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IGN Review of Word Jong
Take the classic Mahjong Solitaire design (which technically isn't Mahjong…it just uses the same tile set), and combine it with Scrabble. That's WordJong, a surprisingly fun and somewhat addictive experience on the Nintendo DS that hits that "casual" spot pretty well, and makes for a really solid portable experience.
WordJong is a pretty straightforward presentation, which is one of its weakpoints. It assumes you know what Mahjong Solitaire is and how it works (you can only work with tiles that aren't being touched on the left, right, or on the face), and then essentially thrusts you into the game's options believing you know exactly what the hell you're doing. How about a tutorial, guys…not everyone understands the rules of the game. Yes, you've got an in-game instruction manual, but the directions are unclear…and you're better off poking around figuring out the mechanics on your own.
Once you've got a good grasp of Wordjong, the game's a really fun one. It really just boils down to "spell a really long or complicated word using the available tiles." Like Scrabble, the "rare" letters Qu, X, F and so on have a higher value, so it's best to use them along with multiplier tiles that show up randomly. The longer the word the more valuable it is, especially when you get into the five or more letter category since you'll earn bonuses for reaching that length. The unseen, in-game dictionary is pretty beefy, catching some pretty complex words. Unfortunately, it's not good at some Scrabble tricks like adding UN prefixes or ED suffixes to make basic words longer. Even with those limitations there are only a few instances where a word you know is legitimate will get rejected. It happens, but very infrequently.
Because you're removing multiple tiles from play instead of a pair at a time, it's not exactly Mahjong Solitaire. In single player mode you're never penalized for lifting tiles off the grid to form illegal words, and you can use this as strategy to see which letters are hiding deeper into the stack. This option is removed when playing competitively, which admittedly limits the size of words since you can only choose tiles that are free to be removed…they're only removed when the word is actually used.
The game has a high replay value thanks to a ranking system. The design employs a very Xbox Live-like achievement system where you earn awards on specific tasks. Hit a 100 point word and the game will give you a medal, and note the date when it was earned. There's also a competitive ranking system where you'll earn points to raise your standing, but only if you have the ability to clear the board with no tiles left over.
One gripe: the game doesn't have a "hint" system. If there aren't any more moves to be made the game will end, but if there's still moves available the play continues. But it you have no idea what the possible move is, you can't ask the computer for help…you're left with aimlessly poking at the final stack to try and make that one final word. It gets even worse when you have a "wild" card in your possession. Okay, two gripes: you have the ability to "undo" your moves but not "redo" if you tapped the "undo" once too many times. And this happened once too many times.
Surprisingly this game actually supports the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, but unsurprisingly as of this writing there's really no one online looking for a match-up. As fun as the game is, Wordjong will be one of those titles that lacks the critical mass of the big boy Nintendo DS games. If you want to play online with someone you better set up a time with a buddy. It supports single card and hotseat multiplayer, too…so right out of the package you have the ability to compete.
©2007-11-27, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
WordJong is a pretty straightforward presentation, which is one of its weakpoints. It assumes you know what Mahjong Solitaire is and how it works (you can only work with tiles that aren't being touched on the left, right, or on the face), and then essentially thrusts you into the game's options believing you know exactly what the hell you're doing. How about a tutorial, guys…not everyone understands the rules of the game. Yes, you've got an in-game instruction manual, but the directions are unclear…and you're better off poking around figuring out the mechanics on your own.
Once you've got a good grasp of Wordjong, the game's a really fun one. It really just boils down to "spell a really long or complicated word using the available tiles." Like Scrabble, the "rare" letters Qu, X, F and so on have a higher value, so it's best to use them along with multiplier tiles that show up randomly. The longer the word the more valuable it is, especially when you get into the five or more letter category since you'll earn bonuses for reaching that length. The unseen, in-game dictionary is pretty beefy, catching some pretty complex words. Unfortunately, it's not good at some Scrabble tricks like adding UN prefixes or ED suffixes to make basic words longer. Even with those limitations there are only a few instances where a word you know is legitimate will get rejected. It happens, but very infrequently.
Because you're removing multiple tiles from play instead of a pair at a time, it's not exactly Mahjong Solitaire. In single player mode you're never penalized for lifting tiles off the grid to form illegal words, and you can use this as strategy to see which letters are hiding deeper into the stack. This option is removed when playing competitively, which admittedly limits the size of words since you can only choose tiles that are free to be removed…they're only removed when the word is actually used.
The game has a high replay value thanks to a ranking system. The design employs a very Xbox Live-like achievement system where you earn awards on specific tasks. Hit a 100 point word and the game will give you a medal, and note the date when it was earned. There's also a competitive ranking system where you'll earn points to raise your standing, but only if you have the ability to clear the board with no tiles left over.
One gripe: the game doesn't have a "hint" system. If there aren't any more moves to be made the game will end, but if there's still moves available the play continues. But it you have no idea what the possible move is, you can't ask the computer for help…you're left with aimlessly poking at the final stack to try and make that one final word. It gets even worse when you have a "wild" card in your possession. Okay, two gripes: you have the ability to "undo" your moves but not "redo" if you tapped the "undo" once too many times. And this happened once too many times.
Surprisingly this game actually supports the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, but unsurprisingly as of this writing there's really no one online looking for a match-up. As fun as the game is, Wordjong will be one of those titles that lacks the critical mass of the big boy Nintendo DS games. If you want to play online with someone you better set up a time with a buddy. It supports single card and hotseat multiplayer, too…so right out of the package you have the ability to compete.
©2007-11-27, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved