Get that stylus at the ready as the fast paced action puzzle game, Actionloop, hits the Nintendo DS. A gaming brain may not be needed but skill, strategy, timing and quick reactions will be as players try to clear multi-colored gemstones from the looping tracks. Actionloop launches on the Nintendo DS across Europe from 27th October 2006.

Actionloop, the latest in Nintendo’s Touch! Generations series, is a fun and addictive game for everyone, regardless of age or gaming ability. Making full use of the Nintendo DS touch screen, players are challenged to clear multi-colored gemstones as they roll along looping tracks. By flicking the gemstones with the stylus, players must create a combination of a minimum of three gemstones in the same colour, which will then cause the stones to clear.

Timing and placement of the flick are essential as the gemstones are in constant motion and must be cleared before they reach the end of the track. To stay in the game, players must keep eliminating gemstones in the most effective manner possible. For example, causing a chain elimination will clear multiple colored gemstones in one go.

Actionloop is simple yet addictive. There is a game for everyone with four exciting modes to test players’ strategy skills. Single player Challenge Mode requires players to clear as many gemstones as possible before they reach the end of the track. The more stones cleared, the higher the level reached and the faster the stones roll. Each time players advance through ten levels, a pusher rocket appears. Hitting this with a gemstone clears all the stones in front of it, providing vital space on the track.

In Quest Mode players are given a staged task to eliminate a set number of gemstones off the track, and clear the stage, thus unlocking the next quest. Depending on the skillfulness of elimination, players are awarded a metallic gemstone at the end of the track with the final aim of clearing all 60 quests with a gold stone or more. Checkmate mode presents players with 60 static puzzles, each with a predetermined order and number of colored stones. Players must eliminate the stones within a limited number of moves to complete the task.

Want to challenge a friend? Versus mode, the two player multiplayer mode, is just the thing. Send Actionloop to a friend to play using a single cartridge and find out who can get the highest score. As the host player, you can set up the parameters for the game, including the time limit and track and any handicaps to equate the players’ experiences. Players can also enable special items, including a multi-coloured bomb that can detonate all gemstones of a single color.

If both players own copies of Actionloop, they can challenge each other to find out who can stay alive the longest – but with additional Blockers and Attack items it won’t be as easy as you think! If one player creates a chain elimination, blocker stones without any color appear on the opponent’s screen. The greater the chain sequence, the greater the number of blockers sent to upset your opponent’s strategy. Attack items have a variety of effects that are triggered by hitting a single gemstone. For example, Pillar Attack enables the player to throw a variety of gemstones on their competitor’s track, or a player can cause a smokescreen with Smoke Attack, obstructing the view of their opponent’s track.

Actionloop, which is bundled with the Nintendo DS Rumble, launches across Europe on 27 October 2006 for the estimated retail price of around £30. So get that flicking action ready!
 

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