Publisher: Sega
System: Sony PSP
ESRB rating: E
Review rating: 3 stars
Although handheld consoles are brimming with puzzle games, none of them stood apart from the rest, until now. Sega has just released "Crush," a game that not only questions the very fabric of reality, but also lets the player alter it.
Publisher: Konami
System: Nintendo DS
Cost: $30
ESRB rating: E
Review rating: 2 stars
Everyone's favorite pint-size bag o' bones, Death Jr., is back. In Konami's latest action-platform title, "Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom," DJ is out to clean up yet another demonic mess before his nefarious father, the Grim Reaper, finds out.
Just when you thought mini-Death's school was brimming with ghastly creatures, along come Moloch the demon and his minions. The game and its characters are so bereft of personality that any new characters, no matter how wicked, are welcome. It doesn't help that much of the game features 3-D characters fighting and performing actions in archaic, 2-D backgrounds.
Like a bad science project, "Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom" comes up short. Could this diabolically mediocre game be the proverbial nail in the coffin for the series?
4 stars - Must have
3 stars - Pretty good
2 stars - So-so
1 star - Don't waste your time
Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)
E: Everyone
T: Teen (13 and older)
E10-plus: (Everyone 10 and older)
M: Mature (17 and older) Insomnia is a terrible ailment, and young Danny will do anything to help him sleep. That's why he agrees to use Dr. Reubens' experimental device to travel into his own damaged psyche and heal himself.
While traveling through his own brain, Danny must locate his lost marbles to proceed to the next level. Three-dimensional puzzles are presented. The more advanced ones require the ability to crush, or flatten, the surroundings into 2-D and back again.
When this is accomplished, Danny can discover hidden pathways and walk over or around objects that previously hindered him. Barrels, blocks and other objects also can be manipulated to help the player progress. In addition, "thoughts" that appear as neon signs can be used when a level is crushed. These "thought power-ups" can slow time, make Danny jump higher or unlock rewards.
It's ironic that "Crush" is so addictive. With the objective of freeing its protagonist from insomnia, the game is sure to cause plenty of sleepless nights for players.
