Reviewed: November 9, 2006
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Q Entertainment
Developer
Q Entertainment
Released: October 18, 2006
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 1-2
ESRB: Everyone
7
8
8
6
7.4
Supported Features:
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
In early 2005 Ubisoft sprung a clever little puzzle game upon unsuspecting PSP gamers. Created by the puzzle wizards at Q Entertainment, Lumines captivated handheld gamers everyone and became the smash hit of the system. And long before rumors of a PSP sequel even started circulating, there was talk of an enhanced version of the puzzle game coming to the Xbox 360.
Earlier this year I had a chance to play Lumines Live! at a special Microsoft event at E3, and I have to admit I was impressed at how the game stood up on the big screen. There were actually more people waiting to play the Lumines demo than Rockstar’s new Table Tennis game.
Interestingly enough, Lumines Live! hit the XBLA just a few weeks short of the PSP sequel, and there are some remarkable similarities between the two games, not just in the menus and game modes, but in the gameplay, both solo and multiplayer.
The XBLA version offers unlimited gameplay with the traditional Challenge mode featuring 12 unique skins, as well as five puzzles, five missions, and multiplayer modes against the CPU or another player locally or over Xbox Live. But don’t be fooled. This initial offering is merely a teaser meant to entice you into spending far more of your precious Microsoft Points than you might be ready to part with.
Yes, even if you pay for the so-called “full version” you are still going to feel the irresistible urge to purchase the Advance pack so you can get those 22 new skins and new songs, and just about the time you get the hang of those missions and puzzles you will be prompted to wait for more content coming soon…at a cost of course.
Already in the works are new Artist packs that will feature special music video skins. Madonna has already been announced and it's only a matter of time before more artists jump on the Lumines bandwagon. The Mission/Puzzle pack will offer 50 new missions and puzzles and of course, more skins, while the new VS CPU Mode Pack will offer 11 new AI opponents…oh yeah…and more skins.
I can’t help but think that Lumines Live! is like that Civil War chess set that just keeps pecking away at your back account each month. I pay them $2-3 and they spoon feed me my next taste of Lumines goodness. So you have to ask yourself, just how deep does the rabbit hole go, and do you take the red pill or the blue pill. Well, the hole goes pretty deep...hopefully not as deep as your pockets.
The core gameplay of Lumines Live! hasn’t changed from the PSP. Blocks featuring 2x2 smaller blocks of two possible colors sink from top to bottom. You move and rotate those blocks to form clusters of four or more like-colored blocks and they will vanish.
The hook to the game is that blocks are only removed when a sweeping line makes its regular pass across the playing field which is cued to the tempo of the song for that skin. This adds a bit of delay to the removal process which can cause problems, but more often than not it gives you a chance to adds a few more blocks to the group about to be removed, further enhancing your bonus points.
It’s a simple game and not even that original or interesting save one totally addictive features – skins. Your one goal for continuing to play through Lumines is to see what the next skin (and song) is going to be, thus unlocking it for instant access in all of the other game modes. But with only 12 skins in the core game, you'll be looking at that Advance pack all too soon.
The PSP version had some really good music but the 360 seems to have gotten a bit too trendy for this reviewer. I suppose if you hang out in some raves or go clubbing in NYC or Amsterdam you might recognize these tunes but they were all lost on me.
My biggest complaint with Lumines Live! is just how deceptive it is. Normally you download the trial version of an XBLA arcade game and play it then it tells you when you need to buy the rest. With this title you purchase what you think is a full game only to find out it is just a bigger sampler, getting you hooked on the gameplay then dangling numerous expansion packs out there to drain your stash of MP’s.
And at the end of the day, Lumines is a great game to take on the road on my PSP to kill a break or lunch hour and chill with some fresh tunes, but when I sit down in front of my Xbox 360, this isn’t the kind of game I want to play. I need something just a bit more substantial and complete.
Lumines looked great on the PSP and it manages to hold up nicely on the 360 with full HD support for 720p. The colors are vibrant and the screen comes alive with all sorts of subtle and not-so-subtle special effects. Block pulse and glow and flare brightly when they vanish. Sometimes the screen can get so busy it’s hard to actually play the game, especially when they start slipping live action video under the play field.
As good as Lumines sounded on my PSP headphones I wasn’t prepared for just how rich and encompassing the sound would be on the 360. Even if I didn’t like all the music there were one or two tracks I could groove with, and the music and sound effects are distributed in some truly radical surround mixes complete with reverb and other audio effects. This game will definitely show off your sound system.
I can respect the marketing model of episodic content but you really need to let the buyer know that the game they are unlocking still won’t be complete. I knew going in that the Advance pack was available since it was right there in the download menu when I was getting the core game, but getting five missions deep into the puzzle and mission modes and only being able to scratch the surface of the CPU VS mode was a huge shock and disappointment. It seemed that every time I got into the game I was hit up for more money. I haven’t felt this financially harassed by my TV since the last time Jim Baker and Sally Struthers were hitting me up for cash.
The content that you do get with your initial purchase is adequate, and you do have access to 200 achievement points, but the objectives aren’t that original. Most have to do with the Time Attack mode goals that will come naturally after a bit of practice and extended gameplay.
If you have a PSP then I’d still recommend getting the first Lumines, the new sequel, or even both. This is a game that is much more suited to portable systems. With it’s heavy focus on music and trippy visuals it’s a perfect pastime when you are on the go or need to chill away from home.
I’m not saying Lumines Live! doesn’t have a place on XBLA. There are already plenty of puzzle games in the arcade and many aren’t this good, but I can’t help but feel that others like me will buy what they think is a full game and then find they will need to buy one or more expansion packs to experience everything they thought they were going to get in the first place.
It will be interesting to see how Lumines Live! evolves and what kind of content we ultimately end up with. It will be just as interesting to see how much it’s all going to cost us. I’m betting that when it’s all said and done they will release the game and all its expansions in retail form. Maybe that will be the day I finish my Lumines experience.