Lumines Live

[miffy495]

Ok, so I just got Lumines Live off of the 360 marketplace. Fucking brilliant, as is to be expected of Lumines. Some of the new skins (Ariba? The hell?) made me smile quite a bit while I was playing, and I was suddenly reminded why I bought a PSP last summer. Still a fantastic game, but that staggered payment thing does kinda piss me off. Regardless, as it's up there with Geometry Wars for my "favorite thing off Xbox Marketplace" award, I'm willing to say that it's worth the money. This despite the fact that compared to other Live games, you're getting it through the pants. I know at least one other person on the forums has this, and figured I may as well throw up a topic. So: Lumines and the weird pricing format they've developed for it. Discuss.

Also, do the controls feel not-as-good to anyone else? Maybe it's trying to use the 360's shitty d-pad with a game that requires precision, but after a couple of round of 360 Lumines, I'm nowhere near the scores I'd routinely get on the PSP. Seems easier to be off by a row, which is death in a game like this. I haven't played much yet, and maybe I'll get a feel for it, but there you have it.

[Spaff]

why is the pricing weird?

I didn't bother to read any news about that.

[Twilo]

I don't mind the pricing too much, seeing as I only really want to play Challenge and multiplayer anyway. You're getting a bit more game than you do with the super-cheap super-excellent Geometry Wars, so the cost is alright.

The pricing works sort of like that bizarre Gran Turismo proposal Sony kited a while ago: you get the base version of Lumines for about 12 bucks, then you need to buy addons for stuff like Advance mode, Puzzle mode etc.

Only Advance mode is available right now, as far as I can tell.

Looks great in HD.

[Noyb]

It's a very weird feeling playing the demo and knowing that paying consumers have many of the same limitations as you.

I'm just glad I grabbed Lumixed 4E4 before it was taken down to avoid the inevitable cease and desist.

[Oath]

Would the two of you say it's still worth buying, I mean in terms of available content. I've seen a few people state the contrary but the reasoning there always stop at "fucking demo version". So yeah, expand please.

Also, to whine a bit, it's more like $23 if I buy it here in Sweden due to fucked up points conversion rates.

[Twilo]

I'd say it's worth buying if you don't own a PSP or have any plans to get one in the near future. Stay away from the addons though.

[loonyboi]

I have it for PSP and I suck at it, so I'm skipping the XBLA version.

Seriously, I'm awful at it. I never made it past the third skin, and even then, I found it extremely difficult to get that far.

[Wrestlevania]

I'm just glad I grabbed Lumixed 4E4 before it was taken down to avoid the enevitable cease and desist.

Ahem...

Cheers for bringing this to my attention though.

[Wrestlevania]

Cheers for bringing this to my attention though.

45 minutes of play and I'm just not feeling it.

[n0wak]

I have it for PSP and I'm good at it, so I definitely grabbed the XBLA version.

Seriously, I'm great at it. I'm top 100 on a lot of leaderboards, and even then, I still play the game for over an hour at a time.

Yeah, the pricing was a bit... odd. I can sort of understand the 50MB XBLA limit issue, but they don't have to gouge us with their workaround. That said, yeah, I'm a big fan so I had no issue with it. I will skip the puzzle/mission shit, though, since I never touch that anyway. :gaming:

[miffy495]

It's almost $30 Canadian, but I still paid for the whole damn thing. It's Lumines, for god's sake. They found my weak point and hit it. (for massive damage) I'd say the basic ($15-ish) version is worth it. Dunno 'bout the extra advance pack yet, as I have yet to have a chance to play it, but I'll get into it soon enough. Again, it's goddamned Lumines, there's no way it isn't awesome. If you've played it on PSP, I might reccommend holding off 'till you're sure about it. Otherwise, get at least the basic already. Great, great game.

[Aussie Ben]

Also, do the controls feel not-as-good to anyone else? Maybe it's trying to use the 360's shitty d-pad with a game that requires precision, but after a couple of round of 360 Lumines, I'm nowhere near the scores I'd routinely get on the PSP.

This is true. I have done this mod to my 360 controller, and it seems to make it less crap; but I haven't yet had a chance to have a proper go of Lumines since I did it. What I would give to be able to use my GameCube SNES Hori pad thing on the 360, though.

[loonyboi]

I caved and downloaded and subsequently purchased LL!. I'm enjoying it. I'm sticking with the base pack for now, as I still more or less suck at the game, but it's fun regardless.

[n0wak]

You know what's really pissing me off about Lumines Live? They've clearned the leaderboards like three times since it's been out. WTF? I don't know if I can hit "80" in the "60 second mode" anymore and my almost million score on "Base" is now gone, gone, gone.

[miffy495]

With regards to that, damn you're good at that game man. I can get to around 500,000 on the PSP, and haven't been able to clear 300,000 yet on 360, due to the fact that the pad is pretty imprecise. How you're getting to the scores that you are baffles me.

[Oath]

I was playing the trial tonight and suddenly the game just clicked for me. It just became so much better in the blink of an eye, so I caved and bought it. I'm still not really good at it but that'll happen in due time I'm sure.

Any tips for the apsiring Lumineer?

[loonyboi]

I've been playing the game for about a week or so, and I still can't get past the fifth or sixth skin.

Maybe I suck, but i'm having fun. I've also had absolutely no desire to buy anything else, since I'm so far off from having exhausted the initial content pack.

[n0wak]

Any tips for the apsiring Lumineer?

If you go on the leaderboards for the "60 second mode", you can download replays of anyone with a posted score. While that mode is often speed-first, cleanliness second, you can get a good sense for how people match up blocks to get high combos and how they set them up and so forth.

[Oath]

I've been playing the game for about a week or so, and I still can't get past the fifth or sixth skin.

Maybe I suck, but i'm having fun. I've also had absolutely no desire to buy anything else, since I'm so far off from having exhausted the initial content pack.

My situation is much the same. I've gotten to the seventh stage, but even that didn't net me too much of a score. I'm having fun too, but I'm just amazed by how much better some people are.

If you go on the leaderboards for the "60 second mode", you can download replays of anyone with a posted score. While that mode is often speed-first, cleanliness second, you can get a good sense for how people match up blocks to get high combos and how they set them up and so forth.

I downloaded the top guy and it blew my mind, slightly at least. I mean, I know how to do similar set-ups, but that run was so far beyond anything I've ever come close to, except for when I get a nice chaining block and clear out most of the screen in the subsequent wipe.

I tried playing a lot more agressively, and while that was fun, it didn't raise my scoring at all.

[Oath]

Just to keep the thread slightly alive:

GODDAMNIT! I had a 600 or 700 or so long erase in the 10 minute time attack and with 1 second left I fail to place the last block, thus voiding my score.

[impetigo]

Ahem...

Cheers for bringing this to my attention though.

Don't bother with older random versions. It's here;http://www.download.com/Lumixed4E4/3000-2111_4-10564508.html?tag=tab_pub