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Downloadable Game Review: Chuzzle Deluxe (playvue.com)

By Keith F. Blake

Playvue.com Editor’s Rating: 9.3

Storyline

Chuzzle brings a surprising combination of 80s arcade style with the standout flops of the 70s: shag carpet and disco. Like many puzzle casual games of recent (including Bejeweled, Zuma and Cubis), the aim of the game here is to create chains of three or more in an attempt to clear the board or advance levels. Only, in Chuzzle, instead of grouping jewels, blocks or orbs, we are grouping what can only be described as cute little shag carpet hairballs with eyes (apparently named “chuzzles”)!

We are taken right into her quest as a restaurateur as Flo herself; an energetic, enthusiastic owner who fulfills every role from hostess to server, bartender and busboy (thankfully, cooking is provided by a overworked dark figure behind the counter).

Chuzzle provides several game modes including classic (what we’re used to playing), Speed (where you must make a combo every few seconds in order to continue on), Zen and Mind Bender. All modes seem to be endless, as after an hour I reach level 24 with no end in site (and officially, as far as we know, there is no limit).

The sound track is particularly interesting and unique. It’s a disco-techno feel beat with, what I swear, is the Aflac duck quacking to the music (think John Travolta meets Donald Duck)!

However, the best part (by far) is the inclusion of trophies. Several dozen trophies are available in the Trophy Room for all types of achievements ranging from “Triple Combo” to “Speed Freak” to “Chuzzle Bingo”. This feature, along with the morphine-like, hour wasting addicting gameplay (customary for PopCap games) delivers more then enough excitement time and time again to warrant full version purchase: one hour is not enough, I must pop more shag carpet hairballs!

Navigation

Thanks to obvious special consideration, PopCap has come up with a sliding row/column grid navigation which proves easy-to-use and yet allows challenging gameplay. Players slide rows and columns of chuzzles left and right or up and down in order to line up combinations which record themselves (over half of my combo’s when playing came from accidental lineups recorded while attempting another, more obvious, lineup).

Ease of Use

Regarding ease of use, the navigation and gameplay are self explanatory at the get-go. And just in case you find yourself a little clueless as to where to begin, PopCap has included many tutorial and in-game assistance tips to aid you along the way. Additionally, in exchange for a hit in points, hints are available to get you out of those “what the heck do I do now?” moments.

Playability

With dozens of trophies, multiple, very challenging game modes, and tons twists and quirks along the way, Chuzzle is one of the few casual games that seems to never get old or boring! It kind of reminds me of the old commercial with the tagline “once you pop, you can’t stop!” To sum up…

MUST POP MORE SHAG CARPET HAIRBALLS!

Full Version Features

The free trial include unrestricted access and allows 60 minutes of gameplay. Enough to get you started and on your way at least one game mode as well as time to try out the other three. The full version allows you to feed your addiction (you’ll see what I mean when your trial expires).

Pros/Cons

Pros:

• Very addicting
• Doesn’t get old or boring
• Seemingly unending
• Easy to use, navigate

Cons:

• No multiple player support

Bottom Line

I never thought popping little shag carpet hairballs with eyes could bring so much excitement and satisfaction… but it does! This game never gets old, boring, and seems to never end! The inclusion of trophies for particular achievements catapults this arcade/puzzle game above the traditional Bejeweled, Zuma and Cubis. My #1 Puzzle Game of the Year!

Editor’s Rating:

Storyline: 9
Ease of Use:9
Playability:10

Overall:8.3

Game Specs:

• Publisher: PopCap Games
• Full Version Price: $19.99
• Windows 98/2000/Me/XP
• Processor: PIII 500 MHz
• 128 MB RAM
• Free hard drive space: 8 MB
• 16 bit Video Card 16MB DirectX 7
• DirectX-compliant Sound Card

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

Download/More Info: http://www.playvue.com/pv/downloadablegames/puzzle/chuzzledeluxe/

Source: http://www.playvue.com/

About the Author

Keith Blake is a Featured Editor at Playvue.com, an up-and-coming online games website specialing in providing online games, game downloads, and multiplayer games in a rich, immersive, one-of-a-kind environment.

Weird Games, Part I
By Search EzineArticles.com

Tired of playing same old boring games? There are dozens of wacky, offbeat or just plain weird games out there and I’ve got the scoop on the latest releases. Check ‘em out.

Varmintz (Skunk Studios)

This humorous game places the safety of a wacky crew of raccoons in your hands. In Varmintz Deluxe, you guide five furry creatures through an obstacle-packed maze.

Varmintz Deluxe brings back classic hop-and-dodge style gameplay in a fast-paced, character-rich environment. The game includes a range of characters and stars. Varmintz is a scrappy raccoon posse in search of golden eggs. Each of the more than 50 levels contains a variety of challenging obstacles and in-game enemies, including rabid dogs, lumberjacks, cowboys, joggers, and skateboarders.

Oh yeah, it’s the only game of this kind, where you have no weapons whatsoever. Good luck!

Free Download: http://www.deprice.com/varmintz.htm

Enigmo (MumboJumbo)

Enigmo is a 3D puzzle game where you move various streams of flowing liquid so that the droplets get to their destination. Liquids (water, oil, and lava) fall from “droppers” and will bounce around the walls of a mechanism. You move and rotate into position various types of bumpers, sliders, accelerators, and sponges in order to divert the flow of the falling droplets. The faster you complete each level, the more bonus you will receive.

The puzzles in Enigmo are mainly about studying the environment and knowing the devices at your disposal. How does water react with the sponge? How does oil react with the bumper? What will happen with the lava if you rotate the slider just a little bit? The game is made more complex by having to accomplish elements in a certain order. You not only have to divert 50 drops of liquid into the receptacle, you also have to first gain access to the receptacle. There’s a lot about which to think, here, and it’s rare that I ever solved a puzzle correctly on the first try. Trial and error is the way to get through this game

Free Download: http://www.deprice.com/enigmo.htm

Pax Galaxia (Dio Games)

Pax Galaxia is a uniquely addictive real time strategy game of stellar conquest. The difficulty ranges from extremely easy to nearly impossibly difficult. While the easy modes are suitable for a fun couple of minutes trying to beat your time records, the more difficult ones will require all your concentration and the mastery of all the tricks of the game to overcome the computer players.

There are more than thirty maps to choose from, and you can quickly make many more using the random map generator and the easy to use in-game editor. You can choose between four levels of difficulty and each map can be played multiple times with each of the opposing forces. You’ll be entertained for months.

Free Download: http://www.deprice.com/paxgalaxia.htm

John Deprice loves weird games. His collection is publically available for free download at http://www.deprice.com/games.htm