During a good portion of the twelve-some-odd-hour plane ride to Tokyo, I played Lumines II on my PlayStation Portable. So what’s the first thing I actually did when they let the crowds of hungry press on to the Tokyo Game Show floor? I was sure to check out Lumines Supernova, the upcoming PlayStation Network version of Q Entertainment’s popular puzzler.
I’ve been playing Lumines for awhile on a variety of platforms: PSP, PlayStation 2, Xbox LIVE Arcade, PC, and the mobile phone. So it wasn’t surprising to hear the PSN booth girl tell me in broken English, “Oh, you’re very good at this game.” When it comes to Lumines, I’ve been there and done that. The demo of Supernova didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know; you drop colored blocks to create like-colored squares.
More after the jump.
While this PSN version of the title will feature new modes — including one called “Dig Down” and an enhanced synthesizer mode to create your own background music — the demo on the TGS floor was barebones single-player. There were some new skins and music, but a lot of familiar favorites seem to be making their return (including the Mexican jumping bean theme).
Oddly enough, the game’s controls seemed to be a bit sluggish, particularly when compared to the PSP version of the title. The build was only 90% complete, and some tweaks could change that when the game is released, but I expected the game to feel a bit better using the DualShock 3’s d-pad.
The title doesn’t appear to support online multiplayer modes, and for those interested in that kind of thing, there will be no trophy support. But regardless of the fact that I already own the game on a handful of platforms, my Lumines obsession knows no boundaries, and I’ll be picking it up when it hits North America later this year.
