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BLOOMING EXCELLENT JAW EDGING WONDERFUL EXCEPTIONAL LOVELY ENDLESS DAY!!!!!!!
The above is my
rather cheesy way of explaining what Bejeweled 2
stood for on my first day playing the beta copy. I have had the original Bejeweled installed on various Palms for the past few years
and it has to be one of my most played games ever. I admit that recently I have
not played it much since moving to an iPAQ as games
like Links and Astraware have
cleverly updated what was needed but managed to keep the game principles the
same but with small twists to give the experienced Bejeweleder
a new angle to test their brains. The addition of two new game types was an
added surprise. Graphics, Sound and Presentation
The gems are
the same classic design as before except that they are now sharper and easier
on the eye and slide very freely. One point to note is that it is a fairly
hefty game and the difference in speed between an iPAQ
4150 and a Tungsten E was more than noticeable. I found the game play on the iPAQ far superior and generally smoother in all operations.
Having said that the Tungsten E does have a slow processor by today’s standards
and is not really suited for extended game playing due to it’s terrible battery
and the fact that it is pretty much one of the worst PDAs
available at this time (just my opinion). The backgrounds are pretty to look at
and add even more to the overall feel. Good quality
sounds are a nicety to have in any game but in Bejeweled
2 they make a MASSIVE difference. The sound effects when you hit hyper cubes
and power gems are excellent but it’s the background music which does it for
me. When you are playing a game as stressful as B2 the soothing tones really do
help keep you calm. This sounds silly but the extras in version 2 make for a
completely absorbing experience that can have a strange affectJ The alternative is to play your own
MP3s for that extra personal touch- I would advise something slow and soothing
because hard dance music will probably give you a heart attack when it all gets
too much! I mustn’t forget the vocal encouragement given by a scary sounding
man who lives in your PDA once the game is installed. He says things like ‘excellent’
when you get a good combination and his tone stays flat all the time which adds
to his scariness- a lovely touchJ What’s new?
In the ‘action’
game you have two extras which sound simple but make all the difference to your
Bejeweled experience.
You will find
yourself starting to plan for them and trying to select particular rows to
build but this seldom works as the bar is ticking at the bottom of the screen
and you simply don’t have time. If you do try to plan for the big bonuses it
feels like using a Rubics Cube again- lots of
planning is needed and with no time limits you could make some great combos.
I mustn’t
forget the ‘Classic’ mode which you have probably guessed is Bejeweled as you know and love it with the nice extra
graphics and sounds. Oh silly me,
there’s another new mode- Endless. I’m not quite sure what to make of this but
you could play one round for years and years and never finish. I wonder how
long it will take for someone to post on a forum “I have just passed 20 million
on Endless mode and haven’t left the house for four years- I’m just great!” Ho hum. I could go on
and on about this game but will jump to my conclusions- it’s actually not easy
to review because you are just swapping gems at the end of the day but… Conclusion It’s wonderful
in every way! I’m 34 years old, have a wife and two kids and a fairly responsible
job but feel like I did when I first owned my ZX Spectrum at 14 years old and
played Match Point for hours and hours when I should have been doing my
homework. A few games
spring to mind as classics in my lifetime- Call of Duty, Match Point
(Spectrum), Soccer Evolution Pro and now Bejeweled 2.
This is without doubt one of the best games I have played on any platform and
is worth 10 times the asking price. Perfect,
just so perfect… Available from www.astraware.com
for $19.95. |
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