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PSP
Blokus Club Portable featuring Bumpy Trot
- New Import |
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NCS Game Synopsis
«©NCSX»
Originally released on the PS2 late last year,
Blokus Club went on to sell 100,000 copies in Japan.
Blokus Club brings its brand of block puzzle action
to the portable confines of the PSP. To the
uninitiated, Blokus Club looks like a mish-mash of
Tetris and Othello but it's not so.
Gist: The game is played by four players who start in the corners
of a play board that is 20 x 20 squares large. As
the game commences, blocks that are segmented into
2-block, 3-block, 4-block, or 5-block shapes are
slapped down on the screen from the starting corner.
A player has 21 block shapes to choose from with
which to lay down on the playfield and are stored in
their respective quadrants of the screen for each
player. The only rule for positioning a block is
that each new segment must be laid down diagonally
and contiguous with the previous block.
By ways slow and steady, the players take alternating turns
and make their way across the screen while putting
down blocks. A player's progress may be blocked by
the other players with their own block drops.
Although your own blocks cannot be directly
contiguous with each other, they can be planted
contiguously against an opponent's blocks when creating
diagonal matches. As the play board fills up, lack
of space becomes an issue for dropping blocks. He/she who uses up the most blocks
wins. In addition to the standard Blokus Mode which
always features 4-players (COM or wireless
participants), there's a Blokusduo mode which pits 2
players against each other and a Bumpy Trot board
game mode.
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NCS
Game Notes
» In the title screen of the game, normal citizens
lift, carry, sashay, and drag blocks across the
screen.
» Game options after starting the game are: Blokus /
Blokusduo / Bumpy Trot Mode / Rule / Option /
Record. To view the rules and play mechanics, visit
the Rule area to check out four primers on playing
the game.
1) Blokus - Up to 4 human players may enjoy a
standard game by way of wireless connectivity. If you're flying solo, the other
three players will be made up of COM controlled
block pushers. Before starting the game, enter your
name and select a male or female avatar. The game
features 30 opponents who will sit down at the table
and play Blokus against you. Each character uses
different tactics and wield variable skill sets. At
the outset, only four characters are available to join the action
but more characters are unlocked as conditions are
met.
2) Blokusduo - Only 2 players compete for a wider
array of block possibilities as only two colors roam
the playfield. The field however is smaller at only
14x14 and the beginning positions start at the
center instead of the corners.
3) Bumpy Trot Mode - A board game mode where the
player moves a character on spaces. Each space leads
to a Blokus Match and winning it will allow further
progress in the board game.
» Blokus Club has a double meaning. You use blocks
to create the patterns and matches on screen but
your blocks also obstruct other players from performing
their own block matching priorities. A prudent
strategy is to use up the largest or most obtrusive
blocks first and to invade other areas of the screen
to stake your diagonal making possibilities.
» After every move, the virtual opponents will
appear in a little window and say something to
comment on the progress of the game. As their
options on the playfield peter out, their voices
will become less jubilant and more morose. If a
block cannot be used and it is selected, a whiff
sound will play indicating that it won't be usable.
» In the Now Loading screen, Blokus is being
played by four unseen gamers.
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This document and photos are ©NCSX 2006. All rights reserved. No
reproduction in whole or in part of this document
may be made without express written consent of
National Console Support, Inc.
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