2005

Lumines

FROM: UbiSoft

BEHIND THE MUSIC: Once upon a time, puzzle games were either cutesy, doe-eyed cartoon affairs or shameless spin-offs of Tetris. Then came this entrancing PSP effort from designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Space Channel 5, Rez), which demands that you group colored squares set atop scintillating backgrounds before a screen-sweeping line synchronized to the beat of background music comes and clears them away.

WHY IT ROCKS: Brought the club experience home, with its laser-light show effects and pounding beats, and showed how audio could enhance, and be actively incorporated, into nearly any play experience. Later hits like Everyday Shooter and Every Extend Extra owe it an obvious debt of gratitude.

• View all games