(titled ''Ultimate Block Party'' in the United States, ''Koloomn'' in Europe) is a 2003

Arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

puzzle game A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct or fun solution of the puzzl ...

developed by MagicPot and published by CyberFront. ''Kollon'' was later ported to the PlayStation Portable as a

launch title This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players. 0–9 A ...

in 2004.

Gameplay

''Kollon'' is a puzzle game where the player rotates a two by two section of blocks to match similarly-colored blocks, and blocks can be cleared from the board if at least four blocks of the same color are touching. When blocks are cleared, blocks above them fall down, which may be used to make combos which award more points. As the game progresses, new rows of blocks will push up the current ones, getting faster as the game increases in difficulty. Not clearing enough within a set time limit will force the blocks to the top of the screen, where the player will lose. The speed of new rows will increase as the game is played longer. The game offers several different modes including a multiplayer and arcade mode.

Development

''Kollon'' arcade cabinets were exhibited at the 2004

Tokyo Game Show , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in September in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. ...

, alongside videos of a prototype of the PSP port. The PSP version of ''Kollon'' was also exhibited at

E3 2004 E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo or Electronic Entertainment Experience in 2021) is a trade event for the video game industry. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) organizes and presents E3, which many developers, publisher ...

. ''Kollon'' was released in December 2004 as a launch title for the PSP in Japan. Both western releases of ''Kollon'', the US PSP release ''Ultimate Block Party'' and the European ''Koloomn'' release by 505 Games adds a Wifi LAN multiplayer mode, which is absent in the Japanese PSP version. The US PSP release of ''Ultimate Block Party'' was published by

Conspiracy Entertainment Conspiracy Entertainment (formerly Conspiracy Games) is an American third-party developer video game publisher, publishing games from smaller companies that would face difficulties distributing games themselves. The company has also developed a fe ...

Reception

Several critics compared ''Kollon'' to '' Lumines: Puzzle Fusion'', a puzzle game with similar mechanics which was also a PSP launch title. '' Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine'' stated that while a good game, ''Koloomn'' isn't "as polished" as ''Lumines''. ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'' gave the PSP version of ''Ultimate Block Party'' an overall score of eight out of ten, praising its variety of game modes, its 'complex' and difficult versus mode, and its fast and "hectic" gameplay, further expressing that the game's pacing is "amazing" and achieving combos feels fun and rewarding. ''IGN'' further praised ''Ultimate Block Party's'' art style, calling it "cute and blindingly colorful". Another critic from ''IGN'' reviewed the Japanese PSP version, and while similarly praising the game's art and gameplay, criticized the lack of a multiplayer mode, as well as "lengthy" loading times. ''IGN'' called ''Ultimate Block Party'' an improvement over ''Kollon'' due to the addition of multiplayer and improved load times. ''Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine'' gave the PSP version of ''Koloomn'' an overall score of eight out of ten, calling it "addictive" and "refreshingly different" than other puzzle games, further praising ''Koloomn'' as 'innovative' within the "crowded market" of puzzle games. ''Go>Play'' gave the PSP version of ''Koloomn'' an overall score of 70%.

Legacy

Games in the ''Kollon'' series have been released for the

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

, PSP, and mobile phone (

EZweb au, or au by KDDI, is a Japanese mobile phone operator. au is a brand marketed by KDDI in the main islands of Japan and by Okinawa Cellular in Okinawa for their mobile cellular services. au is the second-largest wireless carrier in Japan, wit ...

, ). A second PSP ''Kollon'' game, titled was released in Japan on June 22, 2006.

References

{{reflist

External links

''Ultimate Block Party''
at ''

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

''
''Ultimate Block Party''
at ''