Bejeweled 2 review

[Joel]

Palm247 brings us the first review of Astraware's Bejeweled 2. "Quite amazing! The overall presentation of the game is beyond most of what has come before in Palm gaming..." [details (http://www.1src.com/?m=show&id=675)]

[strider_mt2k]

I appears that Beleweled 2 carries over it's coolness from the windows version.
Excellent!

The question NOW is if it will run properly on my TH55!

[zackepceo]

I have the beta version and will be posting more screenshots soon.

[zackepceo]

I apologise for the banner thing, I intended to take these shots in the OS 5 sim, but the game doesn't work in it.
http://img31.exs.cx/img31/1642/screenshot0000.jpg
http://img31.exs.cx/img31/26/screenshot0001.jpg
http://img31.exs.cx/img31/5356/screenshot0007.jpg
http://img31.exs.cx/img31/7382/screenshot0009.jpg
http://img49.exs.cx/img49/7997/screenshot0017.jpg

[CraigBMCM]

I wonder what these intelligent erase tools would make of those screenshots?

[treffmeister]

I've had the beta version for some time - in 320x480 - and it is awesome!

[Zork]

Anyone else already tried the final version of Bejeweled 2 ? Played it today and the animation are simply amazing (when there is no set left anymore on the screen). The power gems are some nice addition too. Simply get that one. Its another killer title avail for the Palm.

[archangel]

I'm blown away by the animation and especially the sound on this game. This may be the greatest PDA game every made. It has Nintendo quality production values and so many ways to play it. So far puzzle mode is my favorite.

A big thumbs up to the designers of this one.

[Zork]

Archangel, playin now the puzzle mode too. Its plain and simple awesome. Level based Bejeweled :) . Im now at the Hegemon V4. Another really strange one :) .

[IsLNdbOi]

Where are you guys getting the final version of Bejeweled 2? I went to Astraware's site and it doesn't show a release date anymore.

[archangel]

If you preordered it you get an email with the download instructions today. It will officially go on sale tomorrow.

Puzzle mode is amazing. I just finished it and unlocked one of the secret modes. Without hints though some of the puzzles are real mindbenders.

[Zork]

islndboi, check there tomorrow again. And you dont got that nfo from this forum ;) .

[IsLNdbOi]

Thanks for the info. guys. I can't wait. I've been playing the PC version for awhile now and it is excellent! :)

[hherbzilla]

I preordered and got it today. Played just a little thusfar, and it's a LOT of fun. Amazing graphics. Runs great on my T3.

[IsLNdbOi]

A friend just beamed Bejeweled 2 to my TH55. It's horrible! It isn't fluid. It is laggy on the TH55. :(

[archangel]

A friend just beamed Bejeweled 2 to my TH55. It's horrible! It isn't fluid. It is laggy on the TH55. :(

It probably isn't designed for the Sony Handheld engine which sucks. It runs great though without any of the cool music or voice on the NX80 and runs perfectly with full sound on my Tapwave.

Sony and their non standard hardware strike again.

[IsLNdbOi]

I posted a thread about this on Astraware's site:

http://board.astraware.com/viewthread.php3?FID=202&TID=3310

Basically, it's a problem with the TH55's processor which throttles it's speed down if it decides an app. doesn't need full power (what the developer on Astaware's site said).

[bh77a]

Has anyone tried it on a CLIE TJ27 / 37? It has a 200 MHZ processor, faster than the TH55's and without the variable processor speeds...

[archangel]

My wife still has a NX80 and it works great on that system with its 200MHz processor. The sound is the only problem because that model Clie doesn't use the standard Palm sound.

[Zork]

Some prob I see with Bejeweled II puzzle mode is the fact that you could use the hints always and everywhere. Thats far too easy and everyone could play it back that way even w/o having any clue at all. That destroys a lot of the feeling of the puzzle mode, cause it avoids kewl requests like the hundreds of requests for Mazera (where you could get stuck often and often). Astraware have to limit that feature for just one hint per level. Otherwise its like offering a crossword and at the same page the solution. Not even half the fun.

[IsLNdbOi]

I think PopCap is the one that actually makes these games. Astraware just ports them to different OS'es

[Zork]

Then Astraware shouldnt have ported this feature ;) . It destroys a lot of the fun of the Puzzle mode. Its still a amazing game, but this bug is some real prob for the game fun. If Astraware releases a patch for this bug, I will even replace the recent version with the patched one (cause the Puzzle mode is otherwise a awesome addition to good, old Bejeweled). And Astraware should release that patch soon.

[IsLNdbOi]

Porting means that they just bring the game over and make it compatible with other OS'es. The original / first version of Bejeweled 2 (for PC) let the user have unlimited hints as well. Astraware cannot change this. Only the creators of the game (Popcap) can do this.

I agree with you though. Having unlimited hints destroys the challenge and fun of the game.

[treffmeister]

There is one puzzle, just one, in which you do not have any hints.

[archangel]

Yeah, they make you figure one out on your own and without that one you can't unlock the secret mode.

Honestly, I don't see the problem. I only used the hints as a last resort and I was able to figure out 75 percent of them without the hints. I liked having the option though.

[treffmeister]

its easy though i can do it in 10 seconds

You have to know what to do

[strider_mt2k]

I just installed Bejeweled 2 on my TH55 and it's great!

I was worried that it wouldn't run well with the HHE, but it's just fine, no slowness at all. In fact it looks and runs like it was written FOR the TH55! :D
Sounds great too.

(I see the point about the hints thing, but I don't see hints if I don't ask for them so I'm not worried about it.) ;)

I posted recently that I wasn't going to drop any more money on PalmOS stuff, but maybe one last purchase...

[Zork]

Strider, PalmOS stuff rulez. Every PPC company out there develops since months for the Palm too, but Palm companies see no reason to port their games for PPCs too. So for gaming its just the Palm OS. And BTW : Guess whos adapting MPEG 4 as standard for his new device ? Sony for the new PSP. The same MPEG 4 you could use only (!) on your Palm by using Kinoma Player 3 EX (and you could also playback your iTunes and iTunes Music Store (the one almost every online music store customer out there uses) songs exclusively on your Palm with that player). Palms made a huge leap forward during the last days.

Bout the hints : We are humans. So if someone stuck at a puzzle for appr. 15 minutes the temptation is far too big to press the hint button. If there werent any or if they limit it to one hint per puzzle, there wouldnt be any temptation. PopCap/Astraware made that point really st*pid and I hope they fix it ASAP. I think I stop playing that game til that bug is fixed, cause it really destroys a lot of fun (and the Puzzle mode is otherwise fun). Played yesterday til the 9th world (and used hints just for 2 levels), but I realize that the puzzles getting harder and therefor the temptation to press the way too powerful and easy accessable hint button. So PopCap should fix that bug ASAP. There shouldnt be any way to get at worst more then one hint per level (include settings at the option menu).

[IsLNdbOi]

I just installed Bejeweled 2 on my TH55 and it's great!

I was worried that it wouldn't run well with the HHE, but it's just fine, no slowness at all. In fact it looks and runs like it was written FOR the TH55! :D
Sounds great too.

(I see the point about the hints thing, but I don't see hints if I don't ask for them so I'm not worried about it.) ;)

I posted recently that I wasn't going to drop any more money on PalmOS stuff, but maybe one last purchase...


You don't find Bejeweled 2 even a little laggy or skippy on your TH55? I just think the movement when the gems fall is not very "fluid" like when I play it on my PC. The gems on my TH55 seem to just fall instead of how they move on my PC. It's hard to explain sorry.

[strider_mt2k]

I agree that the gems falling aren't fluid like on the PC version, but I tossed it off as a compromise to the Palm OS port.
Not laggy or skippy in the least.

Of course I make it a point to have lots of free memory, and I don't run programs or utilities that slow down TH55 performance.

[volcanopele]

Just registered Bejeweled 2 so I did have the betas nor did I pre-order so I thought I would give my first impressions. BTW, I am running BJ2 on an NX80V.

Speed
The game speed is pretty reasonable. Of course, with all the new enhancements, the game isn't as speedy the original, version 2.3. However, as long as I turn off the music, the game runs pretty quickly.

Sound
I should note that I have MCA 2.05 installed, so I am able to get the music and the sound to run just fine on my Clie. HOWEVER, the speed of my clie comes into play when I have music on. For the music to sound perfectly, I have to set Deep Buffering for Bejeweled 2 in MCA. However, this causes a vary noticable lag in the other game sounds, however the music sounds great. If I set Deep Buffering off, I get pauses in the music when ever I tap the screen, which in BJ2, is all the time. So I have just turned the music off, besides, I found it distracting anyway. The other sounds, including "The Voice", come off crystal clear on my NX80v. Certainly for a Palm game, the sounds are top notch.

Graphics
Top notch once again. Being a planetary scientist, I certainly enjoy the space art used as background to the puzzles. I also like the rising moon in the background of the title screen.

Gameplay
I still love classic. While I think I can get into the puzzle mode, I am enamoured with the classic mode. Just me and the jewels, that's all I want :) The new special crystals certainly add a new layer of strategy to the game that makes it all the more interesting. Obviously, I have not played it long enough to activate any of the hidden modes but I hope to REAL soon ;) So far my high score is 27,326. Puzzle mode is engaging, but often times, I will probably just play classic mode. Action mode is great, but I never was a timed nut in the original and probably won't be here.

So I consider this a worthy purchase for those who love Bejeweled and have been playing it for 3, 4 years now and are finally looking for a new challenege. I also definitely see this as a almost guaranteed gift for my Mom who caught on to using her PDA after I bought her the first Bejeweled for her birthday a couple of years ago.

[volcanopele]

Bout the hints : We are humans. So if someone stuck at a puzzle for appr. 15 minutes the temptation is far too big to press the hint button. If there werent any or if they limit it to one hint per puzzle, there wouldnt be any temptation. PopCap/Astraware made that point really st*pid and I hope they fix it ASAP. I think I stop playing that game til that bug is fixed, cause it really destroys a lot of fun (and the Puzzle mode is otherwise fun). Played yesterday til the 9th world (and used hints just for 2 levels), but I realize that the puzzles getting harder and therefor the temptation to press the way too powerful and easy accessable hint button. So PopCap should fix that bug ASAP. There shouldnt be any way to get at worst more then one hint per level (include settings at the option menu).
I have no problem with the hints, however, Popcap and Astraware need to come up with a way to punish the player for asking for the hint in puzzle mode. In classic mode, you are punished by having points taken away from you. In Action mode, you are punished by having time taken away from you. So a similar punishment system needs to be devised for puzzle mode.

[archangel]

When you unlock the second puzzle mode you are punished for using the hints. You lose your points once you ask for a hint.

I broke 50,000 on the action mode and thought I was doing good. My wife however has a high score of 800,000. Obviously I need to practice those combos she is killing me.

[Joel]

Bejeweled 2 is playable on a TH55 but is definitely much more fluid on an NX70V. ;)

[strider_mt2k]

Completely understandable considering the differences in hardware.

I had seen considerable slowness on my TH55 when playing Super BounceOut!, but Bejeweled2 isn't nearly so bad.

I suppose if I played B2 on a faster machine I'd notice a difference, but nothing interferes with gameplay, so I'm a happy pup.

I have to say that I miss the "going through the Stargate" sequence between rounds, but hey, it's on a PalmOS machine so I'm not gonna complain.

[zackepceo]

Completely understandable considering the differences in hardware.

I had seen considerable slowness on my TH55 when playing Super BounceOut!, but Bejeweled2 isn't nearly so bad.

I suppose if I played B2 on a faster machine I'd notice a difference, but nothing interferes with gameplay, so I'm a happy pup.

I have to say that I miss the "going through the Stargate" sequence between rounds, but hey, it's on a PalmOS machine so I'm not gonna complain.
It's there, just pick 'tunnel' in the options.

[Joel]

It's there, just pick 'tunnel' in the options. On the TH55, at least, the board just opens up a hole. Is it the same on palmOne devices? Or does the "stargate" effect happen?

[archangel]

Looks like they left out the PC stargate effect. Not sure if the PPC version has it.

[strider_mt2k]

The problem I have is getting past that board on PX24793!
Good thing my PDA doubles as a GDO!

(Sorry I couldn't resist.)

[ackmondual]

A few games spring to mind as classics in my lifetime- Call of Duty, Match Point (Spectrum), Soccer Evolution Pro and now Bejeweled 2. This is without doubt one of the best games I have played on any platform and is worth 10 times the asking price. Perfect, just so perfect?


So THIS is that site with this review....

DAMN MAN. I know reviewers may sometimes over exaggerate for emphasis but x10 the asking price? Let me ask then, how many of you would pay $150 to $200 for this game? I'd like to see if the reviewer would be willing to pony up that amt as well. I've seen other similar reviews as well. One user review of a certain Sony Clie' mentioned the best feature of that handheld was Bejeweled pre-installed in ROM memory. Another review for Diablo1 went "I had an easier time quitting smoking than putting down this game". That Bej2 segment will be added to my unofficial list of unforgettable reviews/comments


Strider, PalmOS stuff rulez. Every PPC company out there develops since months for the Palm too, but Palm companies see no reason to port their games for PPCs too. So for gaming its just the Palm OS. And BTW : Guess whos adapting MPEG 4 as standard for his new device ? Sony for the new PSP. The same MPEG 4 you could use only (!) on your Palm by using Kinoma Player 3 EX (and you could also playback your iTunes and iTunes Music Store (the one almost every online music store customer out there uses) songs exclusively on your Palm with that player). Palms made a huge leap forward during the last days.

Bout the hints : We are humans. So if someone stuck at a puzzle for appr. 15 minutes the temptation is far too big to press the hint button. If there werent any or if they limit it to one hint per puzzle, there wouldnt be any temptation. PopCap/Astraware made that point really st*pid and I hope they fix it ASAP. I think I stop playing that game til that bug is fixed, cause it really destroys a lot of fun (and the Puzzle mode is otherwise fun). Played yesterday til the 9th world (and used hints just for 2 levels), but I realize that the puzzles getting harder and therefor the temptation to press the way too powerful and easy accessable hint button. So PopCap should fix that bug ASAP. There shouldnt be any way to get at worst more then one hint per level (include settings at the option menu).

Soo not true. Sites like PDAmill have at least half their wares as PPCs only, while those that are also Palm were ported much later. Sites like Clickgamer have almost x2 as many PPC titles for sale than Palm, and their holiday sales contain only 3 Palm games on sale out of 33 total. There are plenty of other puzzle/logic, strategy, action, RPG titles for PPC exclusives that came out recently. I find Palm games enough to satisfy me, but i wouldn't say that Palm companies and devs have no reason to port to PPC. There are still many good ones.

But it's not a bug, that is if PopCap put it there on purpose. They want ppl who would be too frustrated to solve it on their own to have help. Besides, it's not like the whole game is like that. Cognito mode bars u from getting anymo score if u use it, and to unlock the other game modes, PopCap makes u work for it. In 3 ways... extreme patience, planning, or reflexes. If you don't want to use it, then U oughtta control yourself not to use it. It's like some1 saying BJ2 is too addictive, they should keep ppl from playing it rather than lose productivity. If u need to get stuff done, but can't waste time playing PDA games, then U need to make that decision to hold off until the time is right

I agree that the gems falling aren't fluid like on the PC version, but I tossed it off as a compromise to the Palm OS port.
Not laggy or skippy in the least.

Of course I make it a point to have lots of free memory, and I don't run programs or utilities that slow down TH55 performance.

I hear ya. I got a Zire71, and while the animation is tolerable, there is noticeable lag and ain't fluid. I've got 5.35MB of free internal RAM, but i guess a 144MHz proc doesn't cut it. I even found myself going back to the first Bej a couple of times since getting the sequel.

[jjesusfreak01]

Has anyone else noticed battery drain when playing B2? It could just be that I was playing for 2 long without noticing it. Anyone?

[ddsmith]

Yes the battery on my TH55 drains very quickly. I ended up removing it for this reason.

[Cheechwhiz]

Yeah, for all the vaunted battery life hype around the TH55, I do see a drastic drop in the battery.
Last night the power when out here on Cape Cod due to the snowstorm and I took B2 to bed with me. Half an hour later I started getting "uuht-ohh" messages.

[jjesusfreak01]

I guess this is one app none of the TH-55 powersaving features can help because it uses the full processing power.

[Cheechwhiz]

How do I enable "The Voice"?
I don't hear one; just text messages flashing up and off.

[bh77a]

Astraware noted on their forums that the TH-55 processor causes issues programming for with some games... Bejeweled 2 is a game that is going to require full processor speed from just about any handheld..., especially is sound is used, etc, I think that this is reasonable.

[jjesusfreak01]

The problem is that it doesnt even run that well with all 200 mhz processors, such as the TG-50. I am however, also running MCA2, which slows it down a little bit. The TT runs it pretty well, but will not use the tunnel effect, and obviously causes extreme battery drain. My TH-55 will run at about the same speed as the TT, but gives me the option of choosing the tunnel effect, though it runs excruciatingly slow.

[archangel]

It runs very smoothly on the Zodiac and there is a noticable battery drain when used for a half hour or so, but that is true even of the PDA Mill games when full sound is used.

[jjesusfreak01]

It runs very smoothly on the Zodiac and there is a noticable battery drain when used for a half hour or so, but that is true even of the PDA Mill games when full sound is used.
Well the Zodiac does have 1540mah battery and a perfectly optimized processor and graphics engine. It could just be that the TH-55 processor is just strained to capacity the entire time it is running.

[Shadowhuah]

Maybe my TH is an aberration, but it runs Bejewelled 2 pretty smoothly. I do use the tunnel feature and that is when I see a noticeable slowing of the smoothness... The battery does run down a bit faster than other games, but not too badly. I will lose about 10% of battery after over an hour of play. Warfare does the same though....

My 2 cents.

shadowhuah

[bbmak]

I just got the Bejeweled 2. I think that the old one is much more addictive than the bejeweled 2 because i do not like the hyper cube and power gem do. The graphic for bejewel 2 is very good, and I really like the puzzle mode.

[ackmondual]

I like Bej2 b/c it runs MUCH smoother on my z71, altho that'd certainly change once i get a faster device