Puyo Pop
Score: 90% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: THQ Developer: Sega of Japan Media: cart/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Puzzle
Graphics & Sound: With graphics commonly expected of a puzzle game, Puyo Pop generally continues the upward tradition of the genre. Certain things are reminiscent of previous versions of the ''Puyo Puyo'' platform, a popular game series in Japan, and there are some interesting effects that you do not always see in puzzle games. Those effects include cut scenes with anime style forest and city backdrops. The two windowed gray-hued game fields keep your eyes focused on blocks, known as ''Puyos'', as they animate with wonderfully characteristic faces. A catchy soundtrack plays alongside high-pitched Japanese voice samples during battles, which definitely adds to the wonderful effect that this title produces. The audio definitely sets a feel for the battles, and it keeps the game engaging.
Gameplay: Jam-packed with exciting features, Puyo Pop manages to take concepts from various preexisting games in the puzzle genre to create an amazingly addictive game with substance and value. The basic premise is much like Dr. Mario, where you rotate and match couplets of multicolored Puyos falling from the sky. Matching a group of four or more horizontally, vertically, or otherwise touching Puyos helps clear your pile. As an interesting twist, each time you match a group, you send Blocker Puyos to an opponent's side who happens to be playing from the same set of Puyo blocks, trying to clear sets to send Blocker Puyos to your side instead. This makes the puzzle game more interesting than just clearing the Puyos from your display. Also, the more links cleared in a single chain reaction, the more Blocker Puyos you'll send over to your opponent. Therefore, in this game, patience is a virtue. Your choice of modes in this game also varies. Story Mode includes forty-six stages of competition within the Puyo Pop world. Each stage includes its own character with its own strategy to compete against. You can also play against two, three, or four friends using a game link cable and either single or multiple cartridges. A single player Endless Mode is also available for you to brush up on your stacking skills for the big game. You can also choose Task Mode, which adds a timer to Endless Mode's game play.
Difficulty: At first glance, Puyo Pop does not seem like a difficult game to master, yet upon interaction with the little Puyo blocks and the undesirable effects of the Blocker Puyos, the game quickly steers away from a simple ''match the like blocks'' strategy. While single player modes only need simple strategies, Story and Multiplayer need a much higher train of thought. In Story Mode, the Blocker Puyos take on different characteristics as you progress, making it more difficult to dispose of them. In addition, the opponent AI gets stronger and quicker. What one character may do is never the same as the next opponent's strategy. Your best bet will be to build as high as possible hoping for an eventual chain reaction to send your opponent a screen full of Blockers, but it is not as easy as it may seem. This one will definitely keep you coming back.
Game Mechanics: Simple and easy to use controls round out the rest of Puyo Pop. You only need to worry with four basic controls (left, right, down, and rotate), and even an amateur can pick up the game and learn the controls by the time the first Puyo hits the ground. This allows more time for getting individual strategy down, so you can be a master at Puyo Pop.
-==Boy, GameVortex Communications AKA Kyle Prestenback
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