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Great game for crossword lovers

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 29, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is a great addition to the DS collection of any crossword lover. True, if you don't enjoy crossword puzzles in the newspaper, you won't like them here either. And the New York Times crossword puzzles are quite a bit harder than what can be found in most newspapers, so be prepared for a challenge. That said, the simple, intuitive interface and easy navigation make this the best electronic crossword puzzle I've come across. Unfortunately, the lack of WiFi is fairly disappointing; it would be nice to work cooperatively with friends around the world in the same way you can work with friend in the same room. And while some people complain that there are only 1000 puzzles, I can't imagine finishing them all any time soon. 4/5 stars (would be 5/5 if it was WiFi capable).

For the hardcore crossword puzzle player, this is the real deal

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 29, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I began playing crossword puzzles when I was interested in a girl at work. Mind you, I didn't play them because I liked them, but rather because she did. Well, as things of this nature go, she walked off with another guy while I was left standing with the puzzles.

Hooray???

It wasn't a total loss as I began to appreciate the complexities and the knowledge one has to possess to complete these crosswords.

In comes The New York Times Crosswords for the DS. This is a great representation of a traditional game that we all know and love. While to some this might seem like overkill of a pretty generic game, the DS handles this in a very bare bones manner--and this is just fine and welcomed in my opinion.

Lets face it, this is a crossword puzzle in digital form. We don't need flashy graphics. While this isn't a powerhouse game, the interface is very classy and easy to navigate; you wont confuse anyone with the menus or in-game controls, which is good because the target audience is probably in the older scale.

As far as controlling the game itself, it is as easy as jotting down a letter on the touch-pad. You can also use a virtual keyboard to fill in your answers, but overall, the easiest way is the touch-pad.

The game isn't for everyone and it isn't totally exciting, but what it lacks in action you gain in knowledge. What I like about crosswords, especially the tougher ones, is the drive to finishing them and in the process learning a few things here and there.

And while the in-game navigation and control are great, I wish they had place more emphasis on the save system. While you can save three different puzzles, you can't save three different ones in any one of the modes of play. While you might stick to one puzzle at a time, for those who like to multitask, this is a bit limiting. It doesn't break the game, but it just ruffles the feathers around an otherwise solid game.

If you are a crossword puzzle fan, this is a great title to stick in your DS.

OK Game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

If you're good at crosswords, this is for you. It's difficult (for me) because I'm not very good at crosswords, but I still enjoy it. There are several levels of difficulty and thousands of puzzles to keep you busy for months.

This game uses phrases and illogical clues

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: January 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I enjoy crossword puzzles, but this game uses phrases and illogical clues which take more than common puzzle skills. I wasn't able to finish any puzzles without using the cheating options. I'd try something else unless you enjoy confusion.

great for grownups and older kids

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is a game that is THE New York Times Crosswords. They are challenging and can be difficult for many people.

The interface for doing puzzles with this is way better than pen and paper. You can cycle through the clues easily. You use the left and right buttons to go from clue to clue and use the stylus (or onscreen keyboard) to enter the letters into the squares.

The character recognition could use a little improvement but it works. I only need to backup and try again 5% of the time or so. It does not detract much from the fun.

NYT Crosswords Go Electronic

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 15, 2008
Author: Amazon User

New York Times Crosswords for the DS is such an addicting experience that it is almost a required purchase for your handheld library. No other game that I can think of, with the possible exception of Brain Age, has such great pick-up-and-play value, and the implementation of a quick save feature with the ability to save in-progress puzzles in three different areas really make this a portable treasure.

If you have never done a New York Times crossword puzzle, however, you might be in for a bit of a shock: they are quite hard. If you have encountered these famous puzzles in print, you probably know what you're in for. But if you are a newcomer to the crossword puzzle realm, you might want to bone up on some easier puzzles before tackling this game. Luckily, the DS equivilant of the newspaper staple is laid out in the same logical progression as its forebear. Puzzles start the week at Monday with relatively low difficult and move onward to the blistering tough Sunday puzzle with graded steps in between, before starting the cycle once again.

The DS game helps by letting you quick-play only certain days of the week if you want, or you can pick and choose from puzzles in a monthly calender layout. All in all, there are about 3 years worth of puzzles to choose from. So if the latter half of the week is too agonizing for you, don't sweat it. There will be plenty of lesser puzzles for you to build your skills with.

In the end, Crosswords on the DS is no replacement for the old-fasioned pen and paper method. Multiple zoom levels and a relatively restrained hint feature let you do things you can't do with a newspaper, but the ability to see all clues at once and annotate the puzzle with possible guesses (a favorite habit of mine) are lacking. Still, Crosswords for the DS costs far less than the price of a year-long newspaper subscription, and lets you do more than one puzzle a day. It's definitely a worthwhile purchase if you're a crossword addict. Just make sure to turn the music off, because the repetitive loop will drive you nuts after a few minutes.

i wish there were lists of clues...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 19, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I love doing crosswords so of course for my new DS Lite I got The New York Times Crosswords, the end all be all in the puzzle world. I can normally do a monday puzzle in fifteen minutes but it took nearly an hour with this game. And it didn't seem any harder except that there is no list of clues to scan as in the printed format of puzzles. You get one clue at a time in the upper screen. I also found it very frustrating when a puzzle clue referred to other answers in the puzzle it being nearly impossible to view the entire puzzle with the numbers showing. I would seriously consider how you do puzzles before you buy this game. Do you scan the clues until one jumps out or do you methodically go through in numerical order? I think this game could have used a little bit more input by people who do daily crosswords then they might have had a list of clues. Also I would have preferred a vertical orientation of the ds lite it seem it would be easier to hold and write. Get a subscription to the times or any other daily paper that carries their puzzles or do The Onion's online. This just isn't the easiest way to enjoy a good puzzle. Do not buy this game if you think fifteen minutes to do a monday is a long time...you know who you are. I still love you Will Shortz.

IT IS WHAT IT IS !

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 35
Date: July 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

IT'S NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLES.
I AM AN ADULT WHO PLAYS A FEW OF THE NINTENDO DS GAMES HERE AND THERE, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN TO HAVE A CROSSWORDS GAME TO PLAY, BUT I WAS WRONG.
THEIRS NOT MUCH TO IT, IT'S JUST CROSSWORD PUZZLES AND FOR THE MOST PART I CAN NEVER COMPLETE ONE BECUASE THEY ARE KIND OF HARD.
IF YOU LOVE CROSSWORD PUZZLES AND HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE TO COMPLETE A NEW YORK TIMES TYPE CROSSWORD PUZZLE, THEN YOU PROBABLY DON'T OWN A NINTENDO DS.
IF YOU ARE A GAME PLAYER AND A CASUAL USER OF THE NINTENDO DS, THEN THIS GAME IS NOT FOR YOU AND DEFINETLY NOT FUN, YOU WILL BUY IT BECUASE YOU LIKE CROSSWORD PUZZLES AND AFTER PLAYING IT A FEW TIMES YOU WILL BE READY TOSELL IT OF IT WILL COLLECT DUST AMONG YOUR OTHER GAMES.
IF YOU ARE PLAYING A VIDEO GAME ON THE DS YOU HAVE EXCITEMENT AND ACTION, WITH THE CROSSWORD PUZZLE GAME YOU HAVE A VERY BLAND GAME WITH NO ACTION, NO ANIMATION, IT'S JUST A STRAIGHT FORWARD GAME THAT SOMETIMES SEEMS HARD TO NAVIGATE ON SUCH A LITTLE SCREEN.
MY ADVICE....BUY A COPY OF THE NEW YORK TIMES NEWSPAPER, CUT OUT THE CROSSWORD PUZZLE AND WORK ON THAT FOR AWHILE, IT'S ALOT CHEAPER.
I GAVE THIS GAME A 3 STAR RATING BECUASE, IT IS WHAT IT IS, A CROSSWORD PUZZLE GAME, HARD TO NAVIGATE, NOT EASY TO PLAY AND HAS NO FRILLS WHAT'S SO EVER.
I DIDN'T HATE IT, JUST WISH I DIDN'T BUY IT !

A lot more fun than paper and pencil crosswords

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I enjoy crossword puzzles, but sometimes make too many mistakes to keep track of correct and incorrect answers. Doing the puzzles on the DS alleviates this problem, though. With the sheer number of puzzles (over 1,000) and great interface, this game is a keeper. It is very challenging as well, so opportunities for learning new tidbits of information are ever-present.

Best designed DS game of its genre

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I never completed a crossword puzzle in my life, but I have become addicted to this one. It is completely intuitive and its pattern recognition can't be beat. Its L/R buttons move through the puzzle initially horizontally and on a second pass vertically. I suspect that is the way crossword aficionados operate. As a neophyte. I usually go through the puzzle a couple times this way and then switch to completing areas.

I spend one to two hours each evening unwinding with this game.

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