PSN Review – Bejeweled 2

Is the port-over excellent?
Is the port-over excellent?

Developer Pop Cap released Bejeweled 2 upon the PSN, with the promise of even more of their casual games to come. It’s tagged at $9.99. So, what do you get with your slightly-less-than-a-movie-ticket cash? Read on to find out!

Looks good on a large TV!
Looks good on a large TV!

For the few who may not know, Bejeweled’s basic concept is a match-three game – you are given a grid of shapes, or in this case gems, and you swap two at a time to form lines of three or more identical types to take them out of the field. It’s a tried and true formula, and Bejeweled 2 has sold more than 20 million copies across basically every platform available today. Heck, I even have it on my Pocket PC.

The Good

It’s Bejeweled 2 as you know it. It’s a very faithful port, and in glorious hi-def this time. As you move the cursor around, nice effects cover the jewels. The audio is definitely very crisp, and it sounds just fine in 5.1 surround sound. You do in fact get quite a lot of bang for your buck. You get four basic modes, three of which are variants of the classic. Action mode has a timer, and Endless mode lets you play for eternity if you so choose. The fourth main mode, Puzzle Mode, is turn-based and has many different obstacles on your path to clear a grid. It’s my favorite mode by far and I know I’m going to go at it until I finish it. On top of that are four hidden modes that you can only unlock by playing each of the main modes and doing quite well in them. They are faster-paced and generally more exciting than their normal counterparts, well worth the time it takes to unlock them. As well as supporting Remote Play on your PSP, this title features trophies & online leaderboards.

Puzzle Mode - One of the best modes!
Puzzle Mode - One of the best modes of the bunch.

The Bad

Mostly that it’s a year-old game, ported to the PS3.

The Ugly

No multiplayer support, no custom music, no SIXAXIS motion controls, or rumble.

The Conclusion

Bejeweled 2 has earned a 3 out of 5 rating. There’s an amusing game at its core, but Bejeweled 2 is single-player and simply a port to the PS3. You really cannot go wrong picking this up, but at the same time it lacks some features that would warrant a higher score. There is plenty of game here, however, so you will get plenty of entertainment bang for your 10 bucks. A demo is currently available at the PS Store right now, so why not give it a shot?

PlayStation LifeStyle’s Final Score



Bejeweled 2 is at its core a fun game.

Trophies and online leaderboards help add to replayability.

No custom music support, a rather bland port over to the PlayStation 3.

6 out of 10

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