those crazy japanese developers...
I finally bit the bullet and picked up a PSP. I found a Japanese version (shipping with firmware v2.0) for a rather cheap price on eBay as part of a bankruptcy auction/stock liquidation of a company that was shut down recently in MA. I first saw the auction Wednesday afternoon, and the unit was in my hands Friday morning.
After a few minutes spent downgrading the firmware to v1.5 (for obvious hackability reasons), I harrassed katsu for hours over IRC, demanding assistance in installing the latest and greatest loaders, apps, and homebrew games. Earlier today, I went hunting around for games, and after katsu's reccomendation of Every Extend Extra, I stumbled across an earlier game from the same people.
I have never before encountered a game, video or otherwise, that has so instantly and irrevocably grabbed my brain and refused to let go. I know that there are PC clones out there that you can probably find and play, but I doubt that they have the soundtrack and tightly packaged sonic feedback of the PSP version. All I know is, whenever you get a game system, or any new gadget, for that matter, you always get this little nugget of fear that, at some point, it's going to end up gathering dust because it was no longer useful/fun/worth carrying around. When you find that one special thing that it's good at, that you can't get anywhere else, you feel like it was worth it. I'm happy to report that less than 48 hours after getting the PSP, I've found that one special thing.
After a few minutes spent downgrading the firmware to v1.5 (for obvious hackability reasons), I harrassed katsu for hours over IRC, demanding assistance in installing the latest and greatest loaders, apps, and homebrew games. Earlier today, I went hunting around for games, and after katsu's reccomendation of Every Extend Extra, I stumbled across an earlier game from the same people.
... Lumines is one part Tetris, one part Dr. Mario, and three parts crystal meth.
In short, this game is absolutely addictive. After reading reviews, looking at screenshots, even watching gameplay video, nothing prepared me for the sheer experience of playing this simple puzzle game. I'll spare you the details of the mechanics of gameplay, but it's quite simple to learn. Once you work your way into the first level, the music starts, and the background starts pulsing, and you think, "hey, Tetris never had graphics like this." Then the blocks start to stack up... and the speed picks up... and the background changes shifts and morphs into a colorful, pulsating, kaleidoscopic aimation... and the music... it just pumps up harder, faster, higher... and the best part... it's all tied in to each and every button you press to move those diabolical blocks around the screen. It's at this precise moment that you realize that Lumines is one part Tetris, one part Dr. Mario, and three parts crystal meth. You find hours disappearing on the clock, sleep becomes an abstract and distant memory, and your entire mind is warped and folded around that four inch screen.I have never before encountered a game, video or otherwise, that has so instantly and irrevocably grabbed my brain and refused to let go. I know that there are PC clones out there that you can probably find and play, but I doubt that they have the soundtrack and tightly packaged sonic feedback of the PSP version. All I know is, whenever you get a game system, or any new gadget, for that matter, you always get this little nugget of fear that, at some point, it's going to end up gathering dust because it was no longer useful/fun/worth carrying around. When you find that one special thing that it's good at, that you can't get anywhere else, you feel like it was worth it. I'm happy to report that less than 48 hours after getting the PSP, I've found that one special thing.
