This game is more clever and creative than even a 1st-party Nintendo DS game

Remember this clas$ic?

To those who don't know (or not old enough to remember), it's called Breakout or Arkanoid. Other than Tetris, it's probably one of the most cloned and recycled game ever reused over the years.

Through the years there have been many different versions of this game. The natural progression was snazzier graphics and trickier patterns of the blocks.

But after many versions of the same, developers started to become more creative and found clever ways to bring new light to this age-old formula.

In Japan, they even had anime-themed battles. It's called Puchi Carat which is one of the games in Taito Legends 2.

They even added boss battles to the newer versions.

Like Tetris, Tetris Attack, Bust-a-Move, Puyo Pop, and many other age-old puzzle formulas, it was just a matter of time before the DS got a new Breakout version for it.

This is Break `em All, one of the first budget titles for the DS which was a decent Breakout clone. But it did nothing special or unique to the formula. It also couldv'e been better but the physics was to broken to aim accurately. But it was a budget title so it wasn't really a bad deal to start with.

What's all this brief history lesson of this game leading me to? I wanted to introduce the newest version of this game for the DS which is already hailed as the BEST Breakout/Arkanoid clone ever made.

The game is called Nervous Brickdown and it is only for the DS.

Both IGN and Gamespy claims it's the best one ever and it's getting great reviews, which is good for a old formula that's been reused many times. I guess what separates this game from others is the very clever and uniquely creative level designs where the devs take the age-old Breakout formula and came up with something special. Here are some screenshots from below.

The first set of screenshots is the more clas-ic level designs.

Than the game goes all-out crazy and does innovate and original designs that take the game to the next level. That screen on the left is a shoot-em-up version, which is very cool.

Even the boss battles are original and some of the most creative designs I've ever played. The one on the left was one of the most unique and clever boss battles for Breakout I've seen. I would even go as far to say that even the best at Nintendo would have a hard time matching the cleverness of these level designs.

Here is a couple more to show the variety of the levels.

These are only a few, but there are hundreds that are all uniqe to their own theme. There are ten themes in all. And this is NOT just another budget title but it's a game with very good production values. The game is surprisingly amazing. Even the music is awesome and very Nintendo-like. The music isn't just techno tunes that were just stuck in, but each music matches perfectly with the different themes. Really cool stuff!

I really thought it'd be another half-baked game by a third-party developer who just wanted to cash in on the DS success...but I was wrong, this game is nothing like that. The developers, a French developer called Arkedo, really went the extra mile to make this game really great...and fun to play

However, sadly, I feel that this game won't get the attention it deserves. It's definitly one of the most creative and clever games I've ever played. I think if it was published by Nintendo maybe people would hear about this more. Also, I think the Breakout formula may not have had the same popularity as Tetris did, so a game like this might be overlooked. Well, that's why I made this post because I wanted to get the word out to DS fans on the greatness of this game. Like I said, it's one of the most clever and creative game designs I've ever played. I swear, it could pass for a 1st party Nintendo-developed game that goes along the "Touch-Generations" brand. It's great for both casuals and core gamers...and it's the perfect gift for your girlfriend.

It's really that good. So don't overlook and hope you give it a chance.

It gets a 7.9 over on IGN which is good but not great. The longer i have my DS the more picky I've gotten about buying games with just pretty good ratings. I'm not saying i wouldn't get it especially if it was 20 bucks or something... anyway if you read the review over there you'll maybe get a better idea of the good and not so good aspects of the game and make a better decision than just going with the excitement generated by the above thread.mtburdell

You got to realize that this is a very old game formula that's been recycled with literally hundreds of different versions to the original Atari, consoles, computers, cell phones, emulators, handhelds, just about everything you can think of. So a 7.9 is a great score when youconsider where this game is coming from.

I read those reviews and the only bad thing they said was that it's still the old Breakout/Arkanoid formula, which it is. How can you fault it for that? So all the negative aspects you get from the original Breakout/Arkanoid formula will be present in this version as well. The developers didn't re-invent the wheel of the foundation in this game. It is afterall just another version. But they said nothing else bad about everything else.

But they also said, like I listed in my post, that it's the best version ever made, so take it for what it's worth. If you hated Breakout or can't stomach old game formulas then to each his/her own, but I guarantee that this game will make fans out of this old gameplay if they give it a try. The new spin to it does bring something new and fresh and it is not just another version but feels like a brand new game.

So when you see it this way a 7.9 is a very good score. I bet if this game was just another mediocre Breakout clone, like Break em` All for example, it would have scored 6 at the most, no matter how solid the game is.

whoa...it sounds like a big ad or something.

but the game looks pretty cool

Actually that's not the only bad thing they say, ASK_Story. If you read the IGN review they end with the last paragraph saying 'the fact that the gameplay doesn't change a whole lot makes the experience a little repetitive' ...and finally 'it doesn't do a great job of holding attention for more than a few minutes at a time.' ---------7.9 is a pretty good score though but i just wanted to put some balance into the over the top endorsement you are giving it.mtburdell

Like I said, since the core gameplay is still Breakout/Arkanoid, it will have all the negative and positive impressions from it. Here's another qoute IGN said that you didn't mention:

"...with Nervous Brickdown since the core gameplay doesn't really change. It's probably the best Breakout clone yet created, but that's its ultimate issue - it's just Breakout."

If you're not familiar with Breakout/Arkanoid and all its versions, that's the main issue. Keep in mind that this game is a newer version of a game that's over 25 years old. Considering that this formula is still existing today is amazing in itself.

At leastNervous Brickdown is notgame aboutplaying 300 different ways to play Pong.The Breakout/Arkanoid formula still holds up today, so if you're a fan of the old school games, than this is the best version to get.

I just got the game yesterday and man oh man do I love it. Ive spent abot 10 hours on it so far.

i thought it was called "brick"?

i have it on my cell and on my ipod and its called brick

i thought it was called "brick"?BowserJrfan

I actually liked this more than planet puzzle league. It has a MUCH better presentation, and in my opinion Meteos owns planet puzzle league.

At the moment I'm kinda stuck at the Water/Ghost stages, I haven't spent a lot of time on the ghost stages but the water ones are getting at me.

5-star post, man. Thanks for the heads-up.

i guess i just peeked quick through this post,because catching my interest and im pretty impressed, great thread

i do like the formula of this game,but im not so sure if it would be one of the first priority,but if i remember about it

in the future id like to give it a try :)