Much like another sequel to Bejeweled, this review is completely unnecessary.
Curious, for a game whose predecessor was released six years ago. You’d think an update would not only be wanted, but demanded. But with Bejeweled 2 still being released on other platforms as recently as last summer (on PSP and WiiWare both, and Playstation 3 back in January 2009), and an existing version in World of Warcraft, you have to wonder if Bejeweled is really a game or an invading force hell bent on taking over the world. Never has the line between unnecessary and overkill been so very very thin.
That being said, I like Bejeweled. My cynicism would suggest otherwise, but in a day and age where gamers are being nickled and dimed left and right, it’s hard not to be. And of course there’s a lot of angst towards so called “casual” gamers, a group whose membership qualifications I’ve yet to figure out, and one would assume games like Bejeweled are the type that so called hardcore gamers would try to distance themselves from. Regardless, a game is a game to me, and if it is fun, I will play it. And Bejeweled 3, like Bejeweled and Bejeweled 2 before it, is very fun.
As you may have heard, there are “new gems”. New gems, of course, are pretty much one of the only things they could have added to the game, besides updated graphics and music. The graphics, yes, are updated. And they do look nice. Sharp, bright, and pretty. It’s definitely an upgrade from Bejeweled 2, but one you will not miss should you not pick up the game. Ditto if you don’t play wearing your glasses anyway.
PopCap also must have figured more explosions was always a good thing. Which they totally are. But I don’t remember them being as explosion-y in Bejeweled 2. Fire and lightening affects also up the EXTREME factor, as does the new ability to get double or criss-crossed rows of combinations with Star Gems, made by matching four gems horizontally and vertically at the same time. Flame Gems, along with Star Gems, replace BJ2’s (tee hee) Power Gems. The hypercube remains but has an entirely new look, as you can see from the footage above. I’ve yet to get a Supernova gem, which is made of six gems, and three of the gems (Time, Bomb, and Butterfly) are only available in certain modes.
The music is as Enya as ever, forgettable but atmospheric. The voice over is a little less creepy but not by much. Think more “floating dreidel Moses head” and less…“mecha floating dreidel Moses head”.
I desire popcorn necklaces…and flame gems!
Another new feature is instant replay, which is particularly effective when there’s someone else in the room, mostly so you can pester “Hey honey….honey…honey…HEY, YOU EFFIN’ BLOCKHEAD! WATCH THIS!” before cackling with glee as gems shatter and cascade across your screen. You can relive the magic again and again. Had I not already exhausted myself on the magic and wonder of Bejeweled already (oh the days of Yahoo Games, circa 2001), the instant replay might have made this new version worth having.
Jewel descriptions will pop up when you hover over the cursor, a feature that is handy for about five minutes.
The badges, akin to achievements, give you a few goals to work towards, but most are easily obtained through hours of gameplay, with little effort involved. Sadly, none of these were transferred to Steam’s trophy and achievement tracking, providing handy illustration of the phrase “Missed Opportunity”.
Of course, there’s unlockable modes, entitled Poker, Ice Storm, Diamond Mine, and Butterflies. As with Bejeweled 2 I wasn’t particularly entertained by them, but they do liven things up from time to time. The Zen mode (BJ2’s Endless Mode) was infuriating. It basically lets you play for hours (which I did) without ever losing and it makes me question the randomness of unusable gems in the regular mode. When I hit “No Moves”, I’d like to know it was because I was too stupid, not because the game didn’t choose to give me gems I could work with. Freecell, damnit, do it like Freecell!
But I suppose that isn’t the point. The point is hours upon hours of mindless gem swapping, no real thought required. And in that, Bejeweled has always excelled. No one could enjoy or understand this concept more than me. The game is less “How do I win?” and more “How long will they let me win?” and I’ve come to accept this. There still isn’t any better game to play when you’d rather not have to think, and there are times I need that sweet relief more than anything. And hey, props on the new art. Some of the scenes are really pretty:
All in all if you’ve never had a chance to purchase Bejeweled, this would be the version to buy. However, if you’ve bought Bejeweled 2 in the past year or so (snapping it up, perhaps, when they offered it for free a few months ago?), you may want to skip this one and its $20 price tag.
