Once in a great while, a game comes along that redefines how we play multiplayer. Unfortunately, Puzzlegeddon on Xbox LIVE Arcade is not one of those games. Formed around what is a relatively elementary puzzle title there really is very little here that any average gamer more or less hasn't already seen. This problem would plague me constantly as I wrestled with this game, constantly attempting as hard as I could to like it. But at the end of the day, things didn't work out too well. The tutorial is a freakin' must if you want to get anything done in the game, while stands pretty well and capable of probably being enough to frustrate some. Seriously, having played through the tutorial twice just to make sure I had all the slight nuances of Puzzlegeddon down pat before going forward and launching into a deathmatch, I still found myself struggling like a busted paddle boat. As previously stated, a significant amount of my dismay comes from the fact that this is elementary mechanics with minute additions added on in the hopes that this could be a laudable game, but it doesn't even come close. I found the controls to be clunky, the overall premise to be cliche and there to be such a draining feeling on the fun I thought I'd be happy that my disappointment got the best of me more than once resulting in me shutting the game off and walking away for a while before working up the wherewithal to give it another go.
There is some promising components here with the multiplayer. Six players isn't a revolutionary number for online gameplay, but that doesn't mean there isn't some compelling mechanics present. For instance, if you rack up enough skill in your puzzling puzzledry you'll be rewarding with the ability to launch a nuclear weapon towards the other side of the globe against any one of your opponents. On the other hand, your opponents have access to shields which can defend from said nuclear arms. But basically, you keep working the puzzle to garner energy to destroy your opponents. So, puzzle, garner, destroy. Get it? Got it? Good. I suppose there is something appreciable in the overall simplicity of the title. But in an age where casual players play at a hardcore pace, I suppose this feels almost like a step back as opposed to showing gamers something they haven't seen before. Since it doesn't push the boundaries or break any new barriers in the puzzle genre, this is sure to disappoint quite a few people. Ultimately, I can't recommend the title at 800 MS points, but the demo is available and worth a shot for anyone who feels puzzle titles are closer to their hearts than games belonging to other genres.
