::Magnetica: Matching same colored marbles is still not old::

Hey, remember that game that you used to be able to play for free on Popcap.com? Then they released it on the Xbox Live Arcade for $10? Well, now someone else has changed it up a bit and is now charging $30 to play it on your Nintendo DS.

The game I'm referring to is Zuma, a fairly straightforward puzzler that has you combine like colored marbles (how original) until you clear a certain amount from the screen. Some people may claim that the game I'm writing about is just a cheap Zuma knock-off. In fact, though, it's the opposite. Magnetica is the 2nd sequel to Mitchell's 1998 puzzle game "Puzz Loop".

Magnetica is available exclusively for the DS for the simple fact that it takes advantage of the stylus’ capabilities. Magnetica is a new twist on this old favorite, featuring new gameplay modes and controls. So while it's not entirely original, Magnetica is a decent way for you to put an end to your summertime gaming blues.

While this game seems to have changed names more often than Paris Hilton changes anonymous boytoys, it's still basically the same fun game (I know, I just mentioned Paris Hilton in a review about a game that has balls in it....sorry). Going into playing the game I read a lot of the early criticisms this title garnered due to the price tag for what some believed should have been a budget title. After completing the game and finding myself going back to it for some time afterwards, I can’t exactly say I agree with them. Now, I’m not saying their arguments are unwarranted; because if you’ve played any the previous incarnations of this game before on the PC, Xbox Live Arcade, or the actual arcade, you more or less have an idea how to play and what to expect. Your objective is still the same, stop the chain of marbles from reaching the end of the line.

“Magnetica” is not just a fancy name for a videogame, it denotes that something is probably going to be attracting to something else. But the fine people over at Mitchell don’t use former Laker-girl and noted physicist Paula Abdul’s “opposites attract” rules. Whenever marbles of the same color are separated on the board with no other marbles in its way, they will magnetize to each other. This can be used for strategy if you want to back up a chain of marbles that are close to the center to buy yourself some time.

The DS is really the platform to play such a title on. For all the time I spent using a D-Pad to direct marbles to like colors, or my mouse on my PC, I never thought there was much wrong with the control mechanics of the game. After playing it on the DS using exclusively the stylus, I’ve realized that this is the only true way to play a game like this. The speed and direction you drag your stylus across the screen will dictate where the marbles will go. You can drag slowly to set it up to move slow and so on.

There are a few modes packed into this title that vary the game up a bit. “Quest Mode” is where the bulk of the game is played. With over 60 levels to conquer, it by far packs the most punch and will keep you playing for hours on end. As I breezed through the first few levels, the number of colors the marbles came in began to increase, making it harder to get rid of them. Also, there are a number of obstacles that will come into play while progressing through the levels. You’ll come across multiple tracks of marbles that will cross paths and require a lot of strategy when trying to eliminate them. Even more strategy comes into play when there are multiple shooting points on a given level.

A few more distractions will come into play, such as “viruses” that will turn a piece into a marble that you cannot eliminate by matching it. Instead, you will have to match three of the same colored marbles on the pair neighboring this piece. Another distraction comes to the gamer via the DS microphone feature. Smoke will blow onto the screen and in order for you to regain visibility on the level; you'll have to blow into the microphone. This was a nifty little addition indeed as it added strategy and difficulty to the more advanced levels you will run into later on in the game.

The challenge mode is basically like an endless game with marbles entering the screen for an indefinite period of time until you cannot keep them from the end point any longer. This mode can only bring the replay value so far, though, and Quest mode seems to be where the meaty part of the cart is.

Multiplayer is of course, a must with any handheld system. Wireless 2-player mode can be played with a single cartridge or multiple ones. I have played with a single cartridge and I was only able to select from 1 level set up. There are up to 4 on the screen, but I could not select the other three. I am assuming that these other levels can only be used with a multiple cartridge game. The “download play” might have been too much to send over wirelessly with one cartridge to include more than one level. Multiplayer plays out a bit like Battle Mode in Tetris. You can obtain power ups that will only hurt your opponent in various ways such as smoke, “virus” marbles, etc. You can view your opponents’ board on the upper screen while you’re playing to see how you’re doing against them. Multiplayer only goes so far though, you’ll end up playing the single player game the bulk of the time.

The graphics are certainly not something you could take seriously for a puzzle game. The colors and shapes are fairly basic and don’t exactly push the envelope for the DS’s graphical capabilities. Mitchell’s focus on Magnetica was most likely gameplay, not graphics. This is not to say that this is an ugly looking game, but to call it beautiful is an overstatement.

Magnetica’s audio is no frills. I wouldn’t say the sound effects are annoying, but more times than not, I turned down the volume. Remember those klakking toys we used to play when we were kids? Well, remember how it got annoying really quick? That’s pretty much the extent of the sound effects of this game. The background music is pretty minimal also. The sound of Magnetica is definitely nothing memorable.

All in all, it took me a week or two to beat all the Quest levels. I found myself playing it for no more than a half hour at a time, but I’d pick it up a few minutes later to play it all over again. You’ll pick away at the Quest mode, play the Challenge mode a few times here and there, and maybe you’ll take part in a multiplayer game or two; all will pique your interest in a matter of a few weeks. But still, a few weeks is a lot more than most titles these days can speak of. Magnetica is worth a look, and even with its full price ($29.99), it may be worth a purchase for puzzle-freaks. For the average gamer, wait for it to drop to $20, or rent it now to see if it’s your cup of tea, or should I say: “sack of marbles.” Thank you...I’ll be here all week.