Apr 22 2009
Zen-like gaming courtesy of Xbox Live Arcade
On Xbox Live, few games are as timeless and captivating as the marble blasting puzzle games Zuma and Luxor 2. For those offline, Luxor 2 is even available for the Xbox 360 as part of an Xbox Live Arcade compilation disc.
Puzzle gamers should feel right at home with Zuma on Xbox Live Arcade.
Marbles are the new blocks as Tetris clones have finally been replaced by these more curvaceous puzzle games.
Zuma and Luxor 2 are essentially the same game. The basic concept sees a string of different colored marbles pushed onto the screen, following along a winding path. Before the marbles reach the end of the line and bring about the game over screen, players must take them out by shooting new marbles into the mix and matching up three or more marbles of the same color to clear them.
Zuma rewards trick shooting by boosting the player’s score whenever he or she shoots marbles successfully through gaps in the line (so that the new marbles land on previously blocked segments of that same line - the line tends to weave all over the screen). When the score reaches a certain point, new marbles stop feeding in and players only need to clear what remains on the screen.
Luxor 2 is tough. The backgrounds are more detailed which makes it hard to keep your colors straight.
Luxor 2 is more about combos. Players earn special balls (lightning blasts, color-changers, etc) by clearing out lots of marble groups consecutively. The same rules apply, earn enough points to stop new marbles from appearing, then clean up what’s on the screen before they roll to the end of the line.
Zuma starts easy and ramps up in difficulty gradually. It’s final stages require a lot of skill and the ability to juggle the current ball with what’s coming next. Luxor 2 gets tough quick and stays that way with an incredible number of levels that move faster and feature more marbles than the levels before it.
YouTube video of Zuma in action. When you play, you’re too focused to be annoyed by the repetitive sound effects.
Like Tetris, Zuma and Luxor 2 provide a kind of reflex-gaming zen that is hard to beat. Which one is worth your cash? Zuma is probably the better balanced game, but either one will captivate puzzle game fans for hours on end.
Also, press pause and blink now and again. Your bleary, dry eyes will thank you.
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Thanks for the comment on my site. I think Zuma was the best out of these, I played it for a little bit on Xbox Live Arcade, and it’s actually REALLY addicting!
Thanks, yeah it’s one of those games that any one can get hooked on.