Zoo Cube

by Nintendo

Product Features

• Quickwith Puzzle Game

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000631VE
• Item Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: June 4, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,573 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Platform: GameCube

Amazon.com Product Description

ZooCube is a puzzle game filled with fast-paced reflex action. Simple to learn but tricky to master, ZooCube invites you to think outside the cube and put your puzzle-solving skills to the test with colorful 3-D challenges. No two puzzles are the same. The game includes special power-ups, bonuses, and mind-bending three-axis rotation. You can play cooperatively with a friend or in head-to-head battle. The game offers 12 different modes and more than 100 hours of gameplay.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I like puzzle games and this one is a keeper!, June 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Zoo Cube (Video Game)

ZooCube is the best version of a 3D Tetris-like game that I have ever seen. 3D user-interface is tricky and usually not intuitive but ZooCube does a great job of making it both easy to learn and keeping the game challenging to master.

It's based on simple animal matching, but the graphics and sound effects are fun while keeping things focused on the game play. The powerups and smart bombs help your score and can save you from deep trouble if carefully used.

The between-level and background graphics are good, but you'll have little time to look at them.

Multi-player looks very interesting with both cooperative and competition modes, but I haven't had a chance to play them yet.

Enjoy!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good concept but ultimately doesn't satisfy, January 8, 2003

By 

Kent Miller "shortstop-ok" (Norman, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zoo Cube (Video Game)

The premise of this game seems to be that some alien is trying to steal all the animals from the earth and you have to stop him by pairing the animals up thus releasing them.

To accomplish this you match shapes that look sort of like animal heads. The heads stack up on each side of a cube and you rotate the cube around to make the shape fall on the side you want it to. You can shuffle the heads that are already on the cube to shift a matching head to the outside which makes the matching heads disappear. At first there are about 6 different heads but later in the game there are at least 15, probably more. There are bonus pieces you can capture by floating a head over it but the effort doesn't seem worth it.

This game is very difficult. It isn't too bad at first as the heads start falling from 3 directions in a pattern that you can kind of get used to. But about half way through the levels you start getting shapes coming from the bottom of the screen and it is very difficult to identify them, plus you are no longer sure which direction the next head is coming from.. I finally worked my way through that level then shapes start coming from the other directions at well. At this point I stopped caring about the game enough to try to learn the new pieces and pattern.

The difficulty is again compounded when the heads stacked up on the cube get to be different lengths. Then you can't just move the cube to the side that matches the head because you will unintentionally pick up heads coming from another direction.

Finally, it is just too difficult to see. In order to play this game I have to get really close to my 32" TV in order to try to make out both the pieces on my cube that are turned to the back as well as to make out the pieces that are coming.

OK, if it stinks so bad why did I give it 3 stars then? Simple - it is fairly addicting. My GameCube is new and Zoocube has been the game that has stayed in it the most. If you enjoy games of this nature (Columns, Tetris, etc.) you will probably get some good play out of this game and I would recommend picking it up off the bargain shelf if you have the chance. But be prepared to be frustrated - I don't think I'll be returning to this game much now that I've really about had it.

Also I would recommend the GameBoy Advance version of this game over the GameCube version. The heads are made into shapes that are much easier to identify. It seems to control better also and it allows you to adjust the brightness of the background and pieces so it is easier to see what's going on.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cuby!, July 24, 2002

By 

An Amazon Guy (Boston, MA, United States of America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zoo Cube (Video Game)

I've waited a long time for a worthy successor to Tetris, and this is it! Let's just hope it doesn't languish in obscurity, because it's possibly the best puzzle game I've ever played.

Easy to learn, yet extremely challenging, this is an addictive experience. I lose hours every time I play. Where does the time go? Into an truly innovative and interactive puzzle game. The action revolves around a cube on which you stack colored shapes( animals who have been transformed, according to the rather flimsy plot), trying to match two of the same kind( like Noah) so that they wil be "rescued" and transported from the playing field. The shapes come from three sides, and by rotating the cube on it's three axes, you catch & match to rack up a high score. But be careful! If you allow more than five unmatched shapes to collect on a side, your Zoocube will over heat, and it's Game Over. The action starts off at a nice pace and moves to a frantic flipping frenzy as you desperately try to keep the rain of shapes at bay.

I believe the engine must be fairly deep, as you are always provided with the correct piece in plenty of time - IF you can manipulate your cube to pair it with its partner, which is a lot harder than it sounds.

So why did I give the game only 4 Stars? As much as I love it, I think the Game Boy Advance version is superior. I think the controls are a little bit easier and a little bit tighter, and while it doesn't have the same level of graphics and sound, it's still impressive and the flow of the game is much improved without the cutscenes.

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