"Light's out! Annnd... TETRIS! No, seriously. Lumines!"

Well, like many video game fanatics out there, hearing of a new Sony handheld was no surprise, and yet, it was a blessing. I like so many others, preordered the system and decided to purchase a few of the opening games with it, because if you have a 'brand-spankin' new system, you want games that'll last you awhile till that Madden version you want comes out, or until that Final Fantasy arrives. Lumines? A puzzler? No way. Who would buy one of those? We Tetris veterans out there could never live it down. It is a die-hard classic! Nothing could ever come close to the simplistic fun that is Tetris. Until now...

I picked up Lumines, and the box was pretty plain, nothing flashy or showy, but just like books, never judge by a cover, or in this case, don't judge by the fact that all the game play amounts to is moving blocks of 4 squares around a grid. This game is quite literally, an experience.

As stated above, you move blocks of four squares around a grid, in different patterns of two colors/shapes. The goal is to make a complete square of four of the same color, to 'delete' the block. In addition, like Tetris, if your grid fills up, you are voted off the island. But of course, that is not where the fun comes in. Whenever you complete a block, it is outlined, but it remains until this slider bar comes across the screen and picks it up oh once every three seconds or so. However, in the meantime, before the blocks are picked up, you can continue to form additional squares with the completed blocks! Trying to get as many blocks completed as possible before the slider removes it nets a combo, and many points.

The game play sounds simple? Not completely. The game gets faster. The music, which is played in harmony with what you are doing, even positioning your next block, changes. Once you have met a certain requirement, such as amount of blocks deleted, the background changes, the music changes, and the blocks change color, in the middle of the game. It all comes together in an interesting experience!

On top of that, there is a time attack mode, a vs. mode where two people share a grid, and the goal is to make blocks faster than your opponent, to shut him out of the grid and cause him to fail. Then there is a puzzle mode, where you are asked to make a picture of the different color blocks without having them delete.

Visuals: 10/10
The graphics are smooth, shiny, and beautiful, and really bring out the crisp screen of the PSP very well. It is a very visually pleasing game. Nothing is ever 'constant' in the background or foreground during a game, they change quite often, you aren't stuck with the same eye candy, you're introduced to more which only creates more hunger for getting to a higher level.

Sound: 10/10
The music is perhaps one of the best features of the play environment. The music seems to be rather 'poppy' and 'techno', but the music is live in the sense that the way it sounds, the music, the tempo, the rhythm, is based on what you do. Even moving the slider and dropping a block creates sound in the song.

Game play: 9/10
The learning curve is very gradual. The game is easy to pick up, but tricks are getting harder to master later on. Predicting where blocks will move is very important to rack up 15+ combos, or perhaps preventing the dreaded 'death.' The controls are reconfigurable, but very simple.

Replay ability: 10/10
I will give it to you like this.
Owned PSP : 36 Hours
Played Lumines: 17 Hours

This is definitely a game you should pick up. This game is at least at the level of Tetris in terms of puzzle greatness, and I am happy to say that, even being a Tetris veteran myself. As one of the opening titles of the PSP's launch, it is a great sell for the system. It is not just one of those 'I'm bored and I need to waste time' kind of games, it is an experience.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/28/05