Xbox Solution:

Puzzling Games!

In our last article we talked about Xbox Live® Arcade as a whole and, as promised, we're back with the scoop on some of the games available. There are over 15 games currently available for download in Xbox Live Arcade, with new content added regularly.

In general, most of the games which are available are good for all ages, but each game has its strong points to consider when deciding which to spend those points on. To start off our series of mini-reviews we're going to take a quick tour of three of the puzzle-type arcade games: Bejeweled 2, Hexic® HD, and Zuma Deluxe.

Bejeweled 2
If you're looking for a gem of a game, Bejeweled 2 has your number, literally. Take different colored and shaped jewels and move them around the board. The idea is to create lines of the same color jewel to make them disappear. Gathering three gems in a row allows you to collect them by simply removing the gems and randomly dropping in three more. Line up four of the same color and you will create a "power gem," which explodes when used in a row. Finally, and most rewarding is the "hyper ball" which is left after putting five like gems together. Move a hyper ball into any gem and all similar gems on the board are removed.

Gem-flipping fun in Bejeweled 2 .

While it sounds simple, there was a lot of thought put into the game with different game play modes such as puzzle, action, endless, or classic. Additionally, bonus game play modes are awarded after reaching set levels in the four main areas. The classic game has you eliminating gems until there are no moves, while the endless mode never reaches a point where another move cannot be made. Action mode is a timed version, and puzzle mode is exactly what you would assume it to be. The last two are the modes that are the most challenging.

The interesting thing about Bejeweled 2 is that while it appears on the surface to be a mindless game, that perception is deceptive. Sure, the classic and endless modes may be just a stress reliever, but the puzzle mode takes thought and strategy to accomplish. By the same token, the action mode (which pits you against the clock) can become extremely frustrating just after the fifth level. Bejeweled 2 is a well rounded game, perfect for Xbox Live Arcade, that every gamer should have.

Zuma Deluxe
Zuma is one of those games that you need to try just to see what it is about. What the heck is Zuma anyhow? It defies description, but it is one addictive game. Try to stick with me—in Zuma you control a stone frog situated in the center of the screen. Around the frog are valleys with balls which roll into a golden skull. The object of the game is to fire balls from the frog into the rolling balls to make a set of more than three like colored balls; if the balls enter the golden skull, it's game over. Make sense?

Zap colored balls with the stone frog.

Zuma Deluxe comes in two flavors—Adventure mode which takes you from stage to stage, and Gauntlet mode which continuously ramps up in speed until you can no longer keep the balls from entering the golden skull. To make things more interesting, some of the balls contain power ups, such as a slow down ball, or an accuracy ball. Some of the levels are designed in a way that it can become confusing where the balls are actually coming from, but this just adds to the fun.

Bonus points can be made in a few different ways. My personal favorite is the gap bonus. You get a gap bonus when you eliminate some of the balls in one row, and then successfully eliminate some of the balls in the row behind it by firing through the gap. In addition you can get through the levels quicker if you chain your shots by eliminating one color, and have another color collide to eliminate itself. Yet another highly addictive game for Xbox Live Arcade that is good for gamers of all ages.

Hexic HD
If you have a premium Xbox 360 then Hexic HD is preinstalled on your hard drive, so without a doubt this is the game that most Xbox 360 gamers are familiar with. Hexic HD is similar to both Bejeweled 2 and Zuma in the fact that you group similar colored objects together to remove them, or transform them into something else. Basically, the game is made up of hexagon-shaped tiles of varying colors, rotating the tiles to connect them to similar colored tiles and remove them.

In search of the elusive Black Pearl.

There is a lot of strategy involved in Hexic HD. Gathering up three tiles of the same color is a breeze, but you'll never win the game if that's all you do. Instead, make starflowers by surrounding a tile with a ring of tiles, all of matching color. Not all that hard, but you then need to make a ring of starflowers to make a Black Pearl, and then a ring of Black Pearls to win the game. If that doesn't sound hard enough, keep in mind that at different points throughout the game bombs will drop. If you don't eliminate the bombs, it's game over.

Hexic HD is a challenging game indeed, but with Marathon, Timed, and Survival game play types you aren't locked into playing against the threat of the bombs all the time, you can mix it up. The bombs can be frustrating, but if you do it right you can use the bombs to eliminate all of the same colored tiles from the board. I'm still wondering when I'll be able to make a Black Pearl. It should come as no surprise to anyone that my eight year old nephew is much better at this game than I am!

More on Xbox Live Arcade
We have played these games on standard televisions, as well as high definition televisions. They look great on regular TV, but they look superb in HDTV. Stay tuned to Xbox Solution for more insight and opinions of Xbox Live Arcade games. Our next article will focus on the action type games currently available.

Article by Christina Mariannino and Jason Rybka, Xbox Solution