Galactrixina
By Steve
Oh Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, why do you make me hate you when I really want to love you.
Maybe hate it too strong. But your hacking minigame… why do you penalize me for success?
See, here’s the thing. You tell me all the time how much you love me to get those chains, those wonderful times when you match up multiple colors in multiple directions… tiles slide around, novas go off… it’s all so wonderful and exciting and a key to winning any combat encounter.
But when hacking, it’s a bad thing. See, I have no problem with you timing me while hacking. It adds a bit of extra thrill, a little spice. But you keep the timer going while those chains are going off, which penalizes me for actually being good. And if you need to get, say, a purple match and the next is blue, you toss out the blue one if it happens simultaneously with the purple one.
Lord knows I can’t quit you. But that little bit of impatience, that inability to occasionally stop time for me… you’re really starting to piss me off.
March 5th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Man, is *everyone* playing Galactrix? I’m trying to be strong and wait for the 360 version so that I don’t buy the game for every possible platform like I did with the original Puzzle Quest. But all the love (even when mixed with hate) is wearing down my resolve.
March 5th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
I wouldn’t bother with the 360 version, largely because of the real-time hacking. It’ll need to be significantly nerfed for a console controller; the DS can handle it, as can a mouse. But a d-pad or analog stick? No way.
Besides, it was $20.
(Says the guy that owns Puzzle Quest for the PSP, 360, and the PC.)
March 6th, 2009 at 8:03 am
I bought this last night, and I’m liking it a lot. I really need to read those mission descriptions, though. I sold a bunch of tech before I realized I was supposed to be collecting them.
March 6th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Yeah, I did the same thing for that one early collecting mission. It took me forever to find the right asteroids that had the quantity needed to complete it.
I really dislike only allowing four missions at a time. I’m not in love with that sort of arbitrary limit; let me collect a dozen and do them in the order I want to do them, not force me to drop them (and pick them back up later) when they turn out to be too hard.
March 6th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
The main draw of the 360 version of Galactrix is the same as it was for Challenge of the Warlords: online multiplayer. I was shocked at how addicted I became to playing a match three game *against* someone.
But that’s an interesting point about the hacking, since it might mean different mechanics on different platforms. CotW was exactly the same game across the board.
So I guess I will have to buy it for at least one other platform to compare, right? Right?
Troy, did you pick up the PC or DS version? I thought the stylus control was a little wonky for the DS CotW, so if that’s what you got, I’d be interested to hear what you think. Especially since it’s $10 more.
March 7th, 2009 at 8:55 am
I’ve heard the DS version has serious load time issues, which I wasn’t even aware could be a problem.
I downloaded a mod that turned off the hacking timer while chains are firing off, and wouldn’t you know… it’s almost too easy. So all the challenge in hacking comes from the time spent watching all sorts of fun matching.
Very weird.
March 7th, 2009 at 9:58 am
That’s a shame about the DS. I really hope that they reverse their decision on not making a PSP version. I could see this eating up a lot of time on my commute.
Now where’s that PC download link…
March 8th, 2009 at 11:48 am
The hacking cascades are annoying, but what’s really making me tear my hair are the constant five-second freezes during the game. I’ve searched all over for a fix, but the only one I was able to find doesn’t work. It doesn’t appear to be a universal problem, but I’ve seen enough complaints to know that it’s a verifiable issue.
The DS version may be hosed, but the freezing is making the PC version really frustrating, especially for a game that’s supposed to be good for shorter play sessions.
Maybe I’m being punished for not waiting for the 360 release.