0D Beat Drop now on Xbox Live Arcade

Arc System Works has released 0D Beat Drop, a game promising a fusion of rhythm and puzzle elements. The game is available for Xbox LIVE Arcade for 800 MS Points. The game revolves arounf getting “beat drops” in time with the music playing. To get a Beat Drop, players drop similar-colored jewels next to one another in time to the music. A meter on the side of the screen shows the rhythm of the music, which players will need to keep their eyes on so they don’t miss the beat. The more Beat Drops you get, the stronger your attacks will be against other players. With two or three chains of jewels, you’ll send dozens of shadow jewels to your opponent’s field but If you miss a beat, then the power you’ve built up will drop back down to zero.

0D Beat Drop Key features local or online multiplayer in versus, co-op, or battle royale with up to 4 players; a variety of modes such as Planet Quest, Survival, Time Attack, Co-op, and Task modes; and 21 types of backgrounds and blocks to experience.

Log on to Xbox Live Arcade to check out the trial or buy the full game.

Trine PC hits retail this week

Even though it has been available on Steam for quite some time, if you want a boxed retail version of Trine, then SouthPeak Interactive has your back. Trine, the puzzling physics-based fantasy game, has shipped out to retail shelves in North America. Trine follows the adventure of three characters that must work together to solve physics-based puzzles and fend off enemies in a world full of spiffy landscapes and high adventure.

Bound by a powerful artifact known as “the Trine,” the knight Pontius, the thief Zoya and the wizard Amadeus must combine their skills in order to succeed. The player must decide when to use knight’s strength, thief’s agility or wizard’s magic to overcome the many obstacles and challenges found in the this fantasy world. The game allows up to three players to work together in cooperative mode on the same screen and each level has multiple solutions allowing for replayability.

Trine is available for Windows PC at a suggested retail price of $29.99 and is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.

BUST-A-MOVE now on your iPhone

TAITO has released its classic puzzle action game BUST-A-MOVE (known as PUZZLE BOBBLE outside of North America) to the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPod touch. This edition of BUST-A-MOVE includes two different control options: Tap Shot, in which a bubble is launched in the direction tapped, and the pull and release Sling Shot method. New to the BUST-A-MOVE series, this Sling Shot mode is works well with the iPhone’s controls scheme - at least according to its developers.

This release also offers a number of features created especially for the iPhone, including a VS. Mode - which takes advantage of the new iPhone OS 3.0 Bluetooth capabilities and a new Story Mode that chronicles Bub’s quest to rescue best friend Chack’n’s captured family from a series of Magic Domes.

Lost In Shadow announced

Hudson Entertainment announced a new game exclusive to the Wii called Lost In Shadow today. The game follows the shadow of a boy as he attempts to climb around and up a mystical tower. Along the way, he’ll have to solve mysteries, puzzles and fight off enemies that try to impede his progress using his wits and the Wii remote.

This mysterious Tower an alternative world is filled with moving shadows and casts a large shadow on everything beneath it. With the help of a winged sylph known as Spangle, players can move lights in the foreground to create new shadowy walkways to previously inaccessible areas. Unaffected by gravity while traveling through this medieval landscape, the shadow boy solves mysteries and fights off enemies who stand in his way. The game’s combination of light, shadow, background and foreground creates a unique blend of gameplay features, morphing landscapes and artistic visuals.

Lost In Shadow is scheduled for release sometime in 2010.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box in stores

Professor Layton makes his triumphant return this week in his latest DS adventure, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. The follow-up to Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box includes 150 puzzles, voice acting and animated scenes that tell the story, and - of course - more Luke.

Players will have to solve brain-teasers, riddles and puzzles to help the good Layton and his apprentice Luke uncover the mystery surrounding the Elysian Box, which is said to be deadly to all who open it. When you’re done with the game you can also connect your DS to a broadband Internet connection to get some free bonus puzzles. Nintendo says that these bonus puzzles extend the play time of the game, which we hope would be the case if we are going to go through the trouble of going online to get them, right?

Learn more about the game by visiting www.ProfessorLaytonDS.com.

Droplitz gets a major price cut

Atlus U.S.A announced that it is slashing the price of its first downloadable puzzle game, Droplitz, by an astounding 80 percent - for a limited time – on Steam. The iPhone version of the game is also getting a price cut to .99 for a limited time to celebrate the launch of the free lite version on the Apple App store.  Are you excited? Well you should be.

Droplitz is currently available on PC via Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and the iPhone.

Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming now on iPhone

Natsume announced today that its first iPhone title, Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming, is now available for download. Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming a puzzle game set in the world of the popular Harvest Moon series - specifically designed for Apple’s popular device. In Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming, your goal is to grow and harvest crops as fast as you can.

To do this, players will have to harvest chains of crops for big points, and use golden crops and rain to turn the field to their advantage. Players can also test their speed and skill in Score Attack mode, or puzzle your way through thirty challenges in the Mission mode. Find the game wherever iPhone games are sold (the iTunes App Store, for example).