REVIEW: Lumines Live! (XBLA)

[xepherys]

I'm always a fan of new and intriguing puzzle games. While the genre is chock full of clones and wannabes, Q Entertainment has pulled through with this franchise.

I had never played Lumines, being a Sony dissident as I am. When the download became available to me on XBL, though, I was happy to give it a try. When I say I was impressed, I assure you it was an understatement. Taking some simple puzzle queues from Tetris, adding additional gameplay elements and making for some insanely fast-paced action in both single- and multiplayer-modes, Lumines is the kind of game that will make your thumbs sore and your eyes water from staring so intently at the screen.

The premise is to stack 1- or 2-color 4-square blocks to create 4- or more square blocks of the same colors. As the time line passes the screen (at varying speeds depending on your level) it sweeps away those combined groups, removing them from the playing field and giving you points. The larger the groups the time line takes away, the higher your score goes.

The only drawback I can see is that even some people with great color perception can have an issue with some of the tile sets. While I find this part of the charm and difficulty of the game, others have been a bit agitated by it.

In the end, I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a good puzzle game. This might even be better than Hexic HD.