 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Puzzle Developer: Deep Silver Publisher: Deep Silver |
The two systems developed by Nintendo, the DS and Wii, have brought many motivations to the field of gaming. As game developers
continue to see the possibilities that are available with these new systems, gamers are given more surprises every time a new game is
released. One element of game play that is always on a gamers mind is the use of physics in the game that they are playing. Games
aren’t much fun if the player is looking for a realistic experience, but are instead given a floaty feeling to their game. Some games that
have used realistic physics lately include “Elebits,” “Half-Life 2” and “World of Goo.” Big fans of these types of games, and not only
because of their amazing game design, will enjoy these games because they heavily depend on physics for their game play.
Physics is the idea behind Deep Silver’s latest release “Professor Heinz Wolff’s Gravity.” At the most basic description of the game, it
is an “Incredible Machine” style puzzle game, but instead of machines, players simply place two dimensional blocks and balls in the
environment and have them react in order to push a button placed in a strategic location. Though the game may be challenging, fans of
the physics type game will probably not like this game too much. Both the Nintendo DS and Wii versions of the game share the same
theme and puzzle designs. The Nintendo DS version is a little sketchy, while the Wii version of the game feels far too shallow to be
allowed to be a full retail game and seems like it would be much better suited as a release as a WiiWare title.
In any given puzzle in the game, players are given a strategic layout where players have to place blocks of various shapes, sizes and
weights into a given environment. The idea is to arrange them in such a way that when the play button is pressed, a ball or cart will drop
out of a specific spot on the board and run into anything that has been placed in its path, setting things into motion for that level. If the
level’s button is hit the puzzle has been solved and players will move onto the next level to try and do the same thing over again.
The idea of “Professor Heinz Wolff’s Gravity” works very well and opens up potential for a variety of some very crazy puzzle designs from
the game’s creators. Since the game works on real-time physics and not on predetermined behavior, each level has a variety of
solutions and each player will have their own way of solving each situation, they may even be different than how the designers originally
intended the puzzle to be solved. In the long run, the real time physics is a good thing, but it is hard to shake the feeling that many of the
puzzles the players need to solve are solved accidentally, since not having a rigid solution gives off this feeling that the level was
sometimes won by being lucky, not by being smart.
“Gravity” is by no means a perfect game, the problems are small but there are plenty of them to notice. The physics engine is always
on, even before players hit the play button to start the level. Players are constantly fighting the controls trying to keep tall thin pieces from
falling over or trying to accidentally set balls rolling while they are placing them in strategic locations. Players can rotate any piece at any
angle, but the game doesn’t make it easy to turn the object at hard 90 degree rotations, something that would have been extremely
useful to implement. Instead, it is incredibly difficult to get a piece to sit flat after rotating since they can’t easily reset it to a position that
will balance properly. The game also never quite reaches its full potential. Players can tinker around with the gravity in sandbox
locations but players can’t create their own puzzles to play.
The Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS versions of the game share the exact same level designs and bonus games, but the Wii version is
the real version of the game to play since it has far more processing power to handle the physics engine. On the Nintendo DS, if there
are more than eight sizable parts on the screen at one time the frame rate tends to drop dramatically and it definitely affects some of the
more complex puzzles and sandbox areas that are able to be unlocked in the final game. Even with better technology in the Nintendo
Wii version of the game, it seems as though the final game is a little bit too expensive for the 30 dollar price tag that is put on it. The 20
dollar price tag on the Nintendo DS version of the game is a little bit more affordable and reasonable.
“Gravity” has the stuff that is needed for the game to be a sleeper puzzle game, but it staggers and stumbles a little bit with a design
that is a little rough at times. It feels as though it is a little too light on content for the price that is being asked for it, at least on the
Nintendo Wii. The design seems better suited for the Nintendo DS, but the technology isn’t quite up to the game’s overall potential.
continue to see the possibilities that are available with these new systems, gamers are given more surprises every time a new game is
released. One element of game play that is always on a gamers mind is the use of physics in the game that they are playing. Games
aren’t much fun if the player is looking for a realistic experience, but are instead given a floaty feeling to their game. Some games that
have used realistic physics lately include “Elebits,” “Half-Life 2” and “World of Goo.” Big fans of these types of games, and not only
because of their amazing game design, will enjoy these games because they heavily depend on physics for their game play.
Physics is the idea behind Deep Silver’s latest release “Professor Heinz Wolff’s Gravity.” At the most basic description of the game, it
is an “Incredible Machine” style puzzle game, but instead of machines, players simply place two dimensional blocks and balls in the
environment and have them react in order to push a button placed in a strategic location. Though the game may be challenging, fans of
the physics type game will probably not like this game too much. Both the Nintendo DS and Wii versions of the game share the same
theme and puzzle designs. The Nintendo DS version is a little sketchy, while the Wii version of the game feels far too shallow to be
allowed to be a full retail game and seems like it would be much better suited as a release as a WiiWare title.
In any given puzzle in the game, players are given a strategic layout where players have to place blocks of various shapes, sizes and
weights into a given environment. The idea is to arrange them in such a way that when the play button is pressed, a ball or cart will drop
out of a specific spot on the board and run into anything that has been placed in its path, setting things into motion for that level. If the
level’s button is hit the puzzle has been solved and players will move onto the next level to try and do the same thing over again.
The idea of “Professor Heinz Wolff’s Gravity” works very well and opens up potential for a variety of some very crazy puzzle designs from
the game’s creators. Since the game works on real-time physics and not on predetermined behavior, each level has a variety of
solutions and each player will have their own way of solving each situation, they may even be different than how the designers originally
intended the puzzle to be solved. In the long run, the real time physics is a good thing, but it is hard to shake the feeling that many of the
puzzles the players need to solve are solved accidentally, since not having a rigid solution gives off this feeling that the level was
sometimes won by being lucky, not by being smart.
“Gravity” is by no means a perfect game, the problems are small but there are plenty of them to notice. The physics engine is always
on, even before players hit the play button to start the level. Players are constantly fighting the controls trying to keep tall thin pieces from
falling over or trying to accidentally set balls rolling while they are placing them in strategic locations. Players can rotate any piece at any
angle, but the game doesn’t make it easy to turn the object at hard 90 degree rotations, something that would have been extremely
useful to implement. Instead, it is incredibly difficult to get a piece to sit flat after rotating since they can’t easily reset it to a position that
will balance properly. The game also never quite reaches its full potential. Players can tinker around with the gravity in sandbox
locations but players can’t create their own puzzles to play.
The Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS versions of the game share the exact same level designs and bonus games, but the Wii version is
the real version of the game to play since it has far more processing power to handle the physics engine. On the Nintendo DS, if there
are more than eight sizable parts on the screen at one time the frame rate tends to drop dramatically and it definitely affects some of the
more complex puzzles and sandbox areas that are able to be unlocked in the final game. Even with better technology in the Nintendo
Wii version of the game, it seems as though the final game is a little bit too expensive for the 30 dollar price tag that is put on it. The 20
dollar price tag on the Nintendo DS version of the game is a little bit more affordable and reasonable.
“Gravity” has the stuff that is needed for the game to be a sleeper puzzle game, but it staggers and stumbles a little bit with a design
that is a little rough at times. It feels as though it is a little too light on content for the price that is being asked for it, at least on the
Nintendo Wii. The design seems better suited for the Nintendo DS, but the technology isn’t quite up to the game’s overall potential.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
