amphibious_ReViews

I started playing Microsoft Jewel 2 through the Xbox app because it earned me Microsoft rewards points that I could use to buy Xbox games. At first, I avoided playing it because I knew I'd have to write a review, but I obviously caved. The Microsoft Rewards program has since been seriously nerfed, so I stopped participating and no longer have much of an incentive to play this generic, yet enjoyable, puzzle game. Thus, I am now facing the consequences. I'm not actually disappointed to be writing a review, I just wish it were about something with a little more spirit. Microsoft Jewel 2 does everything it needs to in order to be a passable match-3 puzzle game, but not much more. The game starts you with a screen full of colorful jewels, a level progress bar, and a set of three challenges. Jewels can swap places with any of their adjacent, non-diagonal neighbors, as long as at least one of the jewels being swapped creates a line of three or more like-colored jewels. That line is th

At first, I was a bit skeptical at coming back to Minesweeper . I was aching for a good, old-fashioned puzzle, like sudoku, but I never really got around to finding one. Soon after, Minesweeper came to my attention again, but I was a bit wary to give it another chance, as my only experience with it previously was as a clueless child clicking boxes (which was no fun, I'll have you know.) But upon my return, I was pleasantly surprised! The thought process in this early  Microsoft  gem is very similar to that of sudoku, which I was pleased to discover, but I found that Minesweeper is plenty of fun, whether or not I'm craving a puzzle! The gameplay is engrossing and addictive, causing a "one more round" type of mentality. However, it isn't without it's flaws. The one major downfall that I've found with this game is that it can't all be solved with just deep-thinking. There is always a degree of luck required, especially when you're pitted with