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Su Doku for DS Dummies

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 14 / 18
Date: June 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

There are often times where a good video game can be chalenging, fun and just exciting for all ages. That has also been said with the recent success of the puzzle games like word searches, the classic crossword puzzles and now Su Doku. Since it came out a few years ago, it has been one of the most exciting things to ever come out to the public. Nintendo also saw the success of Su Doku, and took that into the highly acclaimed Nintendo DS system, with the well-received Brain Age game. Since then, there have been many knockoff games to Su Doku, and Brain Age. Now, the DS takes the brain, and pulls out more muscle from the puzzle.

Sudoku Gridmaster for the Nintendo DS system, is a compilation of over 400 different kinds of Su Doku puzzles that range vastly in difficulty from beginners, to extremely advanced contendors who've mastered the game very well. The graphics for the gameare well desired, but the control is nothing new for DS players. It all happenes to be within the stylus, as you point and write your numbers down on each space n the typical 9x9 grid. The gameplay is a whole lot of fun, and drives within each different puzzle to play around with. The game is very addictive for anybody who loves the grueling puzzles and the test of the mind as well.

All in all, Sudoku Gridmaster is a great game for any Nintendo DS owner. If you loved puzzle games like Brain Age and Big Brain Academy, then this definitly is a great add-on to you DS library. If you haven't played virtual version of Su Doku before, this is also a great buy.

Graphics: B

Sound: B

Control: B+

Fun & Enjoyment: B 1/2+

Overall: B+

Good sudoku title

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is a decent addition to a puzzle game/sudoku lover's ds library. The game features over 400 puzzles of varying levels (4 difficulty settings) that the gamemakers say are handpicked.

For those already familiar with playing sudoku on their ds, certain similarities carry across to this title. Your games will be timed, allowing you to go back and improve on times for previously completed puzzles. You are able to write the numbers out on the stylus -- and this game seems slightly more intuitive at deciphering what number you are scribbling out. However, you can also just choose to tap the number on a numberpad. In this option, you have the added help of being able to see numbers greyed out when you have added 9 of them to the puzzle. You will be able to save and resume puzzles once again as well.

You are able to use temp numbers in Gridmaster, though you are given 4 slots per space instead of Brain Age's 9. (Not that you really need more than 4 but visually you might have found it a little easier to have designated spots for numbers.) Adding and removing temp numbers, particularly the latter, seem more awkward though.

Other features give the game little perks though including background music, collecting 'stars' to unlock bonus puzzles, and 'guidelines' which can be toggled on/off that highlight the column, row, and 3x3 block you are using.

All in all, it's an enjoyable approach to doing sudoku in a handheld way. Certain things could be better, such as clearing out temp numbers with more ease or supplying additional options with music volumes. The sudoku lovers should find some enjoyment easily.

Weak user-interface disappoints

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Riding on the Sudoku wave of popularity, I was eagerly waiting for this product to hit the shelves. Sorry to say, but I think it's a wipe-out. The puzzles are fine, and I like the high-lighted elements when you tap and double-tap the cells, but I found the handwritten input to be too unreliable. Fortunately, you can use a tap number pad.
I'm frustrated by only having 4 positions for 'hints', sometimes there are more. But why doesn't it clear out the 'hints' when you determine the cells value. That clutters up the display that you're working from and they're a pain to clear individually. (Granted the upper display shows the puzzle without any 'hints', but...)

Final rant on the display, it could have been larger. Why waste valuable screen real-estate on frames and borders when it's at a premium, especially when trying to get a full sudoku grid displayed. Brain-Age does a better job here. Also, I wish the designers could have come up with something useful for the ABXY buttons instead of duplicating the actions of the + control.

I'll not complain about the 'music' since I can simply zero the volume.

Coming on the heels of Brain-Age and marketed to a similar audience, Nintendo would have been better off starting with the Sudoku implementation in Brain-Age and enhancing it with some of the features this does offer. And please, if future games use handwriting recognition, make sure they're consistent.

I wish I wasn't considering taking mine to a store that buys/sells used games while it might be worth doing so.

Great puzzles, poor UI

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I agree fully with review by "Lego Kid-within" on the User Interface. Having to erase prior guesses is annoying. Even more frustrating is that the game does not allow more than one user to save their game at a time (even Brain Age allows four different user names). As such, if someone else wants to try it, they must either play my currently saved game or delete it to start a new game. It does have tons of puzzles though.

Run of the mill

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

My wife will swear that Sudoku is fun, but coming from a background of more epic stuff Mario and Zelda, you can understand why I don't see her point. True enough, Sudoku has its fair share of supporters, but whether it warrants a video game on its own remains questionable. That, however, doesn't stop the tons of Sudoku-related games on handheld consoles over the past few months. The likes of Go! Sudoku and Dr. Sudoku have made their rounds on the PSP and GBA respectively, and even the immensely popular Brain Age has a section devoted entirely to the game itself. Sudoku Gridmaster, released as a budget title, is the latest kid on the block.

As the core gameplay of Sudoku never changes, the things that separate Sudoku Gridmaster and other Sudoku video games are therefore purely cosmetic. You won't find any groundbreaking graphical presentation here, but at least the game tries to reduce the blandness by offering a small variety of backgrounds for the player to choose from. The soundtracks are also changeable, even though they tend to be rather distracting when the going gets tough. And trust me, the puzzles in Sudoku Gridmaster are tough. The game offers over 400 Sudoku puzzles spanning four difficulty levels, and the higher level ones may stump even the most seasoned player. If you go into the game expecting to breeze through the levels, be warned.

The game allows two modes of input. The first is the direct writing method, which is popularized by Brain Age. In fact, this method of input is very similar to Brain Age's. The player basically touches a square, and writes the answer on it. Unfortunately, the usual recognition issue does surface here though. For example, the game doesn't quite recognise my "7" properly, and treats it as a "3" instead. This is why a second method of input is included, I guess. This approach allows the player to choose a square, and then choose a number to be keyed into it. This will suit players who have problems getting their handwriting to work on the touch screen, but it's somehow less fluid as compared to just writing the numbers in.

Regardless of which method you choose, you will play each puzzle with a timer. You'll then be ranked according to how well you do. There's also an option to save and exit a puzzle at anytime, allowing you to return later to have a go again from the saved point. This is perfect for a handheld, since you'd expect plenty of on-the-run play.

For all its efforts to make Sudoku more fun than your usual pen and paper game, Sudoku Gridmaster has a fundamental flaw. A player can easily cheat by stopping the game, sorting out the puzzle on the top screen, and then resuming and keying in the answers on the touch screen without sacrificing in-game time. Although this defeats the purpose altogether, the fact that a "feature" like this exists may just be tempting enough for players who simply want a high score for every puzzle.

The sheer number of puzzles available in Sudoku Gridmaster will satisfy fans of the game. For others, however, the game may be less enjoyable. Backgrounds and soundtracks aside, Sudoku is basically just Sudoku. If solving Sudoku puzzles is all you wanted, stick to pen and paper instead.

What a disappointment

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

WORST OF ALL, THERE ISN'T EVEN ROOM TO PUT ALL THE "PENCILMARK/HINTS." WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE THINKING? LAME, LAME, LAME. This game's layout, logistics and overall execution are just plain poor. Not enough room for hints, too hard to see, too small display. I really enjoy the Brain Age version, and assumed that this would be a least somewhat similar. There are so many electronic sudoku versions available, that there's no excuse for this one to have so much that is difficult and counter intuitive. Don't waste your $$.

More work than play

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 29 / 29
Date: August 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The game works like the puzzle, enter the numbers between 1 and 9 in all the squares in the grid while ensuring no one number appears in the same row or column twice. If you've played Sudoku in Brain Age, be warned that the two are different in how you use the controls.

Sudoku Gridmaster for the Nintendo DS contains over 400 puzzles ranging from easy to difficult, so fans can get plenty of 9x9-squared goodness to keep them busy for a long time. Those who've never played the puzzle or haven't gotten the hang of using a Nintendo DS will appreciate the game's detailed help and guidance. The game comes with practice mode to help you get a feel for the game and its rules.

However, using a stylus with Sudoku Brain Age is easier than with Gridmaster. The handwriting recognition doesn't work as well in Gridmaster and the controls are more tedious, whether you write them or tap them. Gridmaster does have a few tools that come in handy like double-tapping a number highlights all of the same number that appear in the grid. It also lets you highlight entire rows and columns.

Question marks float in the background, which gets annoying after a while. While you can change the background color, you can't turn off the animation. To move around the game, you can use write or touch mode although in write mode, you tap the screen to do a few tasks.

Most electronic Sudoku games erase the temp numbers upon entering a final number into the box, not this one. You have to select one of the four little boxes where the temp numbers live and then erase it.

As soon as you solve a puzzle, you earn stars based on how fast you completed the puzzle and the level of difficulty. After collecting a specific number of stars, you unlock bonus puzzles.

Puzzle and Sudoku fans might enjoy playing this -- it depends on how much patience the user has for its few usability challenges that slow down the game play. Maybe Nintendo will take note and improve its usability in a future release. Owners of other aforementioned Touch Generations games should be happy to add this one to their collection. Unlike many video games for handheld consoles, this one retails for a low $19.99.

This is one of the first game from Nintendo to get branded with the Touch Generations> label, which identifies titles that anyone can pick up and play even those with zero Gameboy experience and can be played at competitive levels or as casual fun. The logo for these games appears in orange and black with the letter G and a stylus. Touch Generations titles include Big Brain Academy, Brain Age, Magnetica, Nintendogs, Electroplankton, Tetris DS, and True Swing Golf. Nintendo is attempting to reach those who have little experience with video games and those who like puzzles and other games in this category.

Sudoku Gridiaster

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: August 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I started Sudoku on the Brain Age Game. I find the Gridmaster to have a poor and incomplete interface (4 temporaries only) and tiny font. Why it didn't follow the Brain Age system is beyond me. Under no circumstance can I recommend this game. Buy Brain Age and wait for a better Sudoku Game. Earl

No Good, Just Buy Brain Age

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: August 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game after falling in love with Sudoku through Brain Age. However, after playing a few of the maps, dealing with the annoying music and cumbersome interface, I gave up.

If you haven't played Brain Age Sudoku, then maybe you won't have the same problems I did. If you have played Brain Age and are looking for more Sudoku, don't buy this game. Go buy a book or play on a website. This game will just frustrate you.

The system for adding in numbers has way too many steps to it. You have to tap a number pad to add in a number, instead of just writing the number into the pad. If you use the "helper" numbers, you have to select which of the four sections of a box you want to add the helper number to, then tap the number pad you want to add and then tap the full box button to get back to adding in the actual number. It's too cumbersome of a system.

shawmut

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 9
Date: August 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

same as the other 1 star reviews. if you have not used Brain Age you might think it is ok, if you have, forget it!

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