
	Platform PSP Genre Puzzle Publisher Beuna Vista Developer Q Entertainment ESRB E (Everyone) Released Q4 2006

- Great music - 4 levels of difficulty - Variety of different skins and characters - Easy to learn how to play - New visual effects

- Music Videos don’t blend in very well - No option to turn off music videos - Gameplay involves no changes

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Lumines II

Score: 8.0 / 10

Lumines was a very successful and entertaining game for the PSP, and it is my pleasure to say, Lumines II does not disappoint and is enhanced with many new and more enticing puzzles, though it does feel a lot like the original with more music, skins and modes.

The music is what truly makes the game a masterpiece for the PSP. You can expect to see music videos in the background while you are playing, which was not such a great idea. It is annoying and it doesn’t fit in with the whole puzzle atmosphere. It can also be distracting to the player; you may focus more on the video than your current block and then bomb out on your next move. Music videos can not be fast forwarded like many of the non-licensed songs when you are placing blocks down forcing you to listen to the whole song before the next stage begins. For those of you who might like the idea of this feature, the music videos and tracks include artists like Beck, Black Eyed Peas, Missy Elliot, and Fatboy Slim.

Lumines II also includes a beefed up challenge mode. By this, I mean there are now three different classes to choose from, a fourth can be unlocked by completing all of the initial three. Class B is for new beginners of the game, class

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A is for people who have experience, but do not have enough skill to go to a higher level. Class S is for advanced players who can plan in advance to make intelligent moves to dispose of many blocks at once. The point of playing through challenge mode is to unlock new skins and music, but the real fun is to see how high your score is by the end, and to try to top your score.

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Some of the modes included in Lumines II are puzzle mode, time attack mode, Vs. CPU makes a return as well, and an all new mission mode. In puzzle mode, you must build the shapes that are given to you within the time limit such as a giraffe or a tulip. This can prove challenging but it’s fun. Time attack mode is a mode that you will continuously play over and over; once you receive your score, you’re always going to go back and try to achieve a higher score. Vs. CPU is a mode where you play against a CPU opponent and whoever runs out of space first, loses. This is another way to receive different skins and characters. Those who might have found this mode hard in the previous game might be relieved to know that once you lose, you do not have to start from the very beginning again, you are able to continue on the opponent you left off at. However, once you quit, you must start over from the first opponent again. This is a welcome change because in this mode, especially with later opponents, one wrong move could cost you the whole match and you will be forced to start over again. It is comforting to know that you will not have to face the same opponents over and over again as it can get quite tedious.

Mission mode is a new mode which allows you to complete various missions such as clearing the blocks that are already placed in one move. More or less, they are just to test out your skills and see how you think; it is not what we would call a major change to the game.

This game is definitely the best puzzle game up to date on the PSP and probably will remain at the top for a long while – Lumines II is a masterpiece in the puzzle area, and you would be wise to pick up a copy today.

- J’Tonello

(June 6, 2007)