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Customer Reviews
Not Quite
The DS is potentially the ultimate platform for electronic Sudoku, but other than Brain Age past games have been abysmal. While Platinum Sudoku does get a lot of things right and adds features not present in Brain Age, it still has a somewhat clunky interface.
As it should be, the important action takes place on the touch screen. The top screen shows information like a game clock (a nice touch) and how many of a particular number you've gotten already. (I should mention that unlike Brain Age's "sideways" format, in Platinum Sudoku you hold the DS in its normal horizontal orientation.) You tap a square to select it. Good. However, you have to tap it again to write the number in. There is also a number pad mode, where you can tap a square to select it then tap the number to go in that square. I find this easier, but I still much prefer Brain Age's single-tap to write the number in.
The game does allow you to make small notations (important for more difficult puzzles); however, you have to tap an icon to switch to notation mode (or "draft mode" as they call it), then tap a square to highlight it, then write or tap the number to go in that square. When you want to write the final number in a square you have to click the icon again to get out of notation mode. I found it cumbersome to have to switch in and out of modes to make simple notations.
Most of the features (like fonts, music, background graphics, and the puzzles themselves) come with a few selectable options but have more that need to be "unlocked" to gain access by completing puzzles. This would be okay if it were just the puzzles that needed to be unlocked; however, it's annoying that you need to unlock interface elements too. I found the over-sized default font a little difficult to read, and when I tried to switch to a more legible font the one I wanted to use was locked.
There is audio in the form of sound effect and background music; however, I find the sound effects useless. For example, when you are handwriting a number there is an irritating "pencil scratch" sound. However, if you choose to tap the number instead there is no audio feedback at all! An audio cue to confirm I hit a number would have been nice. The background music is selectable and can be turned off. I actually liked a few of the choices, and thankfully the volume of the background music can be set independently of the sound effects.
The biggest advantage Platinum Sudoku has over Brain Age is the number of puzzles--20,000,000 for Platinum Sudoku vs. only about 100 for Brain Age. Platinum Sudoku has other features not included in Brain Age like hints, changeable graphic "skins," displaying possibilities in squares, highlighting rows, and more, almost all of which can be turned on or off or adjusted in the options screen. Most of these features are geared towards beginners, and did not appeal to me. (There is a convenient "Newspaper Mode" which turns off all of the hints at once.) Platinum Sudoku also includes Kakuro, although I don't play Kakuro and can't comment on it.
Platinum Sudoku is a huge improvement over previous DS Sudoku games, but still lacks the smooth interface of Brain Age. If you're a big fan of Sudoku and you've exhausted the puzzles in Brain Age then Platinum Sudoku is probably worth the purchase for the huge number of included puzzles. Novices might also like Platinum Sudoku for the beginner's tips and options. For me I'll probably stick to Brain Age and Sudoku books, and keep hoping that Nintendo will release a serious Sudoku game with the core Brain Age interface.
One of the best around...
Having tried a raft of sudoku games for the DS, I eagerly awaited Platinum Sudoku.
Not THE best, I think that still goes to Brain Age's Sudoku. But definitely hands down better than others I've tried. I'd give it a 4.5 if I could, but it's just short of the mark of being a 5.
The execution is nice and clean. There is a a choice between using handwriting recognition to fill in the answers (or jot in a note!) or you can use the number pad available to the right (my preference, as it's faster.)
There are other simple games which they call "challenges", as well as Kakuro. I am not a big fan of Kakuro, but it's a nice touch.
There are many customization options to choose from at the beginning. As you unlock levels, you are given backgrounds and other games to play.
One of the custom options is one I wish I could turn off. At the start of Platinum Sudoku, you're offered your choice of a male or female guide. You can turn off the coaching offered during the game, but as another reviewer stated, the "Awesome!" cheer at the end of a game is a little juvenile. My choice would have been to be able to choose no guide at all, but it's a small point.
I'm a little puzzled by the tutorials. For those just learning sudoku, the tutorial gives a good basis for solving puzzles. However, the "Lessons" portion seems to be locked until you solve a certain number of puzzles. I've finished quite a few puzzles so far, but they are still locked. Having lessons (like hints and tips on more complicated solving strategies) seems rather odd to me.
There is a multiplayer option, but unfortunately you need a second copy of the game, no game sharing.
All in all, I think it's a solid game module, and it's the one I'd recommend to all ages and levels.
Overall the best Sudoku package
Many reviewers give top nods to Brain Age sudoku, with this package coming in second. I'd have to disagree. This offers many features that I think bring it far above Brain Age.
1) Holding game unit like normal. I find the position change for Brain Age to be annoying. Especially when you could work on an advanced Sudoku Puzzle for a protracted amount of time.
2) "number pad" available for entry. You can write in (like BA) or select from a number pad. I find the number pad faster, so I really like this option. Also, it's much easier to do 'pencil' marks than in Brain Age. In BA you have to write small. And if you don't write small enough, you do it over.
3) Lots of display options. For someone who plays a lot of Sudoku it's nice to be able to customize the environment so it's easy on the eyes and has the level of 'hints' you want. For instance you can operate in newspaper mode, which shows you nothing. On easy level, you can have it show all possible solutions, which cell is easiest to solve and so on. The default for all levels is to show the number in purple if your answer is possible and red if your number isn't possible with the current entries. There're also various number fonts available, which is nice so you can find one that's easy for you to read.
4) You CAN do one-touch write entries. Other reviewers stated you can't just touch a cell and write. That is inaccurate, but there's a specific way it has to be done. If you touch a cell and lift the stylus, you can then either touch it again for a blow-up of the cell to write (like BA), or you can enter with the number pad. However, if when you first touch the cell, you start to write your number, it will automatically pop up the cell just like in BA. In BA you touch a cell to get the enlarged cell, then you write. In Platinum Sudoku, touch the cell and immediately begin writing and the cell will enlarge.
5) The lessons are great. One downside is you'll have to play a certain number of puzzles before you unlock the really good lessons.
6) Kakuro included is nice. The easy Kakuro are insanely easy, so good for a beginner
7) Bonus games. There are some bonus games that are quite enjoyable. There's a mini minesweeper game, an old-fashioned shuffle puzzle, pair match logic problem and so on. A fun diversion when the puzzles are getting tedious. There's a game called subtract that can be a serious mind bender. Unfortunately, most of the games are 'unlocked' after you play enough of the sample puzzles.
The down sides, and the reason why I didn't give it 5 stars:
1) As others have mentioned, the coaches are annoying and you can't get rid of them.
2) Character recognition is not as good as BA. I had to change the way I write my 4's & 7s to get them to register correctly. Having to be more precise in the writing is why I find the number pad entry faster.
3) Time clock disappears when you complete the game. That really irritates me. When I complete a puzzle, the first thing I want to know is how long it took me. But the minute you put in the last number the 'coach' covers the screen telling you how wonderful you did. You can find the final time by clicking on the puzzle from the menu, but I think not showing the time when you complete the puzzle is a design flaw.
4) The whole game is driven on unlockables. It gets annoying. It talks about 20 million puzzles, but you have to complete all 100+ sample easy puzzles to unlock the 5 million possible easy puzzles, and so on with medium, hard and pro. You can't even play Pro until you complete all the hard sample puzzles (around 100).
One of the things I wanted this game for was Sudoku X, which you can't get until you play the 100 Pro puzzles, which you can't get until you complete the 100 easy, 100 medium and 100 hard. That really upset me. I paid for the game and shouldn't have to complete more than 500 puzzles to play one of the advertised 'features'.
5) There are a few things about the game that are not intuitive and you have to consult the booklet. For instance, how to do the one-touch write-in method I mentioned above. Or how to save your game. Little things that are annoying as you play.
6) Puzzle ratings are sometimes way off. Some of the 'easy' puzzles are brain bendingly hard, while there are some 'hard' puzzles that you can complete in under 5 minutes.
7) Pro level is designed BADLY. Once you get to pro level, you're given 3 lives to complete the puzzle. The idea is you make a mistake, you lose a life and try again. 3 mistakes, game over. The problem comes with what qualifies as a 'mistake.' It's not whether or not your solution is correct, it's whether or not you make one contradictory entry. Not even a wrong entry. Just doesn't fit with the puzzle. For instance, if you accidentally put in a 2 instead of a 5 and don't notice, then in another grid you put in a 2 that is correct for the puzzle, but doesn't fit with your erroneous 2 from before, you lose a life. The answer you put in may be right, but since it contradicts your current solution, you're down a life. This happens to me all the time when I accidentally tap the wrong number or it recognizes the wrong written number. I mean to tap the 7 and hit the 4 and lose a life. I write in a 7 and it recognizes a 2 and I lose a life. It's so badly designed I'd almost take another star off for it.
Overall, if you're a serious sudoku player, this is a much better choice than brain age. More puzzles, better playing environment, nice tutorials, etc. It's offset like any game with some annoyances, but overall is the best package out there.
However, if you're only interested in seriously advanced puzzles, the poor design in the Pro level may make you consider another product.
Price: $114.94
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