Puzzlers and Minis pique interest
While Nintendo’s spokespeople mostly avoided discussing DSi software last week at E3, at least one new game has been released on the online store every week since the system launched. A handful of those “games” are calculator and clock applications, but there have been a few first-party gems along the way. In particular, Pictobits and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! are absolutely worth the asking prices of $5 and $8, respectively. Neither would work as tangible, boxed products, but they’re just about perfect for the DSiWare service.
Pictobits is the latest game to be released under Nintendo’s “Art Style” banner. As I mentioned last month, Aquia, the first DSi game in the series, was the best launch title by far. Pictobits continues the trend of excellence with another unique take on the “Match 3” puzzler. In this installment, you have a “well” to store multicolored tiles, and you need to strategically drop these tiles under falling shapes to clear them. However, these shapes usually come down in clusters, forcing players to figure out the best order to clear each one. The result is a bit more cerebral than something like Tetris, but without sacrificing the manic pace of the best puzzlers.
Once you clear tiles, they become “bits” on the top screen, eventually forming a pixilated 8-bit character from Nintendo’s cherished stable. The standard Mario and Zelda iconography is here in full force, but some obscure Japan-only games make cameos as well. Better yet, as you clear shapes, you’ll be rewarded coins that can be used to purchase chiptune remixes of NES soundtracks. If this game were on store shelves, I’d bemoan this as a cheap substitute for additional game modes, but at $5 the unlockables are icing on the cake.
March of the Minis isn’t quite in the same league as Pictobits — it’s Lemmings for Dummies, minus the green-haired rodents — but the sheer volume of content is nonetheless impressive. The download packs dozens of levels, collectable items, and a level editor. Better yet, you can share designed levels online. The Youtube-style rating system ensures that at least some of the best levels will rise to the top, meaning that March of the Minis will last as long as you want.
Unfortunately, for all its bells and whistles, March of the Minis doesn’t quite click when it comes to the actual action. Though the first Mario vs. Donkey Kong (and its beloved ancestor, Donkey Kong ’94) gave players direct control over Mario, the miniature robots in this third outing can only be “steered” by placing blocks in their path. This is easy enough to do using the stylus, but the final product feels too passive. For the first half of the game, you’ll rarely need to do more than place staircases and walls, and the challenge doesn’t kick in until the post-game “plus” stages. Still, it’s much easier to recommend than its full-priced predecessor.
March of the Minis is also significant because nobody had heard of it until Nintendo announced it a week ago. The company is notorious for withholding release dates of WiiWare and Virtual Console games, but I was still surprised to see a major release so suddenly unveiled. While there’s nothing of interest on the the DSiWare horizon at the moment, this recent development gives me some hope.
Most Recent Arts Comments
Karen Vaccaro is a remarkable person as well as a dedicated performer. I couldn’t imagine a better night at theater!
The director should’ve added the wrinkle that the ban on dancing’s the only thing keeping Bomont from attracting the green/tech/jobs of the future!
Now that’s Class!
I have read several of her books and liked them. I guess because I’m not an overweight, lesbian, intersexed Jewish amputee with divorced parents I can’t comment on the offensiveness of some of her jokes.
You forgot to mention fat people. She made fun of obesity. And divorce. Children of divorce were lampooned, too. Jewish people. She hit on a lot of “groups.“ I fit into a number of them. If you didn’t like her speech you won’t like her books. If…
Lesbians: Anecdote about her mom being a lesbian, and getting her mom introduced to Rosie O’Donnell, and mom and Rosie talking about oral sex, and Weiner acting disgusted. She probably meant the disgust in a “don’t wanna hear about my mom’s vag” kind of way, but all…
Oh. Wow. What exactly did she say, Emma? Do you remember?
I went to this. In the first 5 minutes of her talk, she made fun of lesbians, intersexed children, and amputees. I was honestly surprised at how offensve she was—it was like she thought the Champaign Public Library was a venue for Last Comic Standing. I…
Theresa—are you speaking generally about that monologue, or did you attend the Friday night showing at UIUC?
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Illinois has simply had no luck at all in these Mizzou games. None. I think maybe we’re do for a couple of bounces to go our way. If we get one or two (or sever or eight) breaks, I think it’s a win.
Jason, Savoy could easily join the CPL tax district, which is probably closer to most Savoy residents than the Tolono library is. But my impression is that Savoy residents as a whole don’t want to pay the cost of the CPL (Tolono’s library taxes are cheaper), even…
Sorry, but I am lagging behind on updates to the map. Also, some construction projects were delayed from their original start date. On a more positive note, I am putting together a map of haunted houses in Central Illinois. I have a few plotted already, and I…
I’ve never gotten the privilege of all the services CPL cardholders get. I just want to be able to go out of my way to drive to the CPL to check out books, pay fines, maybe buy some coffee, and enjoy the library. None of those activities…
These days, there is more to using a library than checking out books. At one time, paying into the Lincoln Trails system probably would cover the expenses incurred by other libraries in the system. Now, with Internet, videos, coffee shops, wireless Internet hubs, etc., I suspect the…
(speaking as a Savoy resident) By paying taxes to support a member of the LTLS, we are paying our “fair share” to use any LTLS library—Tolono, Champaign, Urbana, etc. This is how library systems work. The 6% of CPL’s circulation represented by Tolono users is NOT significant…
I read Timbo’s argument. I think the key word is “speculating.“
I would be interested to hear more about the “word on the street”—how are individual hauling companies fulfilling their promise to recycle?
Timbo makes a smart, sound argument. Reread it.
I joined on 09-09-09 after living here over a year, and having to listen to my dad tell me how his best friend is, like, #27 or something crazy like that, and how said friend never lived further than 50 feet from the Illini Inn while going…
And, I might add, no one is being prevented from using the Champaign library. They are just being asked to pay their fair share if they are going to use it as their primary library.
The equation is pretty simple here. If you want social services, then pay the taxes required to run those social services. These things only work if everyone puts in their fair share. As a heavy user of the Champaign Library, I say bravo to this new policy.
Curtis Orchard is always good for an hour or three, especially if you have rugrats.
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Looks like you are also all members of the killer sideburns club.
Thanks for the article, Ben. I was not familiar with this band until now and even though I won’t be able to attend the show on Friday they are now on my radar. A *good* jam band is hard to find, and these folks appear to fill…
Nice article, love the Dead quote in the beginning. If they can get down here to Central FL I’ll definitely be heading out to the show. Some of my friends have finally stopped wincing when I say “jam band.“ I’ve now tried my best at more descriptive…
@Annie: Yeah, my bad. That was the best part! Drinking + memory exercises = fun @Rob: According to Ask the English Teacher, “My dictionary says ‘drunk’ is an archaic past tense of ‘drink.‘“ We’re all about the new grammar around here.
Katie, have the residents of Savoy and Tolono thought about having their taxes raised a little to help their public library expand? That’s a possibility for them. And then everybody wins.
good call on that Herring recording, Josh. Love that version of Exit Music….here’s a clip of the Cinco de Mayo show (from about six months prior). As I recall, this Shakedown went on for roughly a half hour, while getting into the Trampled Underfoot jam in the…
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The main character’s name is actually Lisbeth, in case you want to correct.