Arcade and Puzzle Video Games

A remake of the classic Commodore Amiga title (later released on many other platforms as Pipe Dream), Pipe Mania is a puzzle game in which players lay down a series of pipe pieces in order to guide the mysterious and constantly moving substance known as Flooze from one end of the puzzle grid to the other. The 2008 version comes with updated visuals, new characters, new non-pipe pieces (roads and assembly lines, for example), and multiples floozes. There are more than 70 levels in all, set across seven themed worlds, and gamers can play in World, Arcade, Bonus, Multiplayer, and Classic modes. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

PlayStation 2 gamers get their first chance to try MumboJumbo's Luxor series of Egyptian-themed casual games in Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge. Players navigate through 88 levels of pyramids and papyrus, where gamers can use five different sphere-shoving scarabs to blast colored orbs traveling along pre-defined paths. More than a dozen power-ups help players annihilate enemy spheres, and experienced players can flaunt their expertise by earning 25 skill badges. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Lumines comes to PS2 in Lumines Plus, following the success of the original release on PSP. The console version adds new "skins" and a head-to-head battle mode for competition against the computer or another player. Produced by innovative rhythm game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Space Channel 5, Rez), Lumines is an action puzzle that sets Tetris-style block-packing to the groove of music.

The game pieces are small blocks in two colors. Four-block squares -- usually containing blocks of both colors -- drop from the top of the screen, and the goal is to arrange them to create rectangular patterns of four or more blocks of the same color as the pieces pile up at the bottom of the screen. A "timeline" rhythmically sweeps left-to-right across the screen and clears away any color-matched rectangles, causing the remaining pieces to drop.

As in Tetris, if the pile of blocks stacks up to the top of the screen, the game ends. As the game progresses, pieces fall more quickly from the top of the screen, while the block-clearing "timeline" does not move any faster. This reduces the speed at which individual blocks can be removed from the playfield, but increases the possibilities for high-scoring, single-swipe combos. The PSP's Lumines supports two-player competition through a wireless connection. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The old wooden labyrinth game gets an upgrade in Mercury Meltdown Remix where you take control of a liquid mercury blob, navigating the mass through environments filled with traps, door switches, spikes, and moving floors. Mercury Meltdown Remix includes over 200 available and hidden levels to conquer in 12 labs with names that include Aero, Bio, Chemical, Electro, Geo, and Atom. Learn to roll in the "Tutorial," go for a spin, and then check out "Replay" mode and see how you have improved. Find bonuses throughout all the labs to unlock party games such as Paint, Race, Rodeo, Matrix, and Shove. The mercury blob comes in four states -- normal, solid, fast, and slow -- and each condition has assets and drawbacks that can help you through the gauntlet of each stage. ~ Gracie Leach, All Game Guide

This budget-friendly release from Crave Entertainment offers over 1,000 traditional brainteasers, such as word searches, crosswords, code-breakers, and other puzzles of linguistics and logic. The game supports multiple profiles, so all members of the household can work through the puzzles at their own pace. ~ All Game Guide

End-level bosses are standard fare in video games, but the bosses are the levels in this unusual adventure. Developed by the studio that created the PS2's critically acclaimed Ico, Shadow of the Colossus is another fantasy-themed puzzle adventure that's light on dialog and heavy on beautifully expressive environments. Players take the role of a young knight who sets out to rescue his sleeping-beauty princess from a magic-induced state of suspended animation. To do so, he'll need to defeat the 16 Colossi -- landscape-sized enemies so enormous that they can only be conquered by exploring them, platform-game style, to discover their weaknesses. Against some Colossi, the hero may ride his faithful steed alongside the monster, galloping at full speed just to keep up with its mile-long strides. Other Colossi require the player to actually climb aboard, and crawl, run, and leap across their massive forms to find the hidden vulnerability that can be used to bring them down. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Mojo! is a 3D puzzle game played with a series of colored blocks suspended in space. Instead of arranging the blocks to create different stacks, players instead control a ball in an attempt to smash through the blocks. All stages are timed, and players can only smash blocks of the same color, requiring them to roll to special areas to change the ball into the correct shade. To succeed, players must quickly plan each move in advance so as to clear the stage using as few moves as possible. Each move reduces a player's available "Mojo," which can only be replenished by collecting the specific number of Mojo blocks needed to advance to the next stage.

Mojo! offers more than 100 stages set within three distinct environments and includes an editor feature so players can design their own custom levels. As the game progresses, players will encounter obstacles in the form of death blocks, repulsers, and attractors that require new strategies to overcome. Some levels also feature multiple platforms connected by warps, portals, and slides. Up to four players can compete simultaneously in specially designed battle arenas as well as a variant of miniature golf that has them quickly rolling the ball toward different holes. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

An update of the perennial classic, Tetris Worlds combines the tried-and-true formula of the original Tetris with a number of variations on the theme. The concept is based around the idea that Tetris is played differently on various worlds. The six disciplines that players can partake in are Tetris, Square Tetris, Cascade Tetris, Sticky Tetris, Hot-Line Tetris, and Fusion Tetris.

The original Tetris rules require players to move and rotate Tetriminos in such a way so as to complete one or more horizontal lines. Once completed the line will disappear, awarding points based upon the number of lines that are cleared simultaneously. Square Tetris is much the same as the classic rules, but additional points are awarded for creating four by four square blocks.

Cascade Tetris is yet another variation of the classic rules. Here, whenever lines are cleared, individual pieces fall down into "cells." If these pieces clear any lines upon falling, a cascade results, granting the player bonus points. In Sticky Tetris, the goal is to "dig" your way through the blocks onscreen and to clear the bottom row. However, the caveat is that like-colored cells will join with similarly colored cells, forming new shapes. When enough of these cells join together, a Critical Mass occurs that clears the blocks.

Hot-Line Tetris requires players to clear six pre-marked lines within the onscreen rubbish. The higher up the screen these lines are, the greater the number of points a player will receive. Fusion Tetris tasks players with connecting falling "Atom Blocks" with a Fusion Block located at the bottom of the screen. Along with its own set of Tetris rules, each world will present players with a unique 3D background to enjoy while playing the game. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide

A young boy in a magical world has been born with a strange deformity: large horns that jut out of both sides of his head. The people of his village, fearful of retribution from above, feel they have no choice but to sacrifice this mutant child to appease their gods. To that end, they have taken this boy, named Ico, to a massive, supposedly deserted castle and left him in a giant urn. But when the urn breaks, spilling Ico into the bowels of the fortress, he will soon find his adventure is just beginning. Along the way he'll meet a mysterious princess who has been held captive in the castle for untold years. Although they cannot communicate through speech, they soon forge an unspoken bond, and it is clear that if either of them wants to make it out of the castle alive, their destinies must remain intertwined.

Ico and the princess do not speak the same language, but this isn't to say they don't interact. Quite the contrary, as their relationship is a key element to the game. Ico's main goal is escape, but he cannot and will not leave the princess behind. Although she has limited power in terms of mobility, she has the ability to open certain doors blocked by massive idols. Ico has to do the majority of the grunt work, however, grabbing the princess' hand to pull her along to new locations. He can call her when she's far away, and help her up steep ledges and across long jumps that she could not normally make on her own.

Don't assume that this journey will be a pleasant little jog through the castle, because plenty of obstacles stand in the way. The castle isn't a plain arrangement of straight hallways and open doors. Rather, players will have to use brainpower to solve the puzzling twists and turns that the fortress has to offer. They must run, jump, climb, swing, and explode objects and traps in their path, all the while finding an easier way to bring the princess through it all. And lest anyone believe that the castle is actually abandoned, the duo will be continually pursued by shadowy creatures intent on dragging the princess back to the prison. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

AquaAqua puts you in control of an earth-like terrain on a mission to help the Aquas (colorful and strangely familiar water spirits) find balance between dry land and water on "THE PLANET." By creating mountains from land-based pieces called "uppers," you can trap rain and water-based pieces to create lakes.

If the mountains grow too high, a devastating earthquake may occur. If the water flows too freely across the land, you will ultimately flood your terrain and fail. You must balance these forces while dealing with other (sometimes helpful) obstacles such as bombs, fireballs, and ice cubes.

The Aquas protect the land from four evil monsters spanning from the Paleozoic era up to the era of ancient civilization (30,000 B.C.). One of the evil monsters dominates each of the game's four eras. It will attempt to destroy your terrain unless you and the Aquas can earn enough points and establish a proper balance between wet and dry land.

If you can earn enough points, the "SUPREME BEING" will protect you and the Aquas until the next monster confrontation. As the levels progress, the points a player must accumulate in order to earn protection increase exponentially, but if a player can create tiny lakes suitable for "Lake Mates" (which vary from era to era) points are doubled for each one on the screen. Similarly, small items the Aquas collect may help form a "bingo," leading to point and terrain power-ups that last for one minute.

In this update to Wetrix and Wetrix+, AquaAqua features the Story Mode described above and a quick Puzzle Mode wherein the player must simply survive as long as possible until his or her water meter floods. The game also assigns rankings based on the point total. Attaining a "Master" ranking on all four Story Mode levels unlocks a "Hidden Future" level.

By completing an eight-part training mode you also unlock a two-player Versus Mode. The goals of the two-player mode are to prevent flooding in your terrain and acquire bingo items that can be used as attacks on the other player's screen. When one player's water meter reaches maximum capacity, the other player wins. ~ Jay Semerad, All Game Guide