico The player of the game takes on the role of Ico, a young boy born with a pair of horns, who must escort a princess named Yorda safely out of a castle without her being captured by the shadowy figures that prowl the castle or being killed by the castle's numerous environmental hazards. Despite selling only 650,000 copies worldwide, Ico received strong reviews, and has become a cult hit among video game enthusiasts.

Ico is noted for its highly individual artistic style. Key factors contributing to the game's absorbing atmosphere include the absence of any HUD; a bleak and washed-out use of color; low key use of in-game music, played only in selected scenes of the game; and atmospheric, ambient sound effects in the background. It makes effective use of minimal dialogue and story to forge strong emotional connections with the characters and environments in the game. It includes action, adventure and puzzle elements. The game also has a notable fictional language which has been theorized to be backwards Japanese.
]]> 08 Feb 2007 09:19:24 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Link, after setting sail for new experiences and adventures, finds himself caught in a squall at sea. Helpless in spite of his valiant efforts to last through the storm, he is overwhelmed by vicious waves and lightning...

Some time later, a gentle girl named Marin discovers him washed up on Toronbo Shores.. the beach of Koholint Island. She finds a way to get him home and takes care of him until he finally awakens. Marin and her father, Tarin, explain to him where he is, and after he sets out to reclaim his sword, he encounters a mysterious owl... The owl cryptically warns Link about the perils this island faces should the Wind Fish be disturbed from his slumber, and thus Link decides he must do something to save them.

This owl guides him throughout the rest of his journey, slowly helping him uncover just what exactly is going on. Link learns that, unfortunately, in order to save the islanders he had grown to love, and to set himself free, he must also end a dream, a romance that he might not want to... To save all those people he had come to know and cherish from the Wind Fish's Nightmares, he would also have to end the illusion that caused them to exist in the first place.

It's a heart wrenching choice to confront, one that Link no doubt regrets with every deep ache of his very soul.. but the only alternative was to let the Nightmare take over and destroy everything.. This was the only fate he could offer them...

A tragic, touching tale that is told in the simplest way, Link's Awakening is a dream that I'll always hold dear to my heart...
]]> 08 Feb 2007 11:34:05 Another World Another World, known as Out of this World in the US and Outer World in Japan, is a 1991 cinematic platformer designed and developed by Eric Chahi. The graphics and box art were designed by Chahi, while the music was composed by Jean-François Freitas.

While not a great commercial success, Another World was innovative in its use of cinematic effects in the graphics, sound and cut scenes, with characters communicating through their facial features, gestures, and actions only. This cinematic style granted Another World cult status amongst critics and fans.

The protagonist of the game is Lester Knight Chaykin; a young, athletic, red haired physicist. Lester arrives at his high-tech underground laboratory during a thunderstorm, and continues to work on his experiment using a particle accelerator. Right before the particles reach their intended destination, lightning strikes the lab and interferes with the accelerator causing the unforeseen teleportation of Lester to a barren alien planet.

The player can control Lester using the keyboard or gamepad using four directions buttons and two action buttons: one for main actions, and one for jumping. Depending on the player's current position, movement, and status, the main action key performs a variety of actions including attacking and interacting with Lester's environment. At the start of the game Lester can only kick to attack, but later he can acquire a gun. While the movement keys normally make Lester run, the game also features sections where the player must swim, roll, or drive a vehicle. The player only has one life, but there are multiple checkpoints he can return to by entering the relevant pass code given at each one.
]]> 10 Dec 2006 09:53:52 Blocksum Blocksum is a very new typed action puzzle game. For everyone who can add numbers to 20.
]]> 08 Feb 2007 07:04:52 CrashBlock Crashblock is a platform puzzle game, mixing puzzle elements from Tetris and platform elements of Flashback.

The aim of the game is to play a game of tetris from the inside, running around the arena, climbing over the fallen blocks,trying to complete a line whilst trying to collect enough stars to advance to the next level and collecting coins and other items to boost your score and help you along the way. There are hazards to overcome, Bombs are released from completed lines along with bonus items and stars, also captive creatures called meanies are released making your task so much more difficult.

If the blocks pile up to the top of the arena, it's game over. If a falling block lands on you, it's squishy death, if you're caught in a bomb blast, it's goodnight and if you're caught by a meanie, it's so long and thanks for all the limbs.

You have to control the crane holding the current shape by calling it over to you, rotating the shape to the correct position and then diving out of the way while it falls.. there is no controlled drop in this game, oh no!

This game is currently under development for the Pascal Game Development 2007 Competition, The end deadline is the 3rd of June 2007. Check back often for updates.
]]> 17 Apr 2007 11:12:56 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure roughly follows the same plot as the movie it is based upon. Certain scenes are omitted, but it sticks close to the original plot for the most part. The game uses the SCUMM system that was used in Maniac Mansion before it. This system involves choosing certain verbs to interact with objects and people in the game. However, this game features something that no other adventure games of the time had. The "Indy Quotient" system gives the players points based on how they solve certain puzzles. This gives puzzles multiple solutions and adds replay value to the game. Also included in the game are action sequences where Indy must fight to get by guards.
]]> 06 Feb 2007 06:09:19 TrackMania United Produced by the young, talented French studio Nadeo, TrackMania United is the latest version of the most entertaining car racing game available. Released in 2003, the TrackMania series has rapidly become one of the most popular video games for PC thanks to its fast and fun gameplay.
]]> 23 Jan 2007 10:50:48 Gesundheit! Help an allergic pig save a city from snot-eating monsters using a clever combination of brains and boogers.

While keeping out of sight, you must lure your enemies through each single-screen level with your delicious nasal discharges. Objects scattered around town provide your pig with different ways of solving each puzzle. Control is simple and intuitive, requiring only a two-button mouse.
]]> 13 Mar 2007 12:32:37 ChuChu Rocket! ChuChu Rocket! is a Dreamcast game developed by Sonic Team in 1999. It was rereleased for the Game Boy Advance in 2001. The objective of the game is to guide the mice ("ChuChus") around the game board towards goals, while avoiding the cats ("KapuKapus"). The game is primarily multiplayer (up to 4 players on one console or over the internet), but the single player mode is extensive.

Category: Puzzle

Release date: November 11, 1999 (JP), March 8, 2000 (US)

Developer: Sonic Team
]]> 26 Mar 2007 09:58:43 Oddictive In a world festering in cookie cutter match-3 puzzle games, one game stands out of the pack with authority and moons the rest of the games with it's cool sarcastic attitude. Oddictive promises to rob you of your free time and never give it back, not even if you beg for it.
]]> 08 Dec 2006 01:23:04 Critter Crunch
]]> 03 Aug 2007 10:17:49 Shufl GBA Fiendishly-difficult sliding-block GBA puzzler. Kiss your sanity goodbye.

A version for the Nintendo DS is also being developed. Woo! Yay!

Please note: This game is in Alpha testing, and therefore some levels are unsolvable. Suxs. Sorry about that. There'll be a skin designer and a level editor up shortly.
]]> 06 Feb 2007 05:33:52 Lumines II The game was released on November 7, 2006 in North America.

The gameplay in Lumines II is very similar to its predecessor, Lumines. The object is still to move blocks of four different colored squares across the board; while trying to create a single square of the same colour. This all must be done before a "timeline" crosses the screen deleting the squares that you make. Deleting four or more squares will add a bonus multiplier to your score. (Refer to the Gameplay section of Lumines for more details).

Q Entertainment has announced that there will be no Infrastructure gameplay in "Lumines II". The game is visually similar to Lumines Live during both gameplay and in the menus.
]]> 08 Feb 2007 12:02:34 Pastime Puzzles Good old-fashioned jigsaw puzzles, without ever having to worry about losing a piece!
]]> 12 Feb 2007 04:49:40 Armadillo Run Armadillo Run is a physics-based puzzle game. You have to build structures with the purpose of getting an armadillo to a certain point in space. There is a selection of building materials, each with different properties, which can be combined to form almost anything. The realistic physics simulation gives you the freedom to solve each level in many different ways.
]]> 09 Dec 2006 02:13:47 Sam & Max: Culture Shock Sam & Max - a 6 foot dog in a 3 piece suit, and his hyperkinetic rabbity-type-thing pal - are self-dubbed "Freelance Police" who scour the globe for odd mal-formed versions of evil to defeat, though usually by accident.

Culture Shock, the first episode in a six-episode "season" of Sam & Max games that Telltale is putting out, centers largely around the neighborhood surroundingSam & Max's office. Three washed up former child stars have been seen defacing the streets with propaganda for a self-help tape called "Brady Culture's 'Eye-Bo' Occular Fitness," and Sam & Max decide to put a stop to it.
]]> 23 Jan 2007 04:50:54 Lumines Another puzzle game that revolves around blocks - however, this is no Tetris clone. Stack blocks up and form squares of the same color. This might seem a little dull at first, but as you play through the game you will unlock "skins" - each with their own special musical and graphical style.
]]> 29 Jan 2007 03:02:01 Oasis You are the future Scarab King. Your father, the Falcon King, has been murdered. Egypt has plunged into chaos, and an evil fog has covered your father's empire. Using your magical staff, you will lift the fog and rebuild the empire. Your followers will flock to you and obey your commands.

You will discover cities, build roads, and develop new technologies. Your goal is to seek out the Oasis and the Obelisk it contains, and to protect it from the barbarian hordes.

Once your presence in a kingdom is discovered, you have a limited number of turns before the barbarian horde arrives. Spend your turns wisely, develop your kingdom carefully, or watch the barbarian hordes smash it to rubble!

If your kingdom survives with the Obelisk intact, you will be able to retrieve its Glyph, and the power to restore order to the land. Earn twelve Glyphs from twelve different levels, and you will have the power to restore the empire, dispel the fog forever, and become the Scarab King.
]]> 19 Dec 2006 01:36:53 Shangri La Enter a paradise of word game fun with Shangri La Deluxe. In this unique challenge, remove letter tiles from the screen by forming words. As you solve each puzzle, you'll unlock new doors and new challenges. Featuring a delightful storyline, 48 brain-bending levels, and gorgeous full screen graphics, Shangri La Deluxe is a wonderful addition to any word gamer's library.
]]> 05 Feb 2007 04:05:42 Caramba! Head south of the border for this unique mix of puzzle and pool. Line up your shot and try to hit balls of the same color. Hit two or more and they'll disappear from the playing field. Clear all the balls and it's off to the next level. Featuring four game modes and more than 100 levels, Caramba Deluxe is sure to provide hours of puzzling fun. Whether you're looking for a fiesta or a siesta, this original puzzler will have your whole family shouting "Caramba!"
]]> 05 Feb 2007 04:31:23 You Don't Know Jack

You Don't Know Jack: the show where high culture and pop culture collide!


You Don't Know Jack is a series of quiz show-inspired computer games which combine trivia and comedy. The games are known for their humor and challenge, as well as simple presentation. The games rarely use graphics, relying heavily on voice acting and text.

The games have recently been revived at the YDKJ official website, where new episodes are released every weekday. These are developed in Flash and are available to play for free within your web browser.

Category: Quiz

Release Date: Varied

Developer: Jellyvision
]]> 26 Mar 2007 11:13:20 The Pirate Tales Follow the adventures of Captain Caninbahl, Barley, Deckhand Dewey, Ruby Barnacle, and Planky the Parrot as they plunder their way through caves, underwater shipwrecks, and dangerous port towns. The Pirate Tales is a match-3 puzzle game spanning 100 chapter-style levels. Perform typical pirating duties, plunder treasure, and fight opponents in your quest to rescue Dewey's girlfriend, Ruby Barnacle.

This game is developed and published by Twintale Entertainment.

Shore leave is supposed to be a happy time for a pirate, filled with carousing, picking fights, and tax-free plundering.
]]> 19 Feb 2007 11:23:33 Kachinko In the style of traditional Pachinko machines, Kachinko features an onslaught of colored balls and only a few places to catch them. The name of the game is strategy and quick wits. Kachinko starts simply enough, requiring you to eliminate sets of three like-colored balls at a time. The challenge is significantly increased when you're forced to put together longer chains and set up massive combos in order to get a score worthy of completing a level.
]]> 05 Dec 2006 10:53:16 Click Drag Type Click, drag, and type your way through 10 mind bending puzzles. Use trial and error to see if you can figure out what is going on, and eventually solve the puzzle. You can play the puzzles in any order, and you are timed to see how long it takes you to finish them all.
]]> 27 Dec 2006 01:22:02 Sid & Al's Incredible Toons Sid & Al's Incredible Toons is a funnier, cartoon version of The Incredible Machine. It is your job to solve 100 Rube Goldberg style puzzles by placing pieces in the right spot. The puzzle goals range from letting Al E. Cat(haha) catch Sid Mouse, helping Sid reach his cheese, or simply blowing one of the characters up.

Sid and Al aren't the only characters in the game, however. They are joined by other cartoons such as Eunice the Elephant and Bik the Dragon. Each character acts as a different puzzle piece and is used in a different way. Eunice, for example, will toss things that hit her trunk, while Bik will blow fire any time something hits him.

There are a variety of different objects used to solve the puzzles, and they range from realistic to cartoony. There are conveyor belts and pullies to get things where you want them, but there are also guns which will cough out bullets. Once you master all 100 puzzles, there is also a create-a-puzzle mode where you can make your own crazy contraptions to stump your friends.
]]> 25 Jan 2007 05:20:42 Quintets Quintets is a puzzle game with over two hundred pre-designed levels and an arcade mode which creates its own random and unique levels each time it is played.

The 'quintets' themselves are the small pieces used in the game, each one consisting of a different combination of five smaller blocks.

The object of the game is to fill the playing area of each level by using all of (or as many as required) the quintets available to you. Each 'quintet' can only be used once on each level, and on most levels they can be flipped or rotated before being placed. The in-game tutorial levels allow the player to slowly familiarise themselves with the controls and strategies of the game.

The size and difficulty of the levels slowly increases as the player becomes more familiar with the game and the subtleties of how the 'quintets' fit together in different ways.

(more information on the Quintets web site)
]]> 04 Dec 2006 11:57:03 Wetdike A version of klondike / patience / solitaire . Sort the cards into piles in the top right hand corner of the screen. Try and get the highest score whilst doing so.

Music player is hidden in the top right hand of the screen, move the mouse over it to bring it up. It is an XSPF based player that streams from www.projectopus.com
]]> 26 Jan 2007 05:08:37 Spy Fox in 'Dry Cereal' William the Kid is attempting to steal the whole world's milk supply, and it is Spy Fox's job to stop him. How will children eat their cereal if there is no milk to pour on it? SPY Corps has outfitted Spy Fox with the latest gadgets and he is ready to go. Spy Fox is a Junior Adventure for kids that have grown out of Freddi Fish and Pajama Sam. Like the other Junior Adventure games from Humongous, there are different puzzles for multiple plays through the game. Also, there are mini games for kids to play such as go fish, and Happy Fun Sub which can be played on Fox's spy watch.
]]> 09 Feb 2007 06:05:05 Cosmic Switch The more combos you make in Cosmic Switch Deluxe, the more you can outwit your opponents.
]]> 12 Feb 2007 05:00:27 Tropical Puzzle Tropical Puzzle is an incredible puzzle entertainment, which shines with unique tropical visuals and animation. You will have to go through 85 game levels solving increasingly difficult puzzles. The objective is to clear the playing field from balls. The challenge of the game is additional balls that appear on the field if your move doesn’t result in making a line of balls. A system of bonuses adds variety to the gameplay.
]]> 05 Mar 2007 01:11:48 Moves This is a very simple board game for 2 players (or 1 player versus the computer). Both players get 7 pawns and 1 king on a 8x8 board. The goal is to get your opponent's king or 6 of his pawns. Each turn, the player may select 1 stone and move it straight or in an L-bow. You cannot jump over stones, but you can step onto your opponent's stone to take it. The numbers on your stones indicate the number of tiles they can move in a turn. When the Mastermind option is selected, the stones change in value when you move it. Pawns can get numbers 1-4, while the king only gets 1 or 2. A challenging game!

Setting the Mastermind option (to change the alue of your stones each move) will show numbers on the board so you will know the number you will get when you move a stone there.

This games comes with 5 imaginary friends of fine-tuned artificial intelligence to play offline against your computer.
]]> 17 Apr 2007 04:47:13 Turbulence
]]> 30 Aug 2007 12:06:21 Puzzle Quest 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.
]]> 31 Mar 2007 09:08:10 Mutant Storm Inspired by RoboTron, Smash TV and Llamatron. Mutant Storm is a classic arcade game with a new age twist. One hand controls the firing the other controls the movement. Simple controls and addictive gameplay with decent graphics set Mutant Storm apart.
]]> 17 Jan 2007 01:27:17 Midnight Mansion Midnight Mansion is a retro platformer based on games like Montezuma's Revenge, Prince of Persia, and Dark Castle. You play Jack Malone, an adventure hunter, who explores several huge mansions in search of gold at the end. You can't kill anything; you simply avoid the bad guys, while you search for keys that allow you to open doors that lead to new areas. Mansions are filled with traps, puzzles, and secrets.
]]> 03 Mar 2007 12:28:38 Cramgene Create meals for bizarre pets!

Cramgene is a very unique puzzle game inspired by today's advances in genetic science. Players compete through rounds, deciphering creature DNA to create specific meals for bizarre pets. Bonus moves are designed to add an element of surprise and strategy to every match. Cramgene offers a solitary mode played against the computer, as well as a 2-player option through an Internet connection.

Cramgene features charming characters, vivid graphics, and upbeat music to provide an amusing atmosphere. Its 3 difficulty modes are designed to give players of all ages a chance to feed up to 10 bizarre pets. Can you uncover the best strategy?

Yamisoft Entertainment Inc. supports Cramgene with tips and tricks, and provides a free demo version.
]]> 15 Dec 2006 03:58:05 Samorost 2 The inhabitant of an asteroid must rescue his dog from kidnapping aliens. A simple yet elegant point-and-click game of puzzle solving. Winner of

"Best Web Browser Game" - 2007 Independant Game Festival.

"Best Original Sound" - Flashforward Film Festival 2006.

"Best Web Work" - Seoul Net Festival 2006
]]> 19 Mar 2007 11:14:04 TubeTwist The goal of the game is to construct a machine that will guide the professors' famous Macroton devices from their starting positions to a final reactor tube where their energy will be extracted and stored for later use. Over thirty different tubes of various shapes and sizes must be combined to complete the machines including spirals, switches, anti-gravity devices, twisty turns, and precipitous drops.
]]> 22 Sep 2006 01:49:43 Alley Cat Alley Cat is a game created in 1984 for the PC and Atari 800. In the game the player controls a cat trying to get the best things in life, such as mice and fish, while avoiding bad things like dogs and brooms.
]]> 06 Feb 2007 03:24:45 Puzzle Poker Twenty five cards in five rows are dealt to you. You quickly spot the cards for a Full House and arrange them onto one line to form a hand. That was easy! Ch-ching! Five hundred chips. Now you spot four Kings! That's worth 1,000 chips. You start moving them onto a single line, but it messes up your Full House. OK, a little bit of finesse, and you are able to save both the Full House and the Four of a Kind. Now you notice the clock running down. Do you cash in or take a chance to get more points, maybe losing what you already have? You wonder what kind of scores your friends in your Club have. Will this hand be good enough to compete?

Developed by Top Meadow
]]> 22 Sep 2006 01:14:52 Crayon Physics You play with crayons and physics. The goal of the game is to move the red ball so that it collects the stars. You can cause the red ball to move by drawing physical objects.
]]> 06 Jul 2007 11:27:22 Shadowgate Adventure in Castle Shadowgate and solve the many puzzles to defeat the evil Warlock Lord. Some puzzles if not done correctly lead to your death.
]]> 19 Apr 2007 11:14:43 Brain Age Exercise is the key to good health, both for body and mind-and now there's finally a way to make mental exercise simple, fun, even competitive. Inspired by the work of prominent Japanese neuroscientist Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, Brain Age features activities designed to help stimulate your brain and give it the workout it needs like solving simple math problems, counting people going in and out of a house simultaneously, drawing pictures on the Nintendo DS touch screen, and reading classic literature out loud.
]]> 12 Feb 2007 06:45:21 Harmonic Convergence (working title) Enter a world of beautiful graphics, hypnotic music, and addictive gameplay.

Harmonic Convergence blends these elements together into an unforgettable
experience that will have you losing track of time trying to outdo your last
top score, and get one skin further.

Harmonic Convergence features sixteen skins from some of the most talented
artists and musicians in the industry. Each skin transports you to a new and
unique little world. Bear witness to an ancient rite in "Ritual". Get your
mouth watering for some delicious watermelon on a hot summer day in
"Fruit Salad". Fly through space and watch the wonders of the universe unfold
before your eyes in "Asteroid". These, and many more await!
]]> 19 Nov 2006 11:59:39 Tork Your spacecraft crash lands on an alien planet. To escape, you must observe the culture and learn a new language to communicate with the inhabitants.

Jay Is Games said "Tork is remarkable in its originality and design, as well as well as its gameplay." http://jayisgames.com/archives/2004/12/tork.php

Backwards City calls it Best Flash Game Ever!
http://backwardscity.blogspot.com/2005_03_01_backwardscity_archive.html

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]]> 08 Dec 2006 05:56:23 Enigma Enigma is a puzzle game inspired by Oxyd on the Atari ST and Rock'n'Roll on the Amiga. The object of the game is to find uncover pairs of identically colored Oxyd stones. Simple? Yes. Easy? Certainly not! Hidden traps, vast mazes, laser beams, and, most of all, countless hairy puzzles usually block your direct way to the Oxyd stones...
]]> 10 Dec 2006 06:24:18 Planetfall After the fall of the Second Galactic Union in 1716 GY, a ten-thousand-year dark age settled upon the galaxy. Interstellar travel was non-existent, and many star systems descended into a near-barbaric state, buring coal and gas for energy, and growing food directly from exposed topsoil.

In 11,203 GY, a treaty between the Empires of Tremain and Galium formed the Third Galactic Union. Ships of the Stellar Patrol (a pseudo-military wing of the Union government on Tremain) began exploring the galaxy, searching for the human civilizations that are the remnants of the Second Galactic Union.

You are a native of the planet Gallium. Although it is one of the most politically powerful worlds in the Union, Gallium is no garden spot. In fact, the Gallium Chamber of Commerce brochure entitled "Ten Great Reasons to Visit Gallium" ends on page 3. The author ran out of reasons after listing just two.

For five generations, your family has served in the Stellar Patrol. Your great-great-grandfather was a High Admiral and one of the founding officers of the Patrol. It was taken for granted that when you came of age you would join up.

Now, more than a year after signing up, and two months after being transferred to the S.P.S. Feinstein, you are still only ranked Ensign Seventh Class. You superior officer, Ensign First Class Blather, has been making your life miserable. You're begining to wonder if you're really cut out for the Stellar Patrol...
]]> 28 Nov 2006 02:39:20 Meteos Most of the action takes place at the bottom screen of the DS unit (the section referred to as the atmosphere). Blocks ("Meteos") fall down from the top of the screen and start to form stacks. The player can move blocks up and down in a stack using the stylus, or alternatively by using the control pad and A button.

The player aims to line up three or more matching blocks. When a horizontal or vertical row of at least three blocks is formed, the row of blocks will ignite and turn into a kind of tiny rocket engine. The rocket then pushes the blocks above it towards the top of the screen. To lift a large amount of blocks, additional rows of blocks must be formed in a quick succession (secondary ignition). Also, if an ignited pile of blocks falls back down and, in doing so, causes another set of blocks to ignite, the pile will boost back up again, wider than before. This is called a step jump.

The goal of the game is to lift blocks past the top of the bottom screen, turning them into sparks at the top screen (orbit). If any column of unignited blocks grows beyond the top of the bottom screen and is not dealt with, it's game over (annihilation). When a stack of blocks gets dangerously high, the stack will flash and the game will sound a warning signal, until either the game ends or a quick action by the player averts the disaster.
]]> 30 Jan 2007 11:02:14