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Lumines II
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The sequel to one of gaming's most addictive puzzle games makes its way onto the PSP.

What's so special? One of the PSP's premier titles, the original Lumines brilliantly blended addictive puzzling, club-inspired techno tunes, and mesmerizing presentation. The perfect mix of simplicity and depth, Lumines could rightfully be considered one of the greatest puzzle games of all time. The sequel is looking to improve on the few rough spots the first game presented, while adding much more to the already exceptional experience.

Developer track record: Q Entertainment, headed by acclaimed designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi, has released the puzzle classics Lumines and Meteos (for the Nintendo DS). Music is a key factor in nearly all of their games, using rhythm to influence their gameplay experiences more than most other developers. The company is primarily comprised of former Sega employees, one of them being Mizuguchi himself.

Few upcoming PSP games are as anticipated as Q Entertainment's Lumines II. The original Lumines, a PSP launch title, has become a staple any PSP library should contain, and by the looks of things, the sequel shall not disappoint. With added modes, difficulty levels, songs, and more, Lumines II takes the first game's tried-and-true gameplay and improves above and beyond the expectations of fans.

Lumines II's gameplay elements remain by and large unchanged from the original. Falling blocks consisting of four small squares drop down onto the playing field, and it's up to you to arrange these blocks so that they create like-colored rectangles. These rectangles are then "wiped out" by a windshield wiper-like "turntable," which moves on and off of the screen in time with the beat. Creating massive combos by clearing multiple rectangles at a time is a real treat (as any puzzle fan can attest to), and the experience surrounding the gameplay makes for a truly euphoric experience.

But to anyone who has already given Lumines a go, you may be wonder, "Why do we even need a sequel?" Instead of easily cashing in by shipping out the same product with a few new songs, Q Entertainment when the extra mile, providing new modes, skins, and difficulty levels to keep eager fans appeased. The modes include Challenge, Time Attack, Mission, Vs. CPU, Puzzle, and the always-intense Multiplayer mode (which is played using the PSP's ad hoc functionality).

Challenge and Time Attack remain basically unchanged, and save for a few touches here and there - such as new avatars and backgrounds - Vs. CPU resembles its previous incarnation. Puzzle mode now consists of 100 stages, ranging from the incredibly easy to the mind-numbingly difficult. Mission mode gives you 50-ish different challenges that need to be completed following certain guidelines. For instance, one mission may ask you to clear a number of blocks within a set number of moves, while another may instruct you to clear certain blocks. This should add even more longevity and variety to the mix.