Iron Draggon
11-16-2004, 09:12 PM
Now here's a very fun game that definitely shouldn't have been exclusive to Japan! I'm sure that almost all of you know what Columns is, so this game doesn't need very much of an introduction. Basically it's Sega's answer to Tetris, so it's a puzzle game where you manipulate falling objects and match them to eliminate the ones that have already fallen, so they don't stack up past the top of the screen where all the objects fall from and end your game.
The difference between this game and Tetris is that instead of having bricks in multiple shapes, you only have 3 gems arranged vertically. You can't rotate them to place them horizontally, which would be very helpful, but you can rearrange their order. This is why the game is called Columns, because you are only able to control the order of the gems as they fall, and place them in columns at the bottom of the screen. You eliminate them any time that 3 or more gems line up vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. When this happens, any gems stacked above the ones you eliminate will fall down to fill in the gaps, and this can cause chain reactions that can help you rack up alot of points for combos. There's also a magic gem that will eliminate all the gems of whatever color you stack it on, which can help to eliminate alot at once.
Now here's where it all gets really interesting, there's alot more variations on this simple concept than you would think, and this disk includes 4 different versions of the game. You get the original Columns, Columns 2, Columns '97, and Stack Columns. I'm not sure why Columns 3 isn't included, but one of the nicest things about this disk is that it does include Columns 2, which very mysteriously was never released for the Genesis. You can play Columns on both the Genesis and the Game Gear, Coumns 3 on the Genesis, and Super Columns on the Game Gear, but this disk for the Saturn is the only time that Columns 2 has ever been released for a home console or a portable system. I'm not sure why Super Columns wasn't included on this disk either, but the main reason why I got this disk was just so I could finally add Columns 2 to my collection and find out what it's like! Plus I had never played Columns '97 or Stack Columns before either, so I was very curious about those two also.
So now I finally have every Columns game ever made, that I know of. But let's just get into describing only the 4 games included on this disk for now:
Columns
I've pretty much already described this one for you, so I'll just add that it sounds very nice on CD, and this is probably the best version for the home. You won't get a nicer version of it in your home unless you spring for one of the arcade cocktail table cabinets, and this disk sells for alot less than that.
Columns 2
It really is a big mystery why this game was never released for the Genesis, because it's alot of fun, and alot more challenging than the original game. I believe that it was gonna be released for the Genesis, as a limited edition, because I seem to remember Toys R Us having an information card for it that said it was coming soon in limited quantities, but for some unknown reason it never actually made it into any stores, if I didn't just imagine the whole thing.
Anyhow, the variation on the gameplay is that you begin with several gems already placed, one or more of which will be flashing. What you have to do is eliminate all the flashing gems to move on to the next level. So basically it's just Flash Columns, which is one of the optional games in Super Columns on the Game Gear. So maybe that's why it was never released for the Genesis, but still think that it should've been. In addition to the difference in the gameplay, the graphics are also very different. The gems have more of a Greek style to them, which blends in very nicely with the rest of the Greek theme of all the Columns games. It's really a very nice game, and it definitely deserved to be released for the Genesis, but for whatever reason it wasn't.
Stack Columns
This game is basically the same thing as Columns 3, but only for one or two players, so perhaps that's why Columns 3 wasn't included on this disk also. The variation on the gameplay this time is that whenever you eliminate a set of gems, it adds a layer of bricks to the bottom of your opponent's screen which causes all the gems in their stacks to rise up closer to the top of the screen. And the only way to eliminate those bricks is to eliminate a set of gems. One set of gems will eliminate one layer of bricks, so the idea is to add as many layers of bricks to your oppent's screen as possible, in order to push his stacks past the top of the screen and force him to lose. But of course your opponent is trying to do the same thing to you, so it's very challenging.
Also, whenever a layer of bricks is added, it causes the gems that are falling at the time to explode and disappear too. So this can really mess things up for the victim of this fate, and it encourages you to place your gems as fast as possible, so you won't have the added misery of losing a set of gems that you really needed on top of another layer of bricks pushing all your stacks up towards the top of the screen. And it seems like your opponent has a real knack for adding a layer of bricks and blowing up your gems when you really needed those gems too. So the AI is very aggressive, even on the easy level.
Anyhow, if you succeed in defeating your opponent, you move on to the next opponent, like so many other puzzle games of this type. So if you've ever played any progressive puzzle games that match you against a series of opponents, you know the drill. Defeat all the opponents to see the ending.
Columns '97
This game seems to be the exact same thing as the original Columns, but with way better graphics and alot more different types of gems. So the challenge here is that you have alot less likelihood of making matches and pulling off combos, because you have alot more different falling gems now. To be exact, you have 12 different types of gems to keep up with, and each one represents a different birth stone. So you have twice as many different types of gems to match and eliminate, which makes it very hard.
The graphics in this game are very high quality, and they even rival those of most games made today, so it looks really nice. The gems in this game are alot more animated too, so it's very pretty to watch, and alot of fun to play.
The sound in this game is alot better than it is in any of the other games too, which is saying alot for it, because all the other games sound really nice on CD. So it's good that it sounds as good as it looks, because it looks great.
So this is the best looking and sounding game on the disk, even if it isn't necessarily the most fun or the most challenging. But it is alot of fun, and it's very challenging too, so you may think that it's the best game on the disk overall. I just can't decide which one I like the best, because I love them all.
Anyhow, that pretty much sums up the whole disk. The only thing that I haven't mentioned yet is that there's a special option screen in addition to the regular options screen that you have to unlock to access it. You do this by eliminating gems in any of the 4 games. I dunno what the magic number is, but I'm sure it's alot, because I've already eliminated hundreds of gems just playing each of the 4 games one time each so I could write this review.
So if you're a fan of puzzle games, I highly recommend this one, and if you're a fan of Columns in particular then you absolutely have to have it. It's the best collection of Columns games there is, and even without the multiplayer features of Columns 3, it's still more than enough to keep one or two players happily entertained for a long time. I just don't understand why you have to import it to play it, because it seems to me that this game would've sold very well all over the world, not just in Japan. There's a little Japanese in it here and there, especially in Stack Columns, but you really don't need to know what it says to play it. It's just very unfortunate that it all was never translated into English or written in English to begin with, because this game is definitely a must have for puzzle fans, and especially if you like Columns.
The difference between this game and Tetris is that instead of having bricks in multiple shapes, you only have 3 gems arranged vertically. You can't rotate them to place them horizontally, which would be very helpful, but you can rearrange their order. This is why the game is called Columns, because you are only able to control the order of the gems as they fall, and place them in columns at the bottom of the screen. You eliminate them any time that 3 or more gems line up vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. When this happens, any gems stacked above the ones you eliminate will fall down to fill in the gaps, and this can cause chain reactions that can help you rack up alot of points for combos. There's also a magic gem that will eliminate all the gems of whatever color you stack it on, which can help to eliminate alot at once.
Now here's where it all gets really interesting, there's alot more variations on this simple concept than you would think, and this disk includes 4 different versions of the game. You get the original Columns, Columns 2, Columns '97, and Stack Columns. I'm not sure why Columns 3 isn't included, but one of the nicest things about this disk is that it does include Columns 2, which very mysteriously was never released for the Genesis. You can play Columns on both the Genesis and the Game Gear, Coumns 3 on the Genesis, and Super Columns on the Game Gear, but this disk for the Saturn is the only time that Columns 2 has ever been released for a home console or a portable system. I'm not sure why Super Columns wasn't included on this disk either, but the main reason why I got this disk was just so I could finally add Columns 2 to my collection and find out what it's like! Plus I had never played Columns '97 or Stack Columns before either, so I was very curious about those two also.
So now I finally have every Columns game ever made, that I know of. But let's just get into describing only the 4 games included on this disk for now:
Columns
I've pretty much already described this one for you, so I'll just add that it sounds very nice on CD, and this is probably the best version for the home. You won't get a nicer version of it in your home unless you spring for one of the arcade cocktail table cabinets, and this disk sells for alot less than that.
Columns 2
It really is a big mystery why this game was never released for the Genesis, because it's alot of fun, and alot more challenging than the original game. I believe that it was gonna be released for the Genesis, as a limited edition, because I seem to remember Toys R Us having an information card for it that said it was coming soon in limited quantities, but for some unknown reason it never actually made it into any stores, if I didn't just imagine the whole thing.
Anyhow, the variation on the gameplay is that you begin with several gems already placed, one or more of which will be flashing. What you have to do is eliminate all the flashing gems to move on to the next level. So basically it's just Flash Columns, which is one of the optional games in Super Columns on the Game Gear. So maybe that's why it was never released for the Genesis, but still think that it should've been. In addition to the difference in the gameplay, the graphics are also very different. The gems have more of a Greek style to them, which blends in very nicely with the rest of the Greek theme of all the Columns games. It's really a very nice game, and it definitely deserved to be released for the Genesis, but for whatever reason it wasn't.
Stack Columns
This game is basically the same thing as Columns 3, but only for one or two players, so perhaps that's why Columns 3 wasn't included on this disk also. The variation on the gameplay this time is that whenever you eliminate a set of gems, it adds a layer of bricks to the bottom of your opponent's screen which causes all the gems in their stacks to rise up closer to the top of the screen. And the only way to eliminate those bricks is to eliminate a set of gems. One set of gems will eliminate one layer of bricks, so the idea is to add as many layers of bricks to your oppent's screen as possible, in order to push his stacks past the top of the screen and force him to lose. But of course your opponent is trying to do the same thing to you, so it's very challenging.
Also, whenever a layer of bricks is added, it causes the gems that are falling at the time to explode and disappear too. So this can really mess things up for the victim of this fate, and it encourages you to place your gems as fast as possible, so you won't have the added misery of losing a set of gems that you really needed on top of another layer of bricks pushing all your stacks up towards the top of the screen. And it seems like your opponent has a real knack for adding a layer of bricks and blowing up your gems when you really needed those gems too. So the AI is very aggressive, even on the easy level.
Anyhow, if you succeed in defeating your opponent, you move on to the next opponent, like so many other puzzle games of this type. So if you've ever played any progressive puzzle games that match you against a series of opponents, you know the drill. Defeat all the opponents to see the ending.
Columns '97
This game seems to be the exact same thing as the original Columns, but with way better graphics and alot more different types of gems. So the challenge here is that you have alot less likelihood of making matches and pulling off combos, because you have alot more different falling gems now. To be exact, you have 12 different types of gems to keep up with, and each one represents a different birth stone. So you have twice as many different types of gems to match and eliminate, which makes it very hard.
The graphics in this game are very high quality, and they even rival those of most games made today, so it looks really nice. The gems in this game are alot more animated too, so it's very pretty to watch, and alot of fun to play.
The sound in this game is alot better than it is in any of the other games too, which is saying alot for it, because all the other games sound really nice on CD. So it's good that it sounds as good as it looks, because it looks great.
So this is the best looking and sounding game on the disk, even if it isn't necessarily the most fun or the most challenging. But it is alot of fun, and it's very challenging too, so you may think that it's the best game on the disk overall. I just can't decide which one I like the best, because I love them all.
Anyhow, that pretty much sums up the whole disk. The only thing that I haven't mentioned yet is that there's a special option screen in addition to the regular options screen that you have to unlock to access it. You do this by eliminating gems in any of the 4 games. I dunno what the magic number is, but I'm sure it's alot, because I've already eliminated hundreds of gems just playing each of the 4 games one time each so I could write this review.
So if you're a fan of puzzle games, I highly recommend this one, and if you're a fan of Columns in particular then you absolutely have to have it. It's the best collection of Columns games there is, and even without the multiplayer features of Columns 3, it's still more than enough to keep one or two players happily entertained for a long time. I just don't understand why you have to import it to play it, because it seems to me that this game would've sold very well all over the world, not just in Japan. There's a little Japanese in it here and there, especially in Stack Columns, but you really don't need to know what it says to play it. It's just very unfortunate that it all was never translated into English or written in English to begin with, because this game is definitely a must have for puzzle fans, and especially if you like Columns.