Official Website

Platform: PSP

Genre: Puzzle

Number of Players: 1 - 4
 

Sudoku is everywhere these days, though it’s not anything that’s new. In the United States, it was originally seen in a puzzle magazine way back in 1979 and though the game caught on in Japan back in 1986, it wasn’t until last year that it took America by storm. The game has now made its way onto the PSP go you can have Sudoku on the go, and I suppose that’s the logic behind the name: Go! Sudoku.

The concept behind the game itself is relatively simple. You have a series of nine squares, each with nine boxes inside of them. Next you need to arrange numbers one through nine in each line. The trick however is that the number can’t be in the same line, nor can it be present in the same box of nine squares. The idea itself seems as though it isn’t that difficult, but the puzzles can become incredibly complex and this is a game that requires thought as opposed to the usual video game of simply matching colors or shapes.

Go! Sudoku features the same style of gameplay, though tailored to fit everyone from the novice to the most dedicated and sophisticated of player, but all on your PSP. There are four different levels of difficult including easy, mild, difficult and fiendish. If you’re just starting, you can get the idea behind the game through a tutorial and even get a bit of training before you officially begin. If you’re still not exactly sure how to play the game, the easy level is probably the best starting point as each square will show you what numbers can be played.

The playing field itself looks like Sudoku, but there are a few changes. You have a time limit that needs to be met as well as a given number of lives. Should you lose all of these by placing the wrong number in the wrong square; it will simply penalize you by adding time onto your total. The D-pad allows you to navigate through the squares while the L and R buttons cycle through the numbers. Once you have all the numbers in the field, either by playing them or having them presently on the screen, it will be removed for the carousel. You can also select the type of background you’d like to have, you can allow it to be random, or customize your own and there are over 1000 different puzzles to play through.

Playing alone however can get a little old, though for most, this is the only way to play the game, but Sudoku offers a few other methods of gameplay. Pass Sudoku offers two to four players to participate and each just like the game, they will be selecting what number of place where. You won’t need multiple PSP’s for this game though, and you will simply pass the system amongst friends. Wireless Sodoku however will offer more games, such as battle mode where two players race against the clock on the same puzzle. Versus brings up to four players into the game again and just like Battle Mode, you will be trying to complete the puzzle before time expires. There is also a game share mode and you only need one copy of the game for this version. If that’s still not enough puzzle action for you, there is even a website that lets you download new puzzles.

There really isn’t much to say about the graphics. It’s a grid . . . how difficult can that be to put together? The backgrounds are abstract colors that are all based on elements (unless you create your own.) That’s really about it. This isn’t a game that’s out to wow you with how it looks so much as get you involved in solving puzzles.

I do have some issues with the game though. The first is there is constantly a load screen coming into the picture as you play through the boards. It’s annoying more than anything else, and if you’re having me race against time, at least pause the counter. There isn’t really any score save for your completion time, and while some might be happy to try and get a good time, I’m all about the scoring with puzzle games. And . . . honestly. The game is just boring. I have no idea what the fascination is with Sudoku. I played the game for a few hours, but even after 10 minutes, I was glancing over at my copy Lumines that kept taunting me.

If you’re already a fan of Sudoku and find yourself playing it quite a bit, this is definitely going to be a much needed game for your PSP library. If you’ve never played the game though, I would strongly recommend playing it online and see if you’re bitten by the same bug as everyone else before shelling out some hard earned money on this one.
 

-mike-