GENRE
	Puzzle
	DEVELOPER
	Intelligent Systems
	PUBLISHER
	Nintendo
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	Yes
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	Yes
	MICROPHONE
	Yes
	BUY NOW AT

Only a select few make up the pantheon of truly great puzzle games. Tetris is obviously the great granddaddy of them all. Puyo Puyo has gone under many names, including Kirby's Avalanche and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. Newcomers like Lumines and Meteos seem like they might have staying power. The latter in particular is a variation on another classic, Panel de Pon. First released in the US under the Tetris Attack moniker, it now comes to DS with a new name, touch controls and online play. Be careful, though -- once you travel to Planet Puzzle League, it'll be hard to come back.

visuals

Real puzzle fanatics know that graphics aren't terribly important to make a great game. Some might even say that flash that doesn't serve a purpose distracts from the core experience. Planet Puzzle League does a good job of being nice to look at without any overkill. Backgrounds are slightly abstract, but mostly colorful and retain a cohesive design. The presentation is completely mascot-free, lending an accessible air to this Touch Generations title.

audio

Barring an exception or two, music might be even less important than visuals for an effective puzzler. Puzzle League's techno-themed tunes aren't exactly catchy or hummable, but they're not hard on the ears -- which is much more than can be said for most of the genre. Many like to play with their own choice of music, but if nothing else is available, this planet's music will do.

gameplay

Though most puzzle games are content to settle with arranging falling pieces, Planet Puzzle League is all about shifting rapidly rising stacks of colored blocks. A cursor switches two blocks horizontally at one time; matching three or more like-colored blocks clears them from the field. Naturally, this leads to combos, as blocks once held up by cleared ones may fall and clear more blocks. Combos stop the playfield from rising, but they can also unleash garbage blocks on an opponent. Once they fall, garbage blocks can only be destroyed by clearing a group of adjacent blocks. Steel garbage blocks muck up things a bit more, preventing more than one garbage block to be cleared at a time. There's a risk-reward system in that rivals can either choose to pepper their opponent with small combos or let their screen fill high and try to set up huge combos.

It seems bewildering in words, but in practice everything is quite simple. The DS features make the proceedings even smoother. Holding the DS sideways like Brain Age and Disney Meteos suits the vertically-oriented game well. Stylus control is such a breeze it's unreal; it certainly doesn't play as a game that was designed as a d-pad. In fact, stalwarts that insist on doing without the stylus will find themselves at the mercy of those who use the quicker control method.

Thirty dollars is a lot to pay for what is essentially a decade old game. Fortunately, developer Intelligent Systems has justified that price with a good deal of single player modes. Besides competing against an AI opponent normally, players can also engage in score attack or clear-the-most-blocks battle. Puzzle mode asks that players clear a set arrangement of blocks with carefully planned moves. Other features include time attack, garbage challenge and the classic endless mode -- all of which are pretty much exactly what they sound like.

Each of the modes are interesting enough on their own, but add up to be quite a package. It helps having one of the most addictive games around. Just the endless mode alone should provide a reason for players to pick up and play this game every once in a while. Play too much though, and it can really start to infiltrate the psyche. Soon enough, the underside of each eyelid will be filled to the lashes with blocks and combos. Ten minute breaks after every hour are recommended.

multiplayer

Arguably the best reason to play previous iterations of Panel de Pon was to engage in fierce battles against another human player. Not only can four players duke it out with one cart locally, but a Wi-Fi versus mode is also supported. This is definitely a vital addition for fans. Matches are simple one-on-one affairs with the obvious friend codes applying for buddy lists. Mic support is included for well-earned as well as unwarranted trash talking. There's also an odd but fun option to play against those who share a birthday. Other than that, it's kept as a rather simple affair. People can play against each other online, it works fine, and that's all that fans need...besides online leaderboards.

overall

With a variety of modes, great stylus control and online play, Intelligent Systems has come up with a puzzle game that's hard to beat. The lack of any sort of branding on this title shows that Nintendo wants as many people as possible to be able to get into Puzzle League. Indeed, this is the sort of game that's easy enough to pick up, but hard to let go. As the definitive version of what many call the greatest puzzle game ever made, Planet Puzzle League is a must own for anyone with a DS.

9.5/10