Crosswords DS
by Nintendo
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Video Game Reviews of Crosswords DS
Customer Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Abased...
Summary: 3 Stars
I'd like to get some items out of the way before talking about the not-so-great aspects of this game.
First, the interface works well. The handwriting recognition is very good. I like the zoom-in, zoom-out, big-grid style, and the sans-serif, unembellished font. The music is pleasant. It's a game you can relax with. I don't think the developers tried to compete with the New York Times Crosswords game, and I think the idea of providing puzzles "the whole family" can enjoy shows savvy market research. (Hmm...the back of the box reads, "Crosswords for everyone!" but the front cover shows an adult using the game.)
I thought I would like the anagrams section, but I became frustrated with it because it does not allow references to, for example, adult beverages. (The game has an "E for Everyone" rating.)
The Word Search can be fun, but the categories are hokey.
But the heart of the game is the puzzles, and they're...well, too often exasperating. Ridiculouly easy clues pepper even the Hard puzzles; there's little effort by the puzzle-makers to be witty or oblique. (You'll rarely, if ever, find yourself smiling on the inside by these clues.)
More about the way the game works...
The opening of harder levels seems to be willy-nilly. I had to complete 11% of the Easy- and 34% of the Medium-level puzzles before the game unlocked the Hard puzzles, and so far I've completed 71% of those. I don't know how many more Hard puzzles I need to complete before the game unlocks the next level.
Sure, I'm aware that the charm of many of these games lies in surprise revelations, but forging ahead in Crosswords DS is too often not great fun. Many of the puzzles are simply tedious. At times while completing some puzzles I felt I was simply going through the motions.
Is it because the same words are used again and again? Are "abash" and "abase" in at least in every other puzzle, along with some form of the word "acne"?
(Possible spoiler warning) Some answers have strange clues; for example, a clue for "sushi" is "rice that likes vinegar." Another clue perplexed me for a long time: "embellishes with garnish" ended up being "lards." I tried "lures" and that didn't work, so I started to look at other areas of the puzzle for errors. I began questioning if I had given the right answers to the other clues.
Players can choose to be notified immediately if they've written an incorrect letter. I used this feature but stopped doing so when I'd completed about 60% of the Hard puzzles. I suspected that using this form of help might be keeping me from opening the puzzles one level above Hard.
So, I suppose I'll do a puzzle now and then, and maybe someday -- someday -- the next level of harder puzzles will open, I hope, to crosswords that are a little more engaging.
Customer Review: Love the Anagrams
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought Crosswords, obviously for the crosswords, but I absolutely love the Anagrams. I'm not a word search fan at all, even though I love how easy it is to just trace your stylus over the words you've searched out. The crosswords is so small it is hard to keep scrolling back and forth to find the rest of the words, but I am so hooked on the anagrams. I would love for them to add some extra long words, more than 7 letters.
But i pick it up EVERY night, and it travels with me to Dr appts,
road trips, waiting to pick up children from school, at the DMV. It is so easy to save a game and pick right up where you left off. Would love to see them come out with JUST an anagram game. Also, I am over 60.
Customer Review: I love this game!
Summary: 5 Stars
As someone who doesn't usually enjoy crosswords, I love this game. the puzzles start out relatively easy and let you work up to the harder levels. I actually got this game for the word jumble, but I don't even play that game that much because you have to guess EVERY single word that can be spelled from the letters given. I think I have only finished one! Even though I don't play the work jumble that much or the word search, they are still good games.Customer Review: Fantastic
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this DS game. I am an old lady who uses her DS to keep myself mentally stimulated. I take care of my disabled husband and enjoy the fact that I can play the game for a while and save it if I get interrupted. I love Crossword puzzles but I find myself playing the word search and anagrams just as much if not more. I see where someone said this was a game for children......I guess I am going through my second childhood then. Customer Review: Crosswords
Summary: 5 Stars
I love it! I am an avid crossword puzzle solver but I play word search and anagram more than the crosswords. It's a wonderful game and I highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed.