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[Night_Trekker]

You need to find a copy of IllustLogic/Colorful-Logic for DS!

It has more puzzles than Picross DS in the Illustlogic half, and Colorful-Logic adds to the difficulty by making you solve the puzzles in color.

There's a version available for Wii also, but I haven't played that one so I don't know much about it. It may have the exact same puzzles as the DS one.

Thanks for the reply! I'll pick up one or the other if I can

 

[toythatkills]

I would hope there would be NO guessing at all. The whole thing about Picross is that everything should be solveable using just pure logic and different techniques. Same goes with Sudoku and other logic games. If there is guessing in this I might have to pass, though I would really like a new Picross game to jump into Might just ask for it for my birthday instead.

There's no guessing in Picross 3D but that's only because it's pathetically easy.

There may not be guessing in Picross DS either, as people say, but I stopped playing that when they started to encourage it so wouldn't know.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

Picross 3D *is* really easy, that's for sure. It runs out of puzzles long before it really bends your brain. It almost feels like they were afraid to overwhelm people.

As for other Picross games on DS, I see the best one has been mentioned. Illustlogic Plus Colorful Logic is freaking amazing. There's also the original Illustlogic, which has some very nasty puzzles. There are also a couple other Picross style games that are bundled with Sudoku stuff, but I haven't checked them out yet.

BTW, the Wii Illust Logic Plus Colorful Logic has different puzzles from the DS one.

 

[GaimeGuy]

I would hope there would be NO guessing at all. The whole thing about Picross is that everything should be solveable using just pure logic and different techniques. Same goes with Sudoku and other logic games. If there is guessing in this I might have to pass, though I would really like a new Picross game to jump into Might just ask for it for my birthday instead.

False. Sudoku and Nonograms (Picross) are both NP-complete problems. You're realistically going to have to do at least a little bit of searching (that is, guessing how to fill in a square and then checking ahead to see how the puzzle pans out) for the vast majority of problems, although those you'll find in magazines or video games will typically have only one solution and be solvable by logic alone, as they are designed for humans.

 

[Struct09]

False. Sudoku and Nonograms (Picross) are both NP-complete problems. You're realistically going to have to do at least a little bit of searching (that is, guessing how to fill in a square and then checking ahead to see how the puzzle pans out) for the vast majority of problems, although those you'll find in magazines or video games will typically have only one solution and be solvable by logic alone, as they are designed for humans.

Damn, why didn't they include Picross in my algorithms class curriculum?!

 

[mattiewheels]

There's no guessing in Picross 3D but that's only because it's pathetically easy.

There may not be guessing in Picross DS either, as people say, but I stopped playing that when they started to encourage it so wouldn't know.

At what point did the game encourage you to guess/cheat? The whole point of picross is that the solution is available right off the bat, but it's not apparent. Do you mean when you hit a brick wall because you can't see a next step, or does that specific game reward some kind of guessing?

 

[Chris R]

False. Sudoku and Nonograms (Picross) are both NP-complete problems. You're realistically going to have to do at least a little bit of searching (that is, guessing how to fill in a square and then checking ahead to see how the puzzle pans out) for the vast majority of problems, although those you'll find in magazines or video games will typically have only one solution and be solvable by logic alone, as they are designed for humans.

I hated the complexity portion of my Automata / Algorithm class

Just saying, if I'm supposed to solve the puzzle, then it should have a pure logic given solution. I love my book that has 50x50 puzzles because they are hard and long, but as long as I don't screw up, I'll be able to solve it with no guessing.

Too bad it sounds like Picross3d is too easy :/

 

[toythatkills]

At what point did the game encourage you to guess/cheat? The whole point of picross is that the solution is available right off the bat, but it's not apparent. Do you mean when you hit a brick wall because you can't see a next step, or does that specific game reward some kind of guessing?

It includes "Try it Out" mode, in which one is told to guess at a solution, see if it works and then if it does, use it.

 

[Mdk7]

I'm sooo loving it, it's just amazingly addictive.

 

[Gameboy415]

BTW, the Wii Illust Logic Plus Colorful Logic has different puzzles from the DS one.

Thanks for the heads up! I'll definitely pick it up soon.

 

[chicken_ramen]

It includes "Try it Out" mode, in which one is told to guess at a solution, see if it works and then if it does, use it.

Are you serious?

By which I mean, do you not understand how this can be used to check logic works out a few steps down the line? Theoretically you're already doing this in your head to solve any decent picross puzzle. The game isn't encouraging guesswork, it's leveraging the fact that you can easily fill in and remove pieces on a DS screen. Personally, I didn't use that feature in Picross DS, but I have in Slitherlink in some of the larger puzzles. In that game, and in good picross its all about learning how the clues will interact several steps down the line. Over time you learn the patterns and the game has to come up with more difficult permutations. Giving the player space to experiment and understand what the patterns are is a useful tool.

But it's not the game's failing that there is a limit to how far any given person can move the puzzle ahead in their mind. Giving the player a tool for such a situation is probably a positive thing.

On topic, Picross 3D is fun but as has been said already it never gets very challenging. Still very addictive somehow. The controls are great, I can't think of any way I'd improve them. Rememebr to hold down the stylus when removing a whole column, if you touch repeatedly you'll probably knock an adjacent block out accidentally, holding down locks you to the blocks directly in line with t he first block you break.

edit: slitherlink is better than this picross stuff anyway.

 

[TheFLYINGManga_Ka]

Hmm...it's only $19.99 like the first one.

Looks like it'll be worth it.

 

[MemoirsofMimi]

Nintendo must've really dropped the ball on this one. While vacationing in Germany, Italy, and Greece over my spring break, I decided to see if I could hunt down a copy of Picross 3D before its US release. At the end of my two week trip, I failed to find a copy.

While in Athens, for instance, I visited a store called Finac. After finally figuring out where the hell I was (it was a four-story building with a bizarre layout), I decided to see what games they had. I saw a copy of Style Boutique which I considered buying, but at the high price of €44 (roughly $60), I decided to pass and look for something else.

Then it struck me, Picross 3D hit Europe last month. With that in mind, I asked an employee if they had it and he didn't have a clue what I was talking about.

Over the duration of my stay in Italy, Germany, and Greece, I searched some other stores and the end result was always the same - no one knew the game existed. I went home without a copy of the game, which sort of upsets me as I really would've had liked to buy a PAL game.

 

[jesusraz]

Nintendo must've really dropped the ball on this one. While vacationing in Germany, Italy, and Greece over my spring break, I decided to see if I could hunt down a copy of Picross 3D before its US release. At the end of my two week trip, I failed to find a copy.

While in Athens, for instance, I visited a store called Finac. After finally figuring out where the hell I was (it was a four-story building with a bizarre layout), I decided to see what games they had. I saw a copy of Style Boutique which I considered buying, but at the high price of €44 (roughly $60), I decided to pass and look for something else.

Then it struck me, Picross 3D hit Europe last month. With that in mind, I asked an employee if they had it and he didn't have a clue what I was talking about.

Over the duration of my stay in Italy, Germany, and Greece, I searched some other stores and the end result was always the same - no one knew the game existed. I went home without a copy of the game, which sort of upsets me as I really would've had liked to buy a PAL game.

It didn't even break into the DS Top 40 in the UK. I wonder if Nintendo will do what it's done with Mario & Luigi: BiS (i.e. let it die at first, then suddenly advertise it a few months later).

 

[DrAndonuts]

Anyone know if Nintendo World is doing an early release for this? I'm headed to NY tomorrow and it'd be awesome to pick P3D up.

 

[joedick]

Anybody pick this up yet?

 

[Stumpokapow]

Anybody pick this up yet?

street dated for tomorrow in canada

 

[joedick]

street dated for tomorrow in canada

ahhhh...that explains why no sites are showing it as 'in stock'!

 

[Caesar III]

Picross 3D *is* really easy, that's for sure. It runs out of puzzles long before it really bends your brain. It almost feels like they were afraid to overwhelm people.

I don't mind the difficulty per se but I don't like the new time system I turn and turn and turn A LOT without finding the needed block and the time goes down. The gameplay of Picross DS is a lot better there imho.

 

[Saint10118]

Anybody pick this up yet?

Imported awhile ago and went through all of the standard puzzles and couple of the downloadable ones.

Pros
+ As highly addictive as the first
+ An absolute ton of puzzles
+ Downloadable selection is insane both in number and challenge (60min time limit galore)

Cons
- Very different from previous
- Most puzzles are very easy and overall very short
-

Spoiler

NO Mario/Nintendo Themed level WTF

I really couldn't tell if it was me or the design of the game, but there were a number of puzzles where I could not determine which block to remove and had to guess. I bought this game for a friend of mine and she had the same issue as well (latter half of the game) so it could be the case of poor puzzle design rather than user issues but who knows.

Really interested to see if there are any changes to the themes you complete in order to better reflect a western audience (there are quite a few japanese-centric themes in the version I got). All in all the game was pure crack and even with the occasional hiccup I loved every minute.

If anyone has any specific questions let me know.

 

[Caesar III]

I really couldn't tell if it was me or the design of the game, but there were a number of puzzles where I could not determine which block to remove and had to guess. I bought this game for a friend of mine and she had the same issue as well (latter half of the game) so it could be the case of poor puzzle design rather than user issues but who knows.

Perhaps I'm missing something as well but I'm at normal lvl 5 right now and the puzzles where I need to guess come more often!
Especially the circle and square ones!

Circle => exactly 2 blocks of blocks (lol)
Sqare => 3 or more

So you have something like

######## [4]
a few possibilities:
##_#_#__
#_#_#_#_
#__##_#_
#_#__##_
...



I don't think I miss something but there are moments where something like this needs to be guessed because there is no other option left. It would help if you could note down small possible colors or something like you can do with the small numbers @ sudoku though.

 

[toythatkills]

I really couldn't tell if it was me or the design of the game, but there were a number of puzzles where I could not determine which block to remove and had to guess.

It was you

There's no need to guess at all in this'un.

 

[Struct09]

I'm terribly addicted to this game right now. Like even when I'm not playing the game and am trying to hold a conversation with someone, blocks are being chipped away in my mind.

 

[nli10]

It didn't even break into the DS Top 40 in the UK. I wonder if Nintendo will do what it's done with Mario & Luigi: BiS (i.e. let it die at first, then suddenly advertise it a few months later).

I've never seen a copy in a UK Bricks & Mortar store. Ever - and I've looked in a fair few large ones!

It's online, but as I'm busy I've been saving it up for when I finish the games I have.

I't repeatedly advertised on the Nintendo UK website but just hidden away online.



While i'm here

Is colour Cross anygood? It's in store a lot over here for pretty cheap so was tempted to get for GF.

 

[toythatkills]

So you have something like

######## [4]
a few possibilities:
##_#_#__
#_#_#_#_
#__##_#_
#_#__##_

Well obviously you can't solve that line as it is, but that means that there's some other part of the puzzle that you can solve at that time, and you come back to that line later.

 

[Saint10118]

It was you

There's no need to guess at all in this'un.

*shrug* I guess you win the prize for beating the entire game and not being forced to guess.

IWhile i'm here

Is colour Cross anygood? It's in store a lot over here for pretty cheap so was tempted to get for GF.

I imported this and it is not worth it imho. The puzzles and more importantly the controls (no zoom WTF) are shoddy compared to Picross or Picross 3D. If you're looking for something different I would suggest Pic Pic (Pathpix if you have an iPhone/touch) which is a line based puzzle similar to Picross or Illust Logic+ as people above have suggested.

 

[selig]

Best puzzle-game of the last 10 years. I normaly dislike all these fad-puzzle games that get some short-time hype here on gaf, but Picross 3D is a game I really play and still am playing.

 

[mjc]

I'm getting a copy later today, looking forward to playing some of it.

 

[Mael]

And it's only now I see this thread?
Man I'm done already with this game ;_;
It was awesome, the dlc puzzles are really nice and they put many online that's really nice.
Much better than PicrossDS I'd say and that's saying something.
Puzzle game of the year at the very least and best Puzzle game I've played in a very long time.
The music is haunting too, seriously I can play this game forever

 

[Chatin]

Considering braving a freak snow storm to pick this up, today. It's been a long wait.

 

[Tarin02543]

I have it but I'm hitting a difficulty ceiling, it's not so easy anymore and I keep getting stuck all the time.

 

[Stumpokapow]

20 minute impressions:
- Super easy
- Very noob friendly presentation with lots of slow tutorials (a bad habit of Nintendo's)
- The shapes are cool but probably a little more abstract than most Picross pictures because they don't really have all that many blocks to work with
- The game features a cool "Collections" aspect, almost like Bookworm. Every picture you unlock is assigned to an in-game collection and you can track your progress. So far I seem to have travel, animals, math, and a bunch more.
- The backgrounds to virtually every screen, including the collections, look like really garish posters you'd see in elementary school. It's a weird art design choice because it's so obviously a product of intent rather than a lack of talent, but it really is kinda ugly.
- Music is pretty cheerful and innocuous.
- You have a little helper dude like Dr. Kawashima, only this guy looks kinda like the weird face on the Pictionary box.

I'm such a debbie downer.

 

[Tiktaalik]

That gaffer that goes insane about French on his Canadian game packaging is going to have a heart attack because this game has a "Jouez en Francais" logo on the top left and the title has dual language options. Very neat.

Nintendo has always been ahead of the pack when it comes to languages. I'm sure we'll see others following this in the next 5 years.

 

[Stumpokapow]

That gaffer that goes insane about French on his Canadian game packaging is going to have a heart attack because this game has a "Jouez en Francais" logo on the top left and the title has dual language options. Very neat.

Nintendo has always been ahead of the pack when it comes to languages. I'm sure we'll see others following this in the next 5 years.

On the back too.

it's actually astounding how much text is on the packaging at this point.

Icons:
- Jouez en Français
- Touch Generations
- ESRB on Front
- Nintendo WiFi Connection
- The dog shape
- Nintendo Logo
- Nintendo logo on back
- HAL on back
- Dog icon on back
- Dolphin icon on back
- Cell phone icon on back
- Single card download play icon
- Multi card wireless icon
- Picross 3d on front
- Picross 3d on back
- Official Nintendo seal
- ESRB on back

Text blocks:
- Orange bar text block
- Online interactions not rated text block
- Break the cubes text block
- Break into the next generation block
- Create original puzzles block
- Download new puzzles block
- It's a dog block
- Over 365 puzzles block
- Important read the instructions block
- Customer service block
- For sale only in random countries block
- Epilepsy warning block
- Barcode
- Nintendo contact info block
- Game play in English and French info block

like, not complaining anything about the bilingualism because that's totally fine by me, but holy shit is that ever a, uh, dense packaging in terms of info.

 

[Mudkips]

False. Sudoku and Nonograms (Picross) are both NP-complete problems. You're realistically going to have to do at least a little bit of searching (that is, guessing how to fill in a square and then checking ahead to see how the puzzle pans out) for the vast majority of problems, although those you'll find in magazines or video games will typically have only one solution and be solvable by logic alone, as they are designed for humans.

False "False." is false.

All Sudoku games are solvable with pure logic.

Any process of "If this box is X, then this one is Y, and this one is Z, but I know that can't be Z, so that first box it can't be X." is a logical process, and can be generalized into a rule that you can add to your toolset to solve the puzzle. The typical "need to guess" cell in a Sudoku puzzle is simply a branching series of conditional logic. Because A4 is this, F4 is this or this, and F6 is (this or this) OR (this or this), etc.. A "guess and check" tactic on F4 is never necessary, but it is often much faster.

After a certain point, guessing is far easier (for peasants, programmers, and processors), than some of the crazy generalized log rules you have to come up with in some cases.

I wrote a Sudoku solving application for one of my classes.

By using simple to complex logical rules in order, then switching to guessing (a search algorithm) past a certain complexity threshold, you get the best performance. With pure, unordered logic, some very hard puzzles can take several minutes to solve. By applying logical rules in order of computational complexity, you can speed that up to a few seconds. You can get that down to a fraction of a second if you just search after a certain complexity point.

Any other game where you are solving for a specific state can be done in the same way.

Complexity / hardness has nothing to do with whether or not something is solvable with logic.

 

[Gomu Gomu]

Giant Bomb gave this a

http://www.giantbomb.com/picross-3d/61-23984/reviews/

I've never played Picross in my life. But I'm super excited about Picross 3D.

 

[jesusraz]

While i'm here

Is colour Cross anygood? It's in store a lot over here for pretty cheap so was tempted to get for GF.

I quite enjoyed it, although now I've played Picross 3D, I think my final score was too generous. Should be a 7 instead. Fun, cheap little game to get you by...and it's finally coming out in the US this year, according to ESRB.

 

[HK-47]

I wanna try 3D, but I still have the original unopened.

 

[Mutagenic]

This game isn't getting the love I had hoped it would. Plus it's only $20.

 

[Salsa]

Got it today, game is awesome. Never played a Picross game before and im loving it.

 

[HadesGigas]

I wanna try 3D, but I still have the original unopened.

Theres a demo on Wii's Nintendo Channel. It's just the tutorial though so it's kinda lame.

 

[IlliterateBookworm]

First DS game I've bought in quite some time.

Picross DS was the first game to pull me out of my Monster Hunter fanaticism at the the time of the game's release.

This new one is the first to make me pull myself away from Tri.

 

[Night_Trekker]

Holy shit, this is out? Ordering now.

 

[Snuggles]

This intrigues me but I have never played Picross. Will it be OK for noobs? 'Cause I'd love a good puzzle game to take with me on the go.

<3 DS

 

[Salsa]

Turned the the game on for the first time and im already 3 hours in. fucking addicting.

 

[Mael]

Turned the the game on for the first time and im already 3 hours in. fucking addicting.

the worst part is when you nearly miss the time to go working and you're actually trying to solve the puzzle you were in the rest of the day in your mind :lol

 

[Sloane]

I'm such a debbie downer.

Indeed. You can skip the entire tutorial, the game has A LOT of puzzles and it does get much harder as soon as you reach the normal difficulty. I've been playing it for two weeks and I'm still only halfway through. Also, there's never the need to guess.

Great game. I like it much more than the original Picross.

 

[NewBrof]

It is not too easy as some mentioned here. I studied logic during university, so I guess I am not that stupid, but Picross 3D has some fairly difficult spots...

 

[jgkspsx]

Hey guess what? There's no sharing of your puzzles with friends via WFC, only in person! Cool, huh?

It is really awesome otherwise, but c'mon...

 

[rollingstart]

If you aren't playing this, why aren't you playing this?

If you don't own this game, why don't you own this game?

This game is $20 and AMAZING. Go buy it.