Planet Puzzle League

[Advocate]

You know I love puzzle games, but I didn’t when I first started gaming. I despised Tetris. Hated it with a passion. Then one day, a game came along and made me a believer. The game was Tetris Attack. A friend bought it on a recommendation. We started to play and let me say, the game was a blast. It took the idea of Tetris and twisted it. Instead of the blocks falling, they were already in the well. Also the blocks now sported different colors and had symbols on them, instead of the odd shapes they used to have.

Gameplay is straightforward, but when you have an ever-so-slightly rising series of blocks coming up, it gets pretty hectic. Tiles can be swapped for form chains. Clearing multiple chains yields a combo. Now imagine if you will, you have at least 15 blocks and in those blocks you see three combos. And then you see if you make this one combo, you can make a huge five-piece chain? Your mind starts racing, thinking quickly. But then you see at the bottom more blocks coming, but they are not usable yet. But in that set you can make another huge combo an then you realize "Ohcrap, I need to set it off now or I lose." Yeah, this is the life of a Tetris Attack player. Greed kills my friends… greed kills.

Well flash forward to present day. The DS is out and has a touch screen. Nintendo and developer Intelligent Systems have brought back a classic. Instead of forking over for the Tetris name, they decided to call it Planet Puzzle League. It’s no longer a kiddie game and it shows. The music, graphics, and style make it almost a new game. Some people may hate the choice of music, but personally I love it. Straight up techno, but it’s not annoying. It actually fits the game (shocking, I know). My main gripe so far is one level and shape that annoys me to no end. It has see-through triangles, circles, and squares. It was like someone grabbed their five year old and had him use Mspaint to draw the pieces. It doesn’t fit nor does it match the style I think they were going for.

You play with the DS on its side, like an open book. The left side (non-touch side) is where you see the score, time, and rate of rise. On the right side (touch side) this is where you have a choice. You can play old school (Use the d-pad and A button) or play using the stylus. Let me tell you, I thought I was fast with the d-pad; the stylus is where it's at! Holy cow, it’s so fast. I can just slide it across and create combos faster than I ever did. I played one game the old way and one with the stylus. I am never going back to the d-pad. There are touch issues, but I think that’s because I was thinking five moves ahead and I screw up due to this. But I love this new way.

I got very excited when I heard the news of this release. I wanted this game more than any other. It took awhile for me to pick it up, but I have yet to be disappointed! It’s a great game. Hours of playability and when I link this up with my friends, I am sure we will have a blast. The music is rocking and not annoying. The sounds are typical Tetris Attack style. The addition of online play is one of the best ideas for this game and really makes sense. And, even, better, the one cartridge for all idea is sheer brilliance. This is what makes the DS so awesome. If you love puzzle games like this, you have to pick this up.

[Changeling]

This is the only game worth keeping a Nintendo DS for. I had many great matches against the Japanese. Sadly, I never got to play any TNLers.

Great review!