Picross DS and the fine art of guess-work
Lately I’ve been playing a lot of this funny little contraption people in the far East have lovingly named the Nintendo DS. It’s handy because it fills those gaps between console gaming where you bedgrudgingly leave the proximity of your XBOX 360 (I can take my wireless controller with me everywhere I like, but if I can’t see the screen the novelty of the mobile gaming experience really wears thin). It’s also great because I can use my DS on a submarine… I’ve never been on one, but its just a nice thing to know.
So, to further define the point I’m trying to reach, on this miniature joy machine I’ve been playing this game called Picross DS. I was tricked into believe this title was a puzzle game, but in all honesty I can’t see the puzzle in it. It’s a guessing game. It’s like an elaborate, Japanese Deal or No Deal; billions (slight overstatement) of boxes that are some how connected to one another.
There’s definitely a science to this, I’m sure of it. So far a majority of that science has involved me anxiously tapping the screen when I see a big number, like some sort of raging chimpanzee. It’s just so damn addictive, though. Despite, on most occasions, having no idea at all what I’m doing I can get through about 5 or 6 puzzles in one sitting. Fair enough I’m often embarrasingly beyond the time limit, but gawd damn does it keep me tapping away!
Luke wrote:
Hey I think I have the hang of this game now, but I hate playing on the bigger grids because you have to switch between the ‘pen’ and the cursor thing to move round the screen… balls.
Posted 26 Aug 2007 at 8:07 pm ¶