Developed by Cyclone Zero and published by Arc System Works, O-D Beat Drop is your standard block-dropping puzzle game with a rhythmic twist. Players drop their pieces to the beat of music, clearing the board with combos for big points. More than 100 stages of single-player gameplay and four different difficulty levels should keep the solo gamer occupied, while cooperative and versus online play for up to four players should ensure you never play alone.

The niftiest feature of the game, however, is the ability to import your own music. The game will analyse your tunes and let you play along to a beat you might be more comfortable with. Once again it is time for my Infected Mushroom collection to thrive!

O-D Beat Drop will be available on Wednesday for 800 Microsoft points.

This week on Arcade: 0D Beat Drop [Major Nelson]

Mark November 18 on your calendar, and then set the rest of the week busy. That’s the date that Square Enix and Popcap bring the blend of puzzle game and RPG pioneered by Puzzle Quest to the next level, adding collectible monsters to the mix. Gyromancer has you summoning monsters to fight other monsters in Bejeweled Twist-flavoured puzzle battles. As if that weren’t bad enough, your monsters also gain levels as you fight with them, much like they do in Pokémon, and they come on pretty little cards that you’ll want to collect until you pass out dead on your couch or in your computer chair.

Maybe it’s just me, shaking with anticipation here. If I disappear after November 18, call the police. Better yet, call Dominos and have them deliver some pizza.

Creat and Tikgames are combining gamers’ craving for puzzles with their deep-seated love of geometric shapes, resulting in Cuboid, a new puzzler coming soon to the PlayStation Network.

In a post over at PlayStation.Blog, Creat Studios producer Olga Sokolova discusses the new 3D puzzle game, available “soon” on the PlayStation Network. Cuboid is a game that involves manoeuvring a 3D block through a series of mazes, with various obstacles placed throughout each level in order to make things much more difficult to get from point A to point B. You’ll encounter teleporters, switches, and weak tiles that crumble away as you traverse them, meaning a well-planned route is your key to victory.

The game will be released with 66 different levels, with premium packs promised to add to the challenge. Along with the puzzling fare comes the promise of lovely graphics and “soothing music”, which is quickly become the hallmark of an original PSN title. Check out the link for more screens and a video of Cuboid in action.

Cuboid Coming Soon Exclusively to PSN [PlayStation.blog]

In case you are wondering what Crayon Physics Deluxe is all about, you can check out the new website where Petri’s posted a neat video of the gameplay in action. It’s a little bit The Incredible Machine, and a little bit Simon, whose things he draws come true. It’s brilliance.

Crayon Physics Deluxe [Official Website]

“Roogoo is a fun, family friendly puzzle game that is as addictive as it is cute”, said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. “Not only does the game get progressively more challenging to play, but it also gets harder and harder to put down”.

The PC version, which retails for $AU 20.80 (boxes aren’t free!), and features all 45 levels of the XBLA version, as well as split-screen multiplayer. Awww, remember back when we used to play multiplayer games together on the PC? We were such dorks back then.

ROOGOO NOW SHIPPING FOR PC

SouthPeak’s Critically Acclaimed Xbox LIVE® Arcade Puzzle Game is Available Now Wherever PC Games are Sold

MIDLOTHIAN, VA – June 25, 2008 – SouthPeak Games today announced that its puzzle game Roogoo is now available for Windows PC. Roogoo, which was previously released on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft, features 45 levels as well as two-player split screen.

“Roogoo is a fun, family friendly puzzle game that is as addictive as it is cute,” said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. “Not only does the game get progressively more challenging to play, but it also gets harder and harder to put down.”

Taking place in the fantasyland of Planet Roo, you star as one of the last Roogoo’s still uncorrupted by the evil King Goo. King Goo can think of nothing but power and uses his influence to make other Roogoos believe that greed is the way of life. He starts to steal joyful meteors from the sky and uses their powers to build bigger and more powerful cities. After a fair amount of stealing, many of the kingdom’s once cute and innocent Roogoos have turned into wicked Meemoos. It is your job to stop King Goo from collecting the remaining meteors and to turn the Meemoos back into Roogoos before it’s too late.

In order to accomplish your quest and save Planet Roo, you must guide falling meteors, in the form of different shape blocks, through rotating platforms. When matched correctly, the blocks are allowed to reach their intended destination. Each meteor you guide correctly gets you one step closer to your goal.

Roogoo is available now for $19.99 at retailers everywhere. It is rated E for Everyone.

The Game Factory Snatches Rubik’s Cube for the Nintendo DS™ and Wii™ Systems and Secures Licensing Agreement with Seven Towns Limited

New 3D Puzzle Games Allow Players to Step ‘Inside’ the Iconic Rubik’s Cube

SANTA MONICA, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—The Game Factory, an international publisher of family-friendly and casual videogames, today announced it has signed a licensing agreement with Seven Towns Limited to publish Rubik’s World, a 3D puzzle game experience for the Nintendo Wii™ and DS™ systems, both inspired by the Rubik’s Cube.

“The Rubik’s Cube is one of the most well known icons in the gaming and entertainment industry,” said Henrik Mathiasen, president of the Game Factory. “We’re honored that Seven Towns Limited has chosen us to take the Rubik’s experience to the next level with Rubik’s World. We feel confident that we have created a concept for the whole family that is innovative, challenging and addictive, offering a new twist in the puzzle genre while keeping the Rubik’s Cube core values alive.”

“We’re pleased to be working with the Game Factory to enhance the Rubik’s brand with Rubik’s World,” said David Hedley Jones, for Seven Towns Limited, a London-based company that has introduced hundreds of successful original games and toys throughout the world in the past 35 years. “We’re confident that everybody will enjoy this video game experience.”

Step Inside the Cube’ with Rubik’s World

For those who have always wondered what the inside of a Rubik’s Cube looks like, the Game Factory will deliver Rubik’s World in the Fall of 2008. Designed for players aged eight and older, this otherworldly game will look and play like no other game on the market. A collection of extremely addictive, easy-to-play puzzle games will increase in difficulty as the player delves deeper into this 3D world. Each version of Rubik’s World will host its own unique and original series of games. Players will test their brainpower by constructing 3D shapes and objects, navigating through mazes and even creating their own soundtracks. The DS™ version will allow players to connect to a community of Rubik’s World enthusiasts through the platform’s wireless connection. The Wii™ version accommodates up to four players and will feature an online message board.