Lumines Live
By:
Cory Bennett (CoryB23)
General Gameplay
Lumines is a drug. Notice I did not use a simile to compare the two. Lumines is clinically addicting and I think there should be a Lumines patch so that gamers can get their lives back in order after getting their first fix. If you were fortunate enough to play Lumines on the PSP and have an Xbox 360, you no doubt have already spent MS Points on Lumines Live!
The gameplay in Lumines Live! doesn’t stray from the original. You’re still trying to connect as many like-colored blocks as possible from the grid before the “Timeline” passes by and removes those that you’ve formed into squares or rectangles. Each spin of the falling block plays a musical note or makes a DJ-esque scratch to the music playing for the current skin. The skins still moves to the beat of the music and change after reaching pre-determined goals.
There are a number of gameplay modes to keep you occupied, whether you are gaming alone or with friends. You can play the challenge mode which can be a never-ending puzzle experience once you are skilled enough to keep playing. You can play in Skin Edit mode, which provides you the opportunity to play only your favorite skins. Puzzle mode gives you the opportunity to attempt to solve pre-made puzzles in under the maximum allowed number of moves. There’s also a CPU Challenge mode where you can play a multiplayer game against a CPU controlled opponent.
The problem with the Puzzle and CPU Challenge modes is that they are incomplete when purchasing only the base Lumines Live! game for 1200 MS Points. The Advance Pack, which offers additional skins for Challenge mode, is available now for an additional 600 MS Points. There are only a few puzzles and one CPU opponent available with the base pack and if you want to play further than what is currently offered, you’ll need to pony up even more MS Points when those packs are available on the XBOX Live Marketplace. I think offering additional content for games is great. On the other hand, offering an incomplete game and the opportunity to purchase the missing game modes at an additional cost is somewhat shady.
Obviously if you don’t care about the other game modes, you don’t have to buy them. Realistically speaking, Lumines Live! is already the most expensive XBOX Live Arcade game offered to date, and the price gets even more expensive if you want the complete experience. Offer customers the ability to enhance their experience. Don’t gouge them while selling an incomplete game. Is the game worth the price? I cannot answer that question for everyone else. I will say I hope this is not a pricing structure that other companies choose to follow. Don’t offer a partial game mode if we can’t play more than 5 minutes without doling out additional cash. This isn’t a coin-op machine. It’s a gaming console. Let’s not forget that fact.
Tech Specs
Lumines Live! does not make the best use of the high-definition graphics the XBOX 360 is capable of – it is a puzzle game - but it is very gratifying to play on a big screen.
From an audio standpoint, playing Lumines Live! in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound is exactly what the PSP version of Lumines was missing. The variety of music and the impact your gameplay has on the track that is playing is best-experienced using a 5.1 or better surround setup. The sound will ensure that your addiction never subsides and that you’ll be coming back for more Lumines, ignoring the seemingly ignorant pricing structure and getting a fix any way you can.
Game Rage
Lumines Live! is simple to learn but very difficult to master. Once you understand the many strategies to remove the most blocks from the current skin, you’ll be able to play a seemingly endless game in Challenge Mode. The other modes, incomplete as they are, provide a number of other challenges to keep Lumines lovers busy.
Butt Groove
If you enjoy puzzle games, Lumines Live! will keep you busy for months. Once you tire of it, it won’t be long before you come crawling back to the game trying to satiate your feeling of withdrawal from the sweet bliss that is Lumines Live!
Bedtime Rating
The game is rated E for Everyone and the content is suitable for children and adults alike. It’s best to play when you can crank the audio because the music is very catchy.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer can be achieved via split-screen mode on your local XBOX 360 or over XBOX Live. It brings a whole new level of replayability to the game in addition to the addicting single-player game modes.
Achievements
The achievements for Lumines Live! are on par with the rest of the puzzle genre XBOX Live Arcade games. There are some easy ones to tease you with as well as a slew of much more difficult achievements ripe for preparing your for a Rogaine prescription.
Category Rankings:
General Gameplay
Tech Specs
Game Rage
Butt Groove
Bedtime Rating
Multiplayer
Achievements
Overall Couch Count: 4 out of 5
Linear Mode
