Despite the lack of content, it remains a great game.
E3, like everything else on PSP (Lumines, Gunpey) by Q Entertainment, is visually magnificient. Everything changes stage after stage..but let's get more into what's the point of the game first. You're a bomb literally..some kind of vessel which you make yourself explode near enemies and as enemies explode they can explode near enemies and thus creating chain reactions. Chain reactions is the key of every boss battle, which comes after a certain point in the game. Enemies comes in all different kind of forms when altering from a stage to another. May they be blocks, stars, weird stuff..the goal is always to blow them up. You're giving a time limit as well for each stage which you must be warry of but fear not, you can gain sdome time by collection yellow gems that mini bosses you defeat leave behind them. There are 2 other kinds of gems, one to add points and one to add a Quicken. The Quickens are pink gems, and each one you get fastens the pace of the game. Basicaly, the more Quickens you got, the more enemies will be in the field, the bigger can be the chain reactions. You also have a specific number of vessel or explosions you can create at the begining of a stage. The key here is to gain more Extends as they call, by collecting points. After a set number of points you gain from blowing up enemies and collecting the green gems some of them leave, the game accords you another Extend. This is a key factor in the game. Run out of Extends, game over.
On with the visuals as I was talking about..the music, backgrounds and enemies and the explosion you create changes style after each stage. Only thing that never changes is how to play and your actual star shaped vessel. Mind buzzing freakling backgrounds is what I like from these games. They simply are beautiful. You'll never get tired of seeing the visuals of this game, that's for sure. This is probably the best feature of the game.
The game controls pretty easily..use the analog or D-Pad (I prefer using the analog) to move the vessel and use any buttons (X, square, triangle or O) to detonate yourself. If an enemy touches you first, you simply lose an Extend and every Quickens you gathered. As simple as that for the controls and gameplay. I almost forgot you can also charge the explosion for a bigger impact and wider range..but I personally never use it. You can also lock a specific area and make it explode there without having your vessel in danger, out of range for the enemies. I never use it either.
The music, which I said earlier changes between stages, is all that techno buzz thing. Really completes the game in my opinion. Though when you're in the action of playing and all..sometimes it just all sounds the same. But it isn't something that really matters..it just completes the game well which is what's important. Anyway for the time you'll play it doesn't matter.
Which brings me to the game modes..Every Extend Extra is a very short game and there is a lack of contents in my opinion. You have the single player mode, which consist of playing the Challenge, the main feature of the game, playing solo which consist of choosing one of the skins you unlocked and play it, atop of that you can choose to only battle the bosses of the different stages, either only one of them or in succession and it ends with the original game, Every Extend. Believe me you'll go pretty quick through all these. There is also a VS mode where you can battle against a friend over Wi-Fi, but I have been unable to try it as it seems to use ad-hoc. Nobody in range ya know. You ain't got nothing else much but a little few options and the credits of the game. It also allows for game sharing. Oh yeah, you also got a Lumines 2 demo.
All in all, Every Extend Extra is an awesome game, which not many people might look into because of the lack of content. More stages or more game modes, even more options, would of made this game a much more worth purchase, without saying I am disapointed with it because E3 remains an awesome game to play from time to time. You know, the kind of game that fills the empty spaces of a day perfectly. The game offers a challenge until you get the hang of it..once you understand how it works..it becomes a piece of cake. It could of offered way much more and I do hope they make another one with more content and more stages.
To my eyes, E3 remains worthy of my purchase, but I'd reccomend others who don't know the original game or those who aren't sure to borrow it from a friend or try to rent it somewhere.