Diamond in the Rough :: CrossworDS

Aug. 16 5:37 PM by NuyoRiqueña

I travel - a lot. Since I have to deal with planes, trains and automobiles regularly, keeping up with my PS3, Wii or 360 is not always an option. Having great games for my Nintendo DS and Sony PSP are a must. A few months ago I invested in a little nerd game called CrossworDS. I have been playing it ever since.

As a self-professed Achievement Hunter, I find that I will try almost anything when it comes to the Xbox 360, with other systems however, I am decidedly more careful. When I went in search of a new title, I saw that CrossworDS (at the time, just released) was a mere $19.99 and had crosswords, word search and anagrams. The nerd in me giggled with delight. Even if it turned out to be a dud, it was a far smaller investment than I have made in the past for bombs.

Since my purchase, I have completed more than half of the word searches and anagrams but only about 32 crossword puzzles. I am shocked that I have not made more progress because whenever I have a chance, I play...and play...and play, sometimes for hours. The word searches got me at first and once you start in on the larger puzzles it can feel like a lifetime of searching in order to complete only one. There are basic categories, such as Geography, Nature, Books, Hobbies and more. Some of the first puzzles are so simple I completed them in less than 120 seconds and while my Mensa-wannabe brain was swelling with ego, it was soon crushed as the puzzles became (at first) slightly more difficult. Nonetheless, I persevered and fought my way through countless searches. At times I felt silly spending precious minutes looking for that final word only to realize I had passed it over approximately 800 thousand times.

The anagrams are both fun and annoying. Would you have guessed "ade" as a word right away? Anyhow, some of the so-called words are not immediately evident and can frustrate you into a massive guess-fest. Sometimes I think I enjoy the fluster that can come with a challenge however. Occasionally, the challenge is my inability to stop over-thinking. Should be relatively easy to come up with 3 and 4 letter words from 6 letters and yet, time and time again I am stumped, albeit only temporarily.

The game's namesake is the crossword section of the game. These, too, are relatively easy in the beginning and becoming larger and ever so slightly more difficult as you progress. The down and across are color coded and will automatically slide in the direction you highlight to aid (No, not ade!!) you in a faster completion. You can even ask for hints if you get stuck and the number of hints you are allotted is proportional to the size and difficulty of the puzzle, but be aware it will affect your grade at the end.

Based on the sheer number of puzzles and the number of hours you could spend playing CrossworDS, the game is definitely worth the few bucks if you like brainy, word games. It can also be great for older children and the casual or non-gaming gamer.

The hidden gems in this game = the long hours, without boredom, on the road.

Crosswords DS Gallery

Comments

if i were a DS gamer and liked these puzzles I'd probably buy this and that brain trainer that everyone always on about (well everyone as in, one guy in my biology class).

But frankly I'd rather blow torch my nipples off.

Well I'm not very fan of this games but it looks interesting, i think i should check it out this game, o yeah great review!

...........????

I here Picross DS is good, what about that one?

I really suck at crosswords puzzles, but hey, my philosophy says (depends on how are you feeling) "the harder it gets the more you want to play it". So i will try it for sure.

LMAO! You guys and your responses. :-) It is a fun game, I promise.

**muah**

I'd still rather blow torch my nipples off

I have New York Times Crosswords and I love it, sometimes you just need to play something that challenges those brain cells!

my brains cells are challenged enough by alcohol (lol not really)

klasco, I doubt I'll ever understand your fascination with searing off your own nipples. Plastic surgery might be able to take care of that for you with half the pain (though I don't think it would make trips to the pool any less awkward).

@drowncharon

true i should start using different replies like:

i rather get raped...twice
i rather eat my own liver
i rather join Scientology
i rather iron my curtains

* NuyoRiquena
* Aug 17, 2008 at 2:00:05 PM
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LMAO! You guys and your responses. :-) It is a fun game, I promise.
**muah**

u should look into FF Tactics Advanced 2, Ninja Gaiden DS and The World Ends With You. all amazing DS games. i usually dont buy DS games during the year (i can afford to wait till xmas time), but id have to say these were worth all 35 or 40$s. in The World Ends With You, dont be like ME and 4get to utilize the "food" system. i made it through the game, but it was hard. @ the VERY end of the game, i realized u can eat food to permanently up ur stats (yea im THAT stupid). here i am going battle after battle to max out my pins to get through the game when i coulda made it easier on myself eating