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You've seen enough "game within a game" things for LittleBigPlanet to make you ill. Gradius, Tetris, whatever, it's been done. But you haven't seen Lumines, especially one that comes from Q Entertainment.
With something like a billion versions of Q Entertainment's Lumines published on various platforms, we won't fault you for having but a single grain of enthusiasm for the PlayStation 3 version. We dredged up enough on your behalf, waiting a full thirty seconds in line to go hands on with Lumines Supernova. Unfortunately, the things that make Supernova stand out from the Lumines pack were nowhere to be seen.
Tetsuya Mizuguchi is best known for Rez, Space Channel 5 and Lumines. He's made lots of Lumines spin-offs like Lumines Live! and Lumines II. Key words: Lumines. We haven't seen a new game from Mizuguchi for a while, but he confirmed to Kotaku that, yes, he's working on a new IP. Says Mizuguchi:
Two of 2005's better portable puzzlers, retooled with 2008 fidelity, as Q is wont to do. Lumines Supernova and Meteos Wars, two games you loved when they were known as Lumines and Meteos in simpler times, will be on-hand at Tokyo Game Show this week. The former will be playable at Sony's booth, the latter at Microsoft's, bringing balance to the Makuhari Messe show floor.
Q Entertainment and Valve have announced that henceforth the brilliantly addictive puzzle game Lumines shall be available for purchase via Steam. Much like the Xbox Live version of the game, Lumines is available as a base pack for $US9.95, with an Advance Pack containing 21 new challenge mode skins, 60 puzzles for puzzle mode, and 35 stages for puzzle mode setting you back an additional $US7.95, or you can grab the whole thing for $US14.95, which is a much better deal, especially when you factor in the extra 10% you get if you purchase the game before Friday April 25th. I wonder if it will have the Heavenly Star stage? Just thinking about it makes me want to listen to the song 200 times in a row.
We've known that Lumines is most assuredly coming to PCs for a few weeks now. What we didn't know was how, exactly, it would make its way to the platform. Today, Q Entertainment and its partner announced that it would come to the WildTangent Network, the online game provider famous for Penguins and Polar Bowler. Yeah! Those guys. *crickets*
The PC version comes with the now standard stuff, including Skin Edit, Puzzle and Time Attack modes. Lumines is available to Windows users on a pay per play basis, free with a healthy does of advertising or for download at $US 19.99. It's also available on just about everything else.
A new rating for Q Entertainment's Lumines has appeared on the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, revealing that a Windows version of the musical puzzle game, originally released for the PSP, is in the works. When we contacted the developer about the listing, it confirmed the title's existence and promised that details will be announced within the next few weeks. Wait, what? Confirmation? That was... easy. Almost too easy.
Please note the picture above is from the Xbox Live Arcade version, Lumines Live.
Nothing says Halloween like Lumines. Or Christmas. Or summer vacation. On October 17th, Q Entertainment will be releasing a "Rockin' Holiday Pack" of 20 new Lumines Live! skins for Challenge Mode. Usual Q cohorts like Keiichi Sugiyama (Rez, Area 1) and H Ueda (Every Extend Extra Extreme) collaborated for this upcoming pack. Snowflakes and autumn leaves — so festive!
Today's a hot day in Tokyo. Not burning hot, sticky hot. Not pleasant. Still, a good day nonetheless! Why? Kotaku Heavy Industries just got back from a visit to Mizuguchi's Q Entertainment, where we did a whole bunch of stuff. Like drink coffee as black as the very depths of Crecente's soul. And play Rez HD. And check out the new Every Extend Extra, as well as a new Lumines "Holiday Pack". Good times! Here's pictures.
1UP is reporting that, at Gamesfest 2007, unspecified sources have revealed that Live Arcade support will be added to Games For Windows Live developer tools before the end of the year. No word from 1UP or Microsoft on whether this will mean current Xbox Live Arcade titles will make their way to PCs running various Windows OS flavours, but it seems like a safe bet. Yet another platform on which to play Lumines? Yes, please and thank you.
