Charlie
05-06-2003, 02:55 AM
Tetris
For: Over 500 Million copies of Tetris have been sold worldwide. Tetris can be found on everything from Keychains to Palm Pilots. Oh yeah, and video game consoles too. Tetris can be one of the most intense multi-player experiences of any video game on any platform. Tetris is simple to play, yet difficult to master.
Against: Newer versions of Tetris, like Next Tetris or Tetris Worlds are either incredibly dull or outright terrible.
Dr Mario
For: Dr. Mario remains one of the most simplistic drop-puzzlers ever made. Anyone of any age can get into it. The Nintendo 64 version included new modes that finally made the multi-player experience fun.
Against: Dr. Mario is too simplistic. Making combos is not neccesary to win a multiplayer match. In fact, making large combos, while neat, ultimately slows you down more and is not rewarding enough.
Tetris 2
For: More Dr. Mario then Tetris, Tetris 2 is all about breaking the flashing jewels then making lines.
Against: Many find the gameplay to be extremely dull.
Tetris Attack/Pokemon Puzzle League
For: Tetris Attack is the best example of a puzzle game that anyone can get into. If you want to just make lines of three, four, or five, you can do that all day long and still have as much fun. If you want to make large chain reactions it takes minimal practice. Multi-player games of Tetris Attack can be very intesne if both players are of equal skill. And unlike most puzzle games, the series got a major new innovation in Pokemon Puzzle League with the arrival of 3-D puzzles.
Against: Tetris Attack for the SNES suffered from major slowdown if too many chains were going on at once. 3-D mode in Pokemon Puzzle League causes motion sickness in many.
Puyo Puyo (aka Kirby's Avalanche or Dr. Robotnik's Mean Mean Machine)
For: Since it's first incarnations, Puyo Puyo has been the sleeper hit of the genre. Nobody ever lists it alongside Tetris, Pokemon Puzzle, or Puzzle Fighter as one of the elite puzzle games. Like any good puzzle game, Puyo Puyo is simple to get into but takes practice and patience to learn how to perform large combos.
Against: In multi-player modes, it normally only takes one large combo to win, and even skilled players can't recover from a large combo 9 times out of 10.
Super Puzzle Fighter
For: Yet another simple game in concept, this one using cute versions of Street Fighter characters as it's hook. Puzzle Fighter features the perhaps the most intense matches of all multi-player puzzle games.
Against: Often times hitting a large combo will benefit the other player more then hurt them.
Bust-A-Move/Puzzle Bobble
For: Bust-A-Move is deceptively difficult to master. Like Tetris Attack, a novice player can spend all day linking three or four bubbles, while skilled players will spend time figuring out how to make combos. Most Bust-A-Move games feature a very anime-like flavor to them, with bright colors and frightenly addictive music.
Against: Bust-A-Move is more of a shooter then a puzzle game. The series has had very little innovation since it's first title almost a decade ago, despite multiple 'sequels' on over 10 consoles.
Columns
For: Sega's answer to Nintendo's Tetris. Linking different color jewels to form massive chain reactions seems incredibly rewarding.
Against: Dull gameplay overall.
Tetrisphere
For: Not a true Tetris game, Tetrisphere was originally developed for the Atari Jaguar as simply 'Sphere.' Nintendo bought the rights to the game and released it for the Nintendo 64. Tetrisphere is one of the only puzzle games that is more popular for it's single player modes then it's battle mode.
Against: Like Bust-A-Move, Tetrisphere feels more like a shooting game then a true puzzle game. Tetrisphere features the greatest learning curve of any puzzle game in the field of chain-reaction making.
Other
For: Perhaps Yoshi or Yoshi's Cookie is your cup of tea. Perhaps you have glowing memories of Kirby's Star Stacker. Maybe you enjoyed recent titles like Star Sweep for the PSX.
Against: Or maybe you enjoyed Rampage Puzzle League or Wacky Stackers.
For: Over 500 Million copies of Tetris have been sold worldwide. Tetris can be found on everything from Keychains to Palm Pilots. Oh yeah, and video game consoles too. Tetris can be one of the most intense multi-player experiences of any video game on any platform. Tetris is simple to play, yet difficult to master.
Against: Newer versions of Tetris, like Next Tetris or Tetris Worlds are either incredibly dull or outright terrible.
Dr Mario
For: Dr. Mario remains one of the most simplistic drop-puzzlers ever made. Anyone of any age can get into it. The Nintendo 64 version included new modes that finally made the multi-player experience fun.
Against: Dr. Mario is too simplistic. Making combos is not neccesary to win a multiplayer match. In fact, making large combos, while neat, ultimately slows you down more and is not rewarding enough.
Tetris 2
For: More Dr. Mario then Tetris, Tetris 2 is all about breaking the flashing jewels then making lines.
Against: Many find the gameplay to be extremely dull.
Tetris Attack/Pokemon Puzzle League
For: Tetris Attack is the best example of a puzzle game that anyone can get into. If you want to just make lines of three, four, or five, you can do that all day long and still have as much fun. If you want to make large chain reactions it takes minimal practice. Multi-player games of Tetris Attack can be very intesne if both players are of equal skill. And unlike most puzzle games, the series got a major new innovation in Pokemon Puzzle League with the arrival of 3-D puzzles.
Against: Tetris Attack for the SNES suffered from major slowdown if too many chains were going on at once. 3-D mode in Pokemon Puzzle League causes motion sickness in many.
Puyo Puyo (aka Kirby's Avalanche or Dr. Robotnik's Mean Mean Machine)
For: Since it's first incarnations, Puyo Puyo has been the sleeper hit of the genre. Nobody ever lists it alongside Tetris, Pokemon Puzzle, or Puzzle Fighter as one of the elite puzzle games. Like any good puzzle game, Puyo Puyo is simple to get into but takes practice and patience to learn how to perform large combos.
Against: In multi-player modes, it normally only takes one large combo to win, and even skilled players can't recover from a large combo 9 times out of 10.
Super Puzzle Fighter
For: Yet another simple game in concept, this one using cute versions of Street Fighter characters as it's hook. Puzzle Fighter features the perhaps the most intense matches of all multi-player puzzle games.
Against: Often times hitting a large combo will benefit the other player more then hurt them.
Bust-A-Move/Puzzle Bobble
For: Bust-A-Move is deceptively difficult to master. Like Tetris Attack, a novice player can spend all day linking three or four bubbles, while skilled players will spend time figuring out how to make combos. Most Bust-A-Move games feature a very anime-like flavor to them, with bright colors and frightenly addictive music.
Against: Bust-A-Move is more of a shooter then a puzzle game. The series has had very little innovation since it's first title almost a decade ago, despite multiple 'sequels' on over 10 consoles.
Columns
For: Sega's answer to Nintendo's Tetris. Linking different color jewels to form massive chain reactions seems incredibly rewarding.
Against: Dull gameplay overall.
Tetrisphere
For: Not a true Tetris game, Tetrisphere was originally developed for the Atari Jaguar as simply 'Sphere.' Nintendo bought the rights to the game and released it for the Nintendo 64. Tetrisphere is one of the only puzzle games that is more popular for it's single player modes then it's battle mode.
Against: Like Bust-A-Move, Tetrisphere feels more like a shooting game then a true puzzle game. Tetrisphere features the greatest learning curve of any puzzle game in the field of chain-reaction making.
Other
For: Perhaps Yoshi or Yoshi's Cookie is your cup of tea. Perhaps you have glowing memories of Kirby's Star Stacker. Maybe you enjoyed recent titles like Star Sweep for the PSX.
Against: Or maybe you enjoyed Rampage Puzzle League or Wacky Stackers.