Withdrawl

The story continues. What happens when you take away GC's game machine? The result isn't pretty.

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you know that the much anticipated Halo 3 is coming out this week. To be honest, I've never played the halo series, and really have no desire to do so. I think the last FPS (first person shooter) I played was Star Wars Jedi Knight II. Halo seems to appeal to a demographic younger than myself. However, if anyone's interested, I'll bite the bullet and tell you what I've learned about the game. Let me know.



Personally, I'm interested in the latest Zelda game, the Phantom Hourglass, due out next week for the Nintendo DS. I know I didn't start out liking the Zelda games, but then I started playing them and really liked the orderly way the world was laid out - the puzzles were logical, an you knew that any obstacle you encountered was only temporary and you would eventually make your way past it. The same went for the creatures you encountered. Even the toughest monsters had some chink in their armor you could exploit. Winning a major battle was an accomplishment. By the time Minnish Cap came out, I was hooked on Zelda. The Phantom Hourglass promises to take advantage of the DS touchscreen interface, adding a new level to the popular series.

One of the things I like about handheld games is that you should be able to pick them up and play them or leave them at any time. Picross is one of those games - you can save a game in progress at any time and come back to it later. The perfect diversion for those long commercial breaks. I've solved over 300 of the avialable puzzles in the game and there's only a few more to go. By then I hope there will be some decent puzzles available for download via the internet.

Game Review: Picross DS

It seems that folks have discovered that the Nintendo DS is ideal for puzzle enthusiasts, at least if the number of Sudouko games available for the DS is any indication. But if you're tired of filling in cells in a 9x9 grid, then you might want to give Picross a try.

Picross is based on the logic puzzle known as Nonogram or Paint by Numbers, but with all of the bells and whistles one would expect from Nintendo. To put it simply, you have a grid with cells that must be filled in or left blank to form a picture. To figure out which cells get filled in and which are left alone, there are rows and columns of numbers on the side that indicate how many squares in that row or column get filled in. For instance, the numbers "4 2" would indicate that you would fill in four cells followed by two cells in that row. The trick is that the numbers don't tell you how many squares must be left blank, which is where logic comes in. If you've done everything correctly, you'll get a nice picture. In Picross DS, you get penalized if you make a wrong choice and if you make too many wrong choices you won't see the special animation that accompanies a finished puzzle or unlock new levels.

Picross DS comes with over 300 puzzles to solve, and you can download more using the DS Wifi feature. It also has a multiplayer option where users can try to be the first to solve the puzzle or particpate in guessing games. Picross DS is priced at $19.99 so if you have a DS and are looking for a fun way to exercise your brain, you can't pass this up!

Improvements

The gang is trying to find ways to improve the Gamecreature site. Wise-cracking cats need not apply.

Seriously, I'm looking to spruce up this place, but it'll be a long process. As always, your suggestions are welcome.

Got a few more games to bring to your attention. A few oldies and one new game - Picross for the Nintendo DS. Those of you folks who are looking for some mental stimulation on the DS and are sick and tired of all of the Sudoku offerings, this is the game for you. I'll post a review later this week.