Recs.
Updated
"Connect 3" game that uses RPG elements and intense combat. "Bejeweled" meets "Magic: The Gathering".
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Surprisingly deep combat system
The core of Puzzle Quest comes down to its match-3 combat. You make a move, then your opponent gets a move. If you matched four gems or more in a row by the time your turn ends, you get a second turn. Gems have different colors: red, yellow, green, blue, and skulls. Matching gems of a color gives you that color mana, and instead of making a match, you can choose to cast a spell, which costs certain kinds of mana. Matching skulls takes HP from your opponent, and whoever runs out of HP first loses. Not too complicated, right?
Until you realize that your opponent is wearing an item that makes him regenerate life when his yellow mana is full. So you decide to steal all of the yellow mana on the board to prevent him from regenerating life. He casts a spell that siphons your yellow mana and gives it to him. You both go back and forth, retaliating against the other's strategy, until only one person is left.
The depth of the gameplay is limited by your ability to see it. Not only does your chosen class dramatically affect your playstyle in the game, but so does your gear and spellbook, often times changing how you play your character entirely.
Pro Good PvP implementation
The game supports PvP, where fighting an opponent who is just as smart as you can be challenging due to the great balance of play in multiplayer for evenly matched players. What is even better is that there are optional handicaps for matches between players that have different skill levels.
Pro Combat, perfected in a match-3 game
The core of Puzzle Quest comes down to its combat. You make a move, then your opponent gets a move. If someone runs out of life, they lose. If you matched four gems or more in a row by the time your turn ends, you get a second turn.
Gems have different colors. Matching gems of a color gives you that color mana, and instead of making a match, you can choose to cast a spell, which costs certain kinds of mana. Not too complicated.
Until you realize that your opponent is wearing an item that makes him regenerate life when his yellow mana is full. So you decide to steal all of the yellow mana on the board to fuel one of your yellow-colored spells and to prevent him from regenerating life. He casts a spell that siphons your yellow mana and gives it to him. You both go back and forth, retaliating against the other's strategy, until only one person is left.
The game is limited by your ability to play it. Not only does your chosen class dramatically effect your playstyle in the game, but so does your gear, often times changing how you play your character entirely.
Cons
Con AI "luck" is unquestionably unbalanced
There are many instances that see the player questioning the insurmountable luck the AI often receives as it will skip obvious moves that any person would play that end up resulting in a match 4 extra turn when more tiles fall down, as if it knew that would happen. Sadly this can happen often and is how the game increases difficulty.
Con PSP version is extremely buggy
Companions have no effects, hovering over a certain Wizard's spell will lock the game (meaning you can't ever use that spell or any spell under it in the list), and others.
While the game is fun on PC, and still is on the PSP, one must accept that some of the features are going to be off-limits for PSP users.