Puzzler Lovers Thread

[NINTENBRO]

This thread is for those of us who just love puzzlers. We can discuss puzzler strategies or just discuss the genre in general. This is a list of all the puzzlers I currently own and the list will most likely grow in length in the future.

Wii Puzzlers:
1) Elebits= 9.5/10

WiiWare Puzzlers:
1) Art of Balance= 9.0/10
2) Bobby Carrot Forever= 8.5/10
3) Tetris Party= 8.5/10
4) World of Goo= 8.0/10

Platformer Puzzlers:
1) And Yet it Moves= 8.0/10
2) Aya and the Cubes of Light= 8.5/10
3) Fluidity= 9.0/10
4) Max and the Magic Marker= 9.0/10

[NINTENBRO]

Lately I've been enjoying Aya and the Cubes of Light and Max and the Magic Marker. I'll be going back to Elebits soon, because I recently erased my save file by accident. I've not actually finished completing any of these puzzlers yet, because I keep on purchasing one after another. You can't have too much of a good thing. My next puzzler purchase will most likely be Burn the Rope. Based on the ratings I've awarded these puzzlers, does anyone have any recommendations?

[Navi]

Bobby Carrot Forever is fun but I can't seem to beat the three star levels

[NINTENBRO]

Yeah, Bobby Carrot Forever becomes pretty challenging after the two star worlds. I haven't played it lately but I did purchase 3 of the 5 additional map packs.

[Bashful1996]

Bust A Move Plus is a fine puzzle game that I cannot seem to stop playing

[NINTENBRO]

Yeah, but Bust a Move Plus doesn't really seem like the type of puzzler I'd enjoy. I think the only puzzler left on WiiWare that I really want is Burn the Rope. I did some research on Urbanix, but it doesn't really seem like it would keep my attention for very long either. I like the graphical style and gameplay that Burn the Rope has to offer for some reason or another.

[WarfmasterST]

Have you tried the NES Adventures of Lola games? If you haven't I would definitely get one of them! They are somewhat similar to Bobby Carrot Forever and are a blast to play

[SKTTRAdmin]

Wouldn't Aya and the Cubes fit better in the puzzle platformer category?

Elebits is a puzzle game for you? For me it's a FPE (first-person-explorer) or FPA (first-person-adventure) I couldn't find any puzzles in it.
And Arkanoid is from the block breaker genre, an action arcade. No puzzles, just skills.
Hydroventure can be a puzzle game, arguably, but it's definately more of an adventure game. After all it's not called Hydropuzzle, but Hydroventure. And it would fit into the platformer puzzle category better as well.


Here are my puzzlers:

Wii:
7/10 Puzzle Kingdoms (Wii)
6/10 Line Rider Freestyle (Wii)
5/10 Safecracker (Wii)

WiiWare:
10/10 World of Goo
10/10 Hydroventure
9/10 Tetris Party
9/10 CUBELLO -Art Style-
9/10 Flowerworks
9/10 Dr. Mario & Germ Buster
9/10 ROTOHEX -Art Style-
8/10 Actionloop Twist
8/10 Art of Balance
7/10 LONPOS
7/10 ThruSpace
7/10 You, Me, and the Cubes
6/10 Potpourrii
6/10 Bejeweled 2
5/10 Pop Them, Drop Them SameGame
2/10 Pop-Up Pirate!

I have a few on Virtual Console as well. Mario's Super Picross was the most valuable since it has so much content. Wario's Woods and Wrecking Crew are close with 100 levels each.

On Wii I'm looking into the Boom Blox games, Tetris Party Deluxe and Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords.
On WiiWare I have to get Puzzle Bobble Plus! and Mr. DRILLER W one day, maybe Flight Control and Airport Mania? Viral Survival? chick chick BOOM? The Bearsworth Manor games? NEVES Plus? Rubiks Puzzle Galaxy RUSH? Toki Tori? LIT? ColorZ? Pop? They all are on my radar.

Ah yes, a friend of mine has Bang Attack and Moki Moki. Bang Attack is really addicting and has great music (7/10), Moki Moki is quite unique and cute, but too random (7/10).

[Zatchbell]

Is Astro Bugz Revenge a good puzzle game?

[NINTENBRO]

Well SKTTR, there are many puzzle qualities found in Elebits. You must not have searched well enough to find them though. You're correct about Aya and The Cubes of Light and Hydroventure falling under the platformer puzzler genre, but it's title in NA is Fluidity not Hydroventure and I think I prefer Fluidity. And SKTTR, if you consider Tetris Party, Mr. Driller W and ThruSpace as puzzler titles, then why would you not consider Arkanoid as a puzzler? I deleted Arkanoid from the list anyways. Although, I will add Tetris Party to my list of puzzlers, when I can think of the rating I'd award it. I have been contemplating on purchasing the Art Style titles, but I really think I'd want to purchase Burn the Rope before anything else. Well, whenever I can actually afford to buy some more Wii points. )<:

[Megatron2000]

I recently purchased Bejeweled 2 and have to say it is the best version yet |D
It even has Mii support and a global leaderboard |D

[NINTENBRO]

I'll have to check that out then Megatron2000. Although, I've never actually experienced any Bejeweled titles before. Would you say it's better than Burn the Rope? Weren't you the one who commented on it before?

[Aussiegamer]

Bejeweled 2 got a 9/10 at Nintendo Life if I am not mistaken mate :-)

[NINTENBRO]

Aussiegamer, how much of a task is it to find employment in Australia? I can't afford any of these at the moment, because I'm unemployed.

[Aussiegamer]

Here are mine mates :-)

Wii
Boom Blox-10/10
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of The Warlords-10/10
Bust A Move Bash-3/10

WiiWare
Bust A Move Plus-10/10
Tetris Party-10/10
Bejeweled 2-10/10
Aya and The Cubes of Light-9/10
Bobby Carrot Forever-8/10
Burn The Rope-8/10
Mr. Driller W-8/10
Magnetica Twist-7/10
Soccer Bashi-2/10

Virtual Console
Pokémon Puzzle League-10/10
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine-9/10
Pac Attack-8/10

[Aussiegamer]

It isn't too bad here mate :-)
I believe unemployment is under five percent here

[NINTENBRO]

Wow, I might contemplate on traveling in your direction then. I love the wilderness a lot, Australia seems like a very unique place to reside and your women are hot. I wonder how much a plane ticket would run me? lol

[SKTTRAdmin]

Well SKTTR, there are many puzzle qualities found in Elebits. You must not have searched well enough to find them though.

I understand why you'd think that, but finding ways to open up new paths and hiding-shelters is light puzzling in my opinion, considering that the biggest part of the game is exploring and first person shooting.

Metroid Prime is similiar in some ways and I don't see Metroid Prime as a puzzle game either despite the fact that it has more puzzles than Elebits. Zelda is another good example, it has plenty of great puzzles spread throughout the game but these don't make Zelda a puzzle game. It's still an action-adventure.

My definition of a puzzle game is easy to understand: A puzzle game needs to have a main focus on puzzles... not exploring, first person shooting, or adventuring.

You're correct about Aya and The Cubes of Light and Hydroventure falling under the platformer puzzler genre, but it's title in NA is Fluidity not Hydroventure and I think I prefer Fluidity.

I prefer Hydroventure, dunno why. Got used to it.

And SKTTR, if you consider Tetris Party, Mr. Driller W and ThruSpace as puzzler titles, then why would you not consider Arkanoid as a puzzler? I deleted Arkanoid from the list anyways.

The mentioned games all have a heavy focus on their puzzle elements, while in Arkanoid it's all about speed and hitting the ball with the right angle, typical for the block breaker genre which is merely arcade action. There's not much strategy to it and not much to think about. If you consider this a puzzle game because of the little bit of thinking involved, then everything is a puzzle game, because even the simplest platformers and action games require more puzzling and thinking than what you'd find in Arkanoid Plus! Think about it.

I still love Arkanoid, it's a great game and the best in the block breaker genre on WiiWare.

Although, I will add Tetris Party to my list of puzzlers, when I can think of the rating I'd award it. I have been contemplating on purchasing the Art Style titles, but I really think I'd want to purchase Burn the Rope before anything else.

Burn the Rope would be high on my list of puzzle priorities if it was available here.

I recently purchased Bejeweled 2 and have to say it is the best version yet |D
It even has Mii support and a global leaderboard |D

Always good to see people with different opinions and while I welcome the fact that is has online leaderboards and Mii support, I thought the lack of a save option in the endless mode, the lack of local and online multiplayer altogether, and some annoying parts of its soundtrack, plus that it came so late (the much better Bejeweled 3 was out on PC's already by the time B2 was released on WW) were really lowering the experience. Also, you get puzzle games on WiiWare with more content for 1000pts. At the core it's still a good and addicting puzzle game, that's why I scored it a 6/10. A 6 ain't bad, it's better than mediocre, it's decent, but leaves plenty of room for improvement. Just explaining my personal score in a few sentences.

Here are mine mates :-)

Wii
Boom Blox-10/10
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of The Warlords-10/10
Bust A Move Bash-3/10

WiiWare
Bust A Move Plus-10/10
Tetris Party-10/10
Bejeweled 2-10/10
Aya and The Cubes of Light-9/10
Bobby Carrot Forever-8/10
Burn The Rope-8/10
Mr. Driller W-8/10
Magnetica Twist-7/10
Soccer Bashi-2/10

Virtual Console
Pokémon Puzzle League-10/10
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine-9/10
Pac Attack-8/10

Please explain the enormous difference in quality between Bust-A-Move Bash and Bust-A-Move Plus!

[NINTENBRO]

I'm really sorry to hear that SKTTR, I hope Nintendo localizes Burn the Rope in your region soon. The Art Style titles are on my wishlist as well, they seem to have a lot of character and the gameplay really interests me a lot. So all in all, Burn the Rope would still have to be my first download priority and then the Art Style titles would have to follow before anything else. Although, I still have Mr. Driller W on my radar as well. In my opinion it's no wonder why there are so many puzzlers available on the WiiWare service, they're awesome and everyone should have at least a few of them in their WiiWare collection. (<:

[NINTENBRO]

I really hope I can find some way to afford these puzzlers, before the end up being pulled from the WiiWare service too. It would be a complete shame if I never have the chance to experience them for myself. )<:

[Chickgoboom]

@SKTTR I think it's because the retail Bust A Move Bash is complete rubbish lacking the sheer content and beautiful scenery of the WiiWare version, but that's my take on it his may be different?

[RoboYoshi]

Is Liight a puzzle game?

[NINTENBRO]

Yes it is Brian, do you think you could create some really challenging puzzles? As I would most likely tear through the main game.

[ShounenMania]

Does Arkanoid Plus track your high scores?

[NINTENBRO]

Yes it does DBZmania and it also has DLC available for download.
The DLC adds an additional 61 levels of blockbusting fun and two additional bosses as well. There is also a Time Attack mode and a Versus mode, which allows you to compete against the CPU or a second player via local multiplayer. Additional to the high score board, gameplay results for all modes are recorded in the Results section. In my opinion, Arkanoid Plus has got to be the best blockbusting title available on the WiiWare service.

[NINTENBRO]

The information you requested is located above this post DBZmania. (<:

[NINTENBRO]

Did you guys know with having only one save file and all of the DLC, that Bobby Carrot Forever requires 422 blocks of Wii memory?

[SKTTRAdmin]

If you think that is much, check out Mix Superstar with all its DLC. Way beyond 2000 blocks, I think.

[NINTENBRO]

Wow, that's nuts SKTTR. It's hard to believe there's a WiiWare title that requires you to purchase an SD card, just to acquire the complete file.

[SKTTRAdmin]

Wow, that's nuts SKTTR. It's hard to believe there's a WiiWare title that requires you to purchase an SD card, just to acquire the complete file.

Yeah, ironically you can't boot DLC from SD Card, so you have to copy the DLC you want to use over to the Wii everytime - and delete it afterwards so that you have memory for other stuff.

For this kind of game we definately need a Wii with bigger memory.

The full game only works properly if your Wii is empty (no other downloads and save files that take away space. That's what kept me from purchasing it because my Wii is filled with gamesaves and I already had to copy over some perfect save stats to SD Card and delete them from the Wii.
Other than that Mix Superstar is one of the most expensive WiiWare games next to Darklord if you count in all the Pay&Play DLC.


Anyway, back to puzzlers:

I've checked the NA exclusive list I posted earlier, and Liight is one I would download as well as Frobot and ShadowPlay.

Big Kahuna Party looks like a good Bejeweled-type of game, MadStone looks just cool but I'm not sure about it's qualities, Groovin' Blocks got good reviews but I need to try it first, and Tiki Towers looks similiar to World of Goo: could be fun for fans that have completed World of Goo and want more.

Other puzzlers that appeal to me:
- Diatomic (but maybe that's more of an arcade)
- bittos+ (like the style)
- Mouse House (looks similiar to Bobby Carrot Forever)
- Gene Labs (interesting theme)
- Inkub (puzzler or tower defense strategy?)
- Jelly Car 2 (can't have enough physics based puzzle racers)
- Overflow (somewhat appealing)
- Burn the Rope (looks good)

I don't believe many of them will be released in Europe though.

[NINTENBRO]

Maybe I didn't give Light enough of a chance. But in my opinion, the low level of difficulty was worsened by it's simplistic gameplay. If a game is to have simple gameplay, I think it needs to have a higher level of difficulty such as escape VeKtor. I think you would agree with me on this SKTTR?

[SKTTRAdmin]

Maybe I didn't give Light enough of a chance. But in my opinion, the low level of difficulty was worsened by it's simplistic gameplay. If a game is to have simple gameplay, I think it needs to have a higher level of difficulty such as escape VeKtor. I think you would agree with me on this SKTTR?

What you think of Liight applies to Art of Balance, the highly polished, innovative puzzle game, that was unfortunately too easy and short for my tastes. It could have used 8 worlds instead of only 4. I've 100%ed it in a couple of hours in one day and so it left me with a unsatisfied feeling. I still rate it 8/10 because it was addicting and very fun and at least multiplayer lengthens the experience, but I would have loved to give it a 9 or 10 if it had more content. In the end I feel it's too much to spend 800pts on a game that only lasts 4 hours for completion. If it had the content that you'd normally expect it woulda be an easy 9, and if it had exceeded all our expectations it would be a 10.

As for escapeVEKTOR many of the later stages are teethgnashingly difficult and way too big and I don't like that either, especially if you have to replay those beasts for platinum medals. And then you have to learn all the enemy movement and hazard patterns which I personally have a hard time with.
I have to give escapeVEKTOR more time to rate it.

I have no problem rating easy games high if the content is good, but I have problems with games that are extrahard, no matter how much content.

In the end my ratings stand for fun/excitement, addicitiveness, and originality.

And since I'm a sucker for good music I might even add an extra point for extremely good soundtracks. You know, for example take a WiiWare game with an awesome soundtrack, and that game costs just as much or even less than a cool new music cd album, then I award it an extra point. Everyone knows that feeling: you can't get a videogame song out of your head and then boot up the game just to listen to the music. So I think it's a fair point, because some games definately add pleasure to our ears, and sometimes their music is worth the asking price alone.

I'm also terribly harsh about presentation and polishment.
I wouldn't add points for perfect presentation and polishment, because that's a given, a standard - but I will reduce a point for games that are terrible in those aspects.

[Megatron2000]

Toki Tori is a great platforming puzzler that keeps me coming back for some more |D

[NINTENBRO]

SKTTR, If "Light" is an North American exclusive, does that mean you'll never receive it there in the PAL region?

[NINTENBRO]

Lately I've changed my mind about Burn the Rope, I think I'd rather purchase Toki Tori instead. It has many more puzzling elements present and the gameplay just looks so damn enjoyable. Does anybody agree with my decision or do you think I'm mistaken?

[NINTENBRO]

Is Toki Tori available in the Pal region yet?

[Supertimbros]

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't you live in the U.S.?

[NINTENBRO]

Yes I do Timbro. I was asking, because I wanted to know if SKTTR had access to Toki Tori. He's a puzzler connoisseur, such as I. And I was going to ask him of his opinion on such matter. Thanks, for congratulating me on my promotion up to Team postalot. (<:

Side note: "alot" is actually spelled "a lot." lol

[SKTTRAdmin]

SKTTR, If "Light" is an North American exclusive, does that mean you'll never receive it there in the PAL region?

"NA exclusive" is a game that is available in NA but hasn't been released in EU (yet).

There's still a chance that a few EU publishers are interested in buying the rights for a few NA games and will release them in EU.

But most developers/publishers release their games in NA first because of the bigger market / better sale predictions, and won't bring em over to EU if the sales in NA are low.

People from NA!
Buy Snowpack Park and MDK2!! We want them in EU too.

[NINTENBRO]

Is "Light" region locked SKTTR? I'm asking, because I'll be searching for any intelligent people who can send me some challenging puzzles. I'm going to be downloading Light, Toki Tori and Burn the Rope. I might help the cause and purchase MDK2 sometime in the future, but I have no intentions of ever purchasing Snowpack Park. It's really not a game I could get into at all. Go Vacation on the other hand, is a different story.

[SKTTRAdmin]

Is Toki Tori available in the Pal region yet?

Yes, it was one of the WiiWare launch games.

Is "Light" region locked SKTTR? I'm asking, because I'll be searching for any intelligent people who can send me some challenging puzzles. I'm going to be downloading Light, Toki Tori and Burn the Rope. I might help the cause and purchase MDK2 sometime in the future, but I have no intentions of ever purchasing Snowpack Park. It's really not a game I could get into at all. Go Vacation on the other hand, is a different story.

Liight is only available in NA so there's no reason for it being region free. If it gets an EU release we'll try it out.

As for Snowpack Park, that's a damn shame as it's my most anticipated / number-1 top-priority WiiWare game. The developers SKIP are some of the best studios from Japan, having always produced amazingly refreshin quirky adventures/RPGs such as Chibi-Robo, Captain Rainbow, Giftpia, and some of the best puzzlers with the fantastic bit.Generations and Art Style series.

I hope Nintendo gets over the low NA sales and releases Snowpack Park here and I'd buy some Wii Points in a heartbeat.

[NINTENBRO]

I'm sorry that I don't feel the same as you do about Snowpack Park SKTTR. I highly doubt that one sale (mine) would do much to sway Nintendo in favor of localizing it in your region though. I hope Nintendo will get off of their high horse too my friend. Their bottom line is strictly profit and the concern is never directed towards pleasing their loyal customers. )<:

[SKTTRAdmin]

Well, I think people have to give Snowpack Park a chance, as it doesn't look like much at first glance but is filled with quality gameplay, and that's always been the case with SKIP games. It's as if they like to be in a niche place, with just a few hardcore fans realising the worthy gems they produce.

Don't skip SKIP games!


On a side note, today I've completed Chapter 1 of escapeVEKTOR, and I can give some better insight now.

When I talked about the game earlier in this thread, I thought the levels get more difficult and bigger, because that was the case when progressing from world 1 to world 3 but the difficulty level and the size of the stages remained the same throughout the worlds 4, 5 and 6 so the game isn't as hard as I initially thought. It was pretty well-balanced in the end, while giving enough challenge for those who want to get better scores and times, replaying all stages to get all the Platinum Medals, all those No-Detonation-Stars, and the 40 Badges.

I hope the next chapters are the same difficulty-wise because I know how easy it is to screw up and make a game like this incredibly hard.

[NINTENBRO]

Well good for you SKTTR. I'm still having trouble on the 7th level in the first world. lol
I probably haven't practiced as much as I should have. I can elude the Hunter for a little longer then I was able to do before, but I still get caught before I can complete the circuits. Do you have any pro tips you would care to share with me?

[SKTTRAdmin]

Well good for you SKTTR. I'm still having trouble on the 7th level in the first world. lol
I probably haven't practiced as much as I should have. I can elude the Hunter for a little longer then I was able to do before, but I still get caught before I can complete the circuits. Do you have any pro tips you would care to share with me?

The hunter is roaming the circuits randomly until you get too close to it. When you get in close range to a hunter a red alarm visualizes that it sees you, then it will start chasing after you. Win some distance so it stops following you around. Just keep away from it. Hold down B all the time to zoom out and watch out for where it goes.

Always use your boosts to get away.

You can use detonations as well, they will kill everything in range temporarily (enemies will respawn a few seconds later in their respawn-spots though). Keep in mind that when you use a detonation you won't get a STAR for this stage (STARs are needed for badges).


There are two ways to complete the game:

1. THE HARD WAY:
Relying only on your Zoom-Out and Boost abilities and don't use the Detonation ability at all to complete all stages with a STAR.

2. THE EASY WAY:
Go for Platinum medals / highscores, and use the Detonation ability strategically or in dead-end situations because killed enemies are extra points and you'll save time (no need to avoid them going back and walking a different path) which means even more points.

[AkatsukiModerator]

Is Tumblebugs 2 a Zuma rip-off?

[NINTENBRO]

Thank you SKTTR, I'll keep that information in mind the next time I play. So, how do you feel about Toki Tori? It seems to me like a really enjoyable puzzler, which is fairly challenging.

[AkatsukiModerator]

Is Tumblebugs 2 worth 800 points?

[NINTENBRO]

Sorry Akatsuke, I have no idea. Maybe SKTTR can answer that question for you though? I've never really looked into that puzzler.

[SKTTRAdmin]

Thank you SKTTR, I'll keep that information in mind the next time I play. So, how do you feel about Toki Tori? It seems to me like a really enjoyable puzzler, which is fairly challenging.

I haven't played it. From what I've seen it's a fairly good one, but something - can't put my finger on it - kept me from giving it a chance.

Is Tumblebugs 2 worth 800 points?

Yes it is a Zuma clone, but I'm happy enough with Nintendo's version, Actionloop Twist (Magnetica Twist) which is similar. Tumblebugs 2 isn't available in Europe anyway.