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Gaming Forums => Nintendo Gaming => Reader Reviews => Topic started by: King of Twitch on January 03, 2011, 12:34:19 PM

Title: Bejeweled 2 (PC)
Post by: King of Twitch on January 03, 2011, 12:34:19 PM
Puzzling in every way

Bejeweled 2 came from a long line of hardy puzzler stock.

Its father was a puzzler.
(http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/145/l_44faa1e8bfb940b788af1ff2dd930f17.jpg). 

Its grandfather was a puzzler. 
(http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/149/l_c01a0ad7875f44379d40aa0c965aa188.jpg)

Its great-grandfather, one of the most notorious outlaws of the wild west, was a puzzler.
(http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/119/l_a6af26159e554c9399fd754d76d307dc.jpg)

Bejeweled 2 lives up to the family name as easy to play, difficult to master, and nearly impossible to bring to justice.

The basic play area is filled by an 8x8 grid of perfectly aligned, floating, multicolored jewels. Switching two vertically or horizontally adjacent jewels so that at least three of the same are aligned will eliminate them; more drop in to take their place, and the process continues. If four are grouped together, it creates a power gem that explodes the next time it is eliminated in a group; if five, a hyper cube is created. Switching this megaton will destroy all of the jewels of the same color on the screen. It's a pretty nice reward for pulling off a tricky (but not impossible) combo. Demolishing a whole section of the screen is really gratifying, maybe even moreso than lining up a tetris. Gramps would be proud.

There are a few different play styles but the main draw for me is Action mode, which includes a time limit that can be increased with good combos. There's other stuff you can do but it's all boring.

Though it was meant to be a simple puzzle game, the presentation is far from straightforward. One aspect that throws the entire game into confusion is the fact that around point levels 7,500, 20,000, 50,000, etc (or something like that), the screen twists and warps into a wormhole, a new background image is replaced, and a new screen of jewels is presented. There is no explanation, story, characters, or narration—nothing that would connect your actions in destroying jewels to the fantastic dream of interplanetary space flight.

At least...

At least I think it's warping me to other planets. The scenery looks otherworldly and the moons look like none I've seen before. I don't see any form of life anywhere. The air is still. Behind me is a cliff of jagged rocks too high to climb. Ahead, the glassy sea gives up not even a broken seashell (yet I still fear a hungry sea monster's tentacles are waiting to strike). Those moons' beautiful rings are small comfort indeed; such a cruel irony of fate to think that I may die beneath them.
(http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/148/l_e2000218cc4447f8a289716f1184331c.jpg)
Why am I here collecting jewels? Are they powering my spaceship? Who keeps refilling them from the top of the screen? How are they aligned so perfectly each time? Will I die when the timer runs out? They say you can never go home again; will my family remember me when I return?

Time is running low as the sun glares through my helmet.

I have no time to waste on answers.

I must press on if I hope to make it back.

The relaxing new age-y music calms my nerves and heightens my reflexes, but the monotone voice over that greets my combos with a “goooood!...excellent!” or “get ready... go!” reminds me of HAL 9000. Hearing the voice of that killing machine in an otherwise perfectly subdued game is off-putting. Of course I can't really blame it (him?) for going berserk on the Discovery One's crew. He couldn't possibly have reconciled the conflicting orders. He was just a machine...Just a machine. I just hope I can find enough jewels to avoid the same fate.

Fortunately the sound effects and music can be turned off and losing a game doesn't correspond to an actual loss of life (I've lost multiple times and I'm still alive). It's kind of old now but if you're looking for a fun and addicting puzzle game you can space out to, let Bejeweled 2 open the pod bay doors of your mind.
Title: Re: Bejeweled 2 (PC)
Post by: ymeegod on January 04, 2011, 06:58:45 PM
My sister picked up Bejeweled 3 for my parents and I ended up logging in many hours on it.  People need to avoid this crack :(.
Title: Re: Bejeweled 2 (PC)
Post by: King of Twitch on January 06, 2011, 01:54:34 PM
It's true. You can check into Bejeweled anytime you like but you can never leave
Title: Re: Bejeweled 2 (PC)
Post by: ShyGuy on January 07, 2011, 02:37:46 AM
applaud!
Title: Re: Bejeweled 2 (PC)
Post by: NWR_insanolord on January 07, 2011, 02:06:09 PM
I've never liked Bejeweled, which is odd given how much I love Puzzle Quest.