Gunpey

"Who would have that lines were fun? Actualy, they are not."

Gunpey

The PSP has been kept alive by its popular puzzle game Lumines. Other puzzle games have attempted to copy and recreate the addictiveness of it, but have none have come close. In all fairness, Gunpey was created and was out in Japan way before the PSP was even conceived on the wonderswan. Bandai decided to bring Gunpey over to the states, but how would it stand the test of time?

Gunpey is a very simple game to learn and play. Almost too easy. In fact, all you need to know is that you need to move the lines until you make a line that stretches across the grid. I admit when I first popped it in I was a bit confused on what to do, but after a quick look through the instruction manual, it was minutes before I had mastered the game. The fun ended very soon however. It was just not addicting and fast paced like its puzzle cousins. Do not get me wrong, it is a good pick up and play game for a few minutes, but it does not have a lasting appeal.

In case you do not get the concept of the game or have never heard of it, the game takes place on a 5x10 grid that has random lines on it. You have to move the lines up and down to connect the lines to make one line that stretches from one end of the grid to the other. You do this by using the square or triangle to flip the contents of you 2x1 cursor. You can only move lines up or down; not side to side. You can also link other lines to the completed line for chains. You lose or it is game over when you advance to the 10th row. You are sometimes forced to advance because you do not have the proper lines to complete a full line. It is really not a big deal because you are usually given enough lines to make a complete line with some chains.

A common factor Gunpey has with Lumines is it has skins, 40 to be exact. These play in the background and are accompanied by there own music. You unlock these in challenge mode. Sadly, most are lame and look like a twelve year old made it, as well as the cheap sounding music. There are a few exceptions of course, but it does not justify why the others are poorly made.

An up side to the game is that it has several play modes. These modes include:
Challenge, Double Skin, Gunpey 10x10, Vs, and quick play. Challenge is the basic mode that allows you to unlock skins, Double skin gives you double the fun with two grids, Gunpey 10x10 gives you an extra five blocks width wise, Vs is….multiplayer, and quick play randomly puts you in a game.

Possibly the worst experience for me is the save option. It is not auto save. A game like this is not so complicated to not have auto save. When I got it, I played for about an hour, I turned it off, a few hours later, hopped back on, and I had nothing. All my skins and high scores were gone. I did get all of the stuff back in like 15minutes, it was just the point. They do allow you to save up to three profiles, which I have no idea if it is a good or a bad thing, but I will just say it is a good thing because this game needs it.

Overall, it is a decent game that is good for a quick pick up and play game. The skins are bland, as well as the music. Not auto save is a huge downer also. If you have Lumines, I would not bother with Gunpey unless you are a puzzle junky. There is just not enough action to justify a purchase.

Gameplay: 5/10
Graphics: 5/10
Audio: 5/10
Worth: 4/10
Overall: 5/10

+ Easy to learn
+Good to pick up and play
-No auto save
-Skins suck
? Why is this game so expensive?

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 12/11/06