This is the 2nd time in a week I've heard PSP and negligible load times in the same article...are the game designers FINALLY figuring out that good code will lessen load times?

Reply

I don't like RPG or puzzle games. Should I buy this game?

kidding

Reply

This load time stuff is silly. The DS has load times as well, even in titles as simplistic as brainage.

Reply

This game is fun and challenging too. A puzzle game with the added RPG features make it interesting then playing some boring game where you would only match jewels (i.e. Bejeweled). I thought it would be easy but the A.I. keeps handing me my @ss. Great game!

Reply

The load times are tiny in comparison to other games I've played. The only gripe I have is with the menu system. I've accidentally bought items instead of backing out of the store. It takes some getting used to.

Reply

Re #3 not to derail the thread, but comparing the loadtimes on the DS and PSP is like comparing the graphics - there are *clear* differences.

Back on topic ...

The PSP version of this game is brilliant! I wish I didn't know in the back of my head at all times that my companion bonuses don't work ...

Graphics, sound and so on are all wonderful - I can see where in timed challenges the stylus would be better, but that is about it. I wouldn't call the load times 'negligible', but they are quite quick and certainly don't mess with gameplay.

And for someone who has played tons of Bejeweled 1 & 2 through the years on a PDA, who knew I would find the puzzle system fresh and exciting!

Cool game - my fave of the year so far.

Reply

I have the pc demo and it seems great. Maybe I'll get it if its $30 or under

Reply

txa1265, not really. Brainage has horrid load times as does the DS system itself. In Brainage you have to sit through multiple redundant screens that attempt to mask the loading (these are longer and more painful than those times I've waited on my PSP). Everytime you do something in the DS system you have to shut it down and then sit through its warnings on reboot.

Reply

Are they gonna fix that Companion bug, or what?

Heh, maybe Dark Alex can do it ;-)

Reply

The DS version has bugs too....

http://www.infinite-interactive.com/InfiniteForums/viewtopic.php?t=342

Reply

required: You are a true fanboy. Only someone so loyal to their system could even imply that the DS has worse loading times than the PSP. The PSP is one of my fave systems of all time, but your posts just scream of blind loyalism. Please stop being so stupidly argumentative. Touch upon legitimate points to prove your case. Must I link Smackdown once more? You give PSP fans a bad name.

Reply

Wow vR did I ever put a bee in your bonnet! In the future, keep in mind that just because one has an opinion that differs from yours doesn't mean you need to throw a temper tantrum.

I've had a DS since day one and I often get more frustrated waiting for it to shuffle through all its loading screens than I do on the PSP, deal with it.

Reply

required: No, idiot. It's an opinion that differs from EVERYONE'S. I challenge you to find one person that will agree with you. Even true PSP fans don't take their loyalties that far. You are simply being argumentative, and you are a tool.

Why do people assume I'm losing my temper when I point out how stupid they are being? You are the typical case of the internet warrior that will disagree with popular opinion just to get some attention. Are you happy with your station in life?

Reply

Hey vR and required - take it elsewhere. Bottom line, there are exceptions to all rules, and I could use one to show that the DS has better graphics than the PSP. Then people would say I'm demonstrably an idiot.

Either way - what does it have to do with this awesome game? Nada! On one forum full of developers, PR agents and writers there are more than 10 pages of free-flowing discussion of strategy and tactics and approaches and character builds - for a PUZZLE GAME!

This is a great game - don't let the few little bugs hold you back. This is my fave game of the year, PSP or otherwise, better than Ratchet & Clank, MGS, and so on ...

Reply

Re: #15 - I mentioned the bug in #6.

It is not nearly bugged to the point of needing a recall. Some people get occasional hang-ups, but those are more prevalent on the DS. On the PSP I have had two, both of which were fixed by putting the system to sleep and then waking it up again.

Here is the description of the bug in context:
- As part of the game you get 'companions', sort of like a party in other RPG's.
- Each party member has skills that help you out in battle. Some enhance your stats, others damage enemies. For example, your first companion is supposed to give 10 damage to undead at the start of a battle.
- On the PSP, you get the companions, but none of their skills work.

Reply

I have both handhelds, and I chose the DS version. I can't imagine playing this game on the PSP: navigating to and selecting the blocks would be a real chore.

Reply

Re #17. "I have both handhelds, and I chose the DS version. I can't imagine playing this game on the PSP: navigating to and selecting the blocks would be a real chore."

The only time you notice that is during the timed move battles, especially at higher levels. Otherwise it is not an issue.

Reply

"I'll find [Puzzel Quest] eventually, but I think I might avoid the PSP version, at least for now. I had intended to do so for purely ergonomic reasons, believing a stylus was probably the ordained interface methodology, but there is a bug that negates companion bonuses on the Playstation portable that I am keen to avoid. I was worried about crowded screens full of text wrestling for space on the DS, but Gabriel says that they've experienced no ill-effects."
-Tycho from Penny Arcade

Further clicking reveals how the PSP version is apparently bugged, to the point of almost needing a recall.

Reply