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Frustrating and Too Fluffy

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: March 18, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I have been a Sudoku fan for about 3 years now. I do well at solving the "difficult" and "fiendish" puzzles in the New York Post Sudoku books (in my opinion are the best Sudoku books out there). I thought I'd divert from these puzzles and try a shot at Platinum Sudoku after reading some of the reviews.

So far I've spent about 3-4 hours playing and have only solved 10 puzzles. The puzzles are frustrating and challenging. The "Easy" mode is not that easy, and I've barely scratched the surface on "Medium" mode. The numbers in "draft" mode (for guessing numbers)is so small that you have to get out your reading glasses to see what you've marked. Also, the default font is incredibly hard to read and to get used to. Unless you unlock some new fonts by completing several puzzles, there's really not a good font to select. That alone makes the puzzles difficult to complete. One of the things I have to agree with many other reviewers is the stupid girl and guy that supposedly pumps you up and makes you feel like you've accomplished something after completing a puzzle. Give me a break! It would have been nice to have the option to turn this feature off, similar to the music option.

The graphics are okay, but that's not what a good Sudoku puzzle is all about.

All in all, this game will be on my "used games to sell" list. My friend has "Ultimate Puzzle Games-Sudoku Edition" and this beats out Platinum Sudoku by far. I'm also sticking to the old school version of paper and pencil with a real eraser!!

Not as good as I had hoped

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 08, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The number of relatively easy games is pretty low. The use of this product is not very straight-forward, and it seems to be missing some of the features that a less expensive dedicated hand-held suduko game includes.
What I was hoping for, was a large selection of games at each level of ability, with the option of assistance. That isn't what I got.

Unlockable!!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I really like doing Sudoku. This game really isn't hard to adapt to, but there are some flaws. The cheerleader is a pest. The handwriting recognizer sometimes doesn't work, especially for 4,5, and 7. The last problem I have with the game is the "locked features." I can't ever go fast enough to unlock the mini-games. Occasionally, when you complete a Sudoku puzzle, you will be allowed to sample a mini-game. It seems that you have to beat the timed mini-game once to unlock it. I can't, so no mini-games for me. Did I mention that reading the instructions for the games is on the timer?

Not Quite

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 22 / 22
Date: November 25, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The DS is potentially the ultimate platform for electronic Sudoku, but other than Brain Age past games have been abysmal. While Platinum Sudoku does get a lot of things right and adds features not present in Brain Age, it still has a somewhat clunky interface.

As it should be, the important action takes place on the touch screen. The top screen shows information like a game clock (a nice touch) and how many of a particular number you've gotten already. (I should mention that unlike Brain Age's "sideways" format, in Platinum Sudoku you hold the DS in its normal horizontal orientation.) You tap a square to select it. Good. However, you have to tap it again to write the number in. There is also a number pad mode, where you can tap a square to select it then tap the number to go in that square. I find this easier, but I still much prefer Brain Age's single-tap to write the number in.

The game does allow you to make small notations (important for more difficult puzzles); however, you have to tap an icon to switch to notation mode (or "draft mode" as they call it), then tap a square to highlight it, then write or tap the number to go in that square. When you want to write the final number in a square you have to click the icon again to get out of notation mode. I found it cumbersome to have to switch in and out of modes to make simple notations.

Most of the features (like fonts, music, background graphics, and the puzzles themselves) come with a few selectable options but have more that need to be "unlocked" to gain access by completing puzzles. This would be okay if it were just the puzzles that needed to be unlocked; however, it's annoying that you need to unlock interface elements too. I found the over-sized default font a little difficult to read, and when I tried to switch to a more legible font the one I wanted to use was locked.

There is audio in the form of sound effect and background music; however, I find the sound effects useless. For example, when you are handwriting a number there is an irritating "pencil scratch" sound. However, if you choose to tap the number instead there is no audio feedback at all! An audio cue to confirm I hit a number would have been nice. The background music is selectable and can be turned off. I actually liked a few of the choices, and thankfully the volume of the background music can be set independently of the sound effects.

The biggest advantage Platinum Sudoku has over Brain Age is the number of puzzles--20,000,000 for Platinum Sudoku vs. only about 100 for Brain Age. Platinum Sudoku has other features not included in Brain Age like hints, changeable graphic "skins," displaying possibilities in squares, highlighting rows, and more, almost all of which can be turned on or off or adjusted in the options screen. Most of these features are geared towards beginners, and did not appeal to me. (There is a convenient "Newspaper Mode" which turns off all of the hints at once.) Platinum Sudoku also includes Kakuro, although I don't play Kakuro and can't comment on it.

Platinum Sudoku is a huge improvement over previous DS Sudoku games, but still lacks the smooth interface of Brain Age. If you're a big fan of Sudoku and you've exhausted the puzzles in Brain Age then Platinum Sudoku is probably worth the purchase for the huge number of included puzzles. Novices might also like Platinum Sudoku for the beginner's tips and options. For me I'll probably stick to Brain Age and Sudoku books, and keep hoping that Nintendo will release a serious Sudoku game with the core Brain Age interface.

Too many quirks

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This seemed like a good Sudoku game at first, but I had to get past its many quirks ...
1.) The handwriting recognition doesn't work very well. I quit using that and started using the number pad option, but even that has problems.
2.) It's not very good for solving puzzles from other books or newspapers. You can enter a game and solve it, but then it deletes the solution before you have a chance to write it down.
3.) It easily corrupts its data. Once the data is corrupted, you have to start all over. That gets frustrating after a couple of times.
4.) You have the option of selecting a male or female cheerleader. I'm not exactly going to select a male cheerleader, and my wife didn't care for me selecting the female cheerleader. Why do I need a cheerleader?
5.) The hints are a real pain to work with. It could be made much easier to use, but the authors selected the most difficult interface for you to work with.

Okay

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game if fun, the only thing that I really didn't like was when I tried to write a number in the game had problems telling witch number I was writing.

SUDOKU

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I THOUGHT THE SUDOKU GAME MIGHT BE LIKE THE BRAIN 2 DS LITE GAME, BUT NOT EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.

One of the best around...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 33 / 35
Date: August 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Having tried a raft of sudoku games for the DS, I eagerly awaited Platinum Sudoku.

Not THE best, I think that still goes to Brain Age's Sudoku. But definitely hands down better than others I've tried. I'd give it a 4.5 if I could, but it's just short of the mark of being a 5.

The execution is nice and clean. There is a a choice between using handwriting recognition to fill in the answers (or jot in a note!) or you can use the number pad available to the right (my preference, as it's faster.)

There are other simple games which they call "challenges", as well as Kakuro. I am not a big fan of Kakuro, but it's a nice touch.

There are many customization options to choose from at the beginning. As you unlock levels, you are given backgrounds and other games to play.

One of the custom options is one I wish I could turn off. At the start of Platinum Sudoku, you're offered your choice of a male or female guide. You can turn off the coaching offered during the game, but as another reviewer stated, the "Awesome!" cheer at the end of a game is a little juvenile. My choice would have been to be able to choose no guide at all, but it's a small point.

I'm a little puzzled by the tutorials. For those just learning sudoku, the tutorial gives a good basis for solving puzzles. However, the "Lessons" portion seems to be locked until you solve a certain number of puzzles. I've finished quite a few puzzles so far, but they are still locked. Having lessons (like hints and tips on more complicated solving strategies) seems rather odd to me.

There is a multiplayer option, but unfortunately you need a second copy of the game, no game sharing.

All in all, I think it's a solid game module, and it's the one I'd recommend to all ages and levels.

I like this one - but has a few tweaks

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 14
Date: August 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is a good Sudoku and Kakuro game. It follows the main Kakuro rule where there is only one logical solution. The part I really think is kind of un-necessary is the image of the boy or girl saying "that was awesome" when you complete a puzzle. The OCR needs a bit of tweaking as it doesn't always recognize when you write a number. Overall, I think it's a keeper.

Top Notch Portable Gaming Entertainment

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 9
Date: October 26, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Wonderful gameplay, incredible puzzles, and fun. Just perfect for your portable gaming fix. Buy it today. Recommended!

MC White says: Check it out!!!

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