Nine Over Ten 9/10

If there’s anything that screams Game of The Year material, it would be Planet Puzzle League for the Nintendo DS. A Touch! Generations title which is a combination of Bejewelled and Tetris, along with some interesting gameplay modes, PPL rocks and is really quite addictive.

Gameplay is divided into Single Player, Daily Play (think single player, in smaller doses), local WiFi and Nintendo WFC. Single Player features a variety of modes, with Endless being the choice for me (you should try it too, if you have plenty of time to kill).

Daily Play features game modes that require just 2 minutes of play; you’ll be spending that amount of time trying to get a high score, or clearing lines of rubbish and even adding more rows (Tetris veterans go huh?)! I have not tried out the local WiFi and WFC modes, but this game has certainly proven its mettle in terms of the single player aspect.

I know I’ve said this before about another game, but it needs to be said here again: the soundtrack to PPL is of particular note. Electronica/dance combines well with the gameplay, and I can foresee a trend in this particular genre.

Like any other Touch! Generations title, Planet Puzzle League is very easy to pick up and play, with the stylus being the primary means of control. In fact I didn’t even bother to read the manual when I received my copy of the game today. This must-have title is still available at Play-Asia (click here), and if you fancy the Japanese version known as Panel de Pon, click here.

7 hours, 26 minutes and 22 seconds. That’s the amount I’ve spent so far playing Final Fantasy III for the Nintendo DS, and it’s not too shabby actually for a busy guy who was previously adverse to RPGs. In any case, there’s nothing much to add on to my first impressions of the game (nice graphics, soundtrack) except that it is an excellent RPG.

Random encounters are abundant around the map and players tend to bump into them, but it’s a really good way to level up your characters. The job system complements the leveling up and if you are stuck in a rut (e.g. reduced to mini size vs pain-in-the-ass monsters), try changing jobs! In my opinion, the job system plays an important role in keeping things fresh, and I don’t even sense the tedium normally associated with level grinding.

Combat is turn-based and it’s pretty clear cut (to me at least), when compared to the series’ Playstation counterparts. New players and RPG virgins shouldn’t have a problem getting into (or fleeing from) combat, just keep in mind that combat comes along frequently (refer to previous paragraph).

Even with SD Gundam-styled character models, the game has a more mature tone compared to other similar RPGs on the Nintendo DS, such as Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time. And I actually favour this set up compared to that of the later, which had me in candy-coated, gum-drop flavoured anaphylaptic shock (metaphorically speaking) after 20 hours of play.

In any case, Final Fantasy III is a worthy addition to any Nintendo DS owner’s library. It pretty much earned its place in mine.