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I always hate it when all the reviews call columns a "tetris clone". They are two completely different games. The only thing they share is the genre of "puzzle game".
In tetris, you fit shapes to fill space. Advancement is achieved by filling space with shapes. There is nothing to do with colors.
In colums, you match adjacent colors. Advancement is achieved by matching colors. There is nothing to do with shape.
If anything, I'd say columns is a Dr. Mario clone (though I don't know which came first).
I find tetris a more fun puzzle gae, though they aren't the same type of gameplay so there isn't a direct comparison. I loved Dr. mario much more than columns, because there was an actual goal involved in each level, the elimination of the germs, and you could fight your friend at it. Puyo Puyo is more of a columns clone, definitely again not the same type of game as tetris. But I like puyo more for all the different gameplay modes and options, and the sound effects and graphic effects and the high-strung play-style.
I have columns on the segaCD 4 in 1 disk, and I was particularly board playing it. I should try columns 3, I assume it has more gameplay options?
I really wish there were more good puzzley-type games on the gennie. All we really have is about 10 different versions of columns, and zoop and klax which aren't all that fun. Nintendo had way more fun puzzley games of all sorts of different styles (like yoshi, adv. of lolo, etc). And all the new systems just have 50 variations of Bubble-Pop, which isn't particularly challenging. It's only novelty is the fact that it has the bubble-bobble dragons in it, which really just makes you wish to all bleeping hell that they'd make a new REAL bubble bobble game for american consoles (and not that rainbow islands junk either).
I did find this one japanese import puzzley game for the game-gear at DiscLand. You try to save the princess by walking up these blocks of stairs and punching these blocks of rock and trying to avoid or trap these dragons within the blocks.
JMT. |