Columns

These days most people would have played a hundred variations of this game, and all said it is just Tetris without the shapes. It probably seems a bit extravagant to dedicate an entire cartridge to something that could be quickly knocked together as a phone app. But back in 1990 when falling block puzzles weren't ubiquitous Columns was fresh enough as to feel like a relatively new (if not entirely original) idea. It was one of the first games I bought for my Mega Drive, and was something I could return to often enough without getting bored.

Any puzzle game coming out in the early to mid 90s is going to have a hard time getting away from the phenomena that was, and still is, Tetris. Columns, originally released in arcades, does a decent job of making itself different enough (by following the 'match three falling blocks formula) while trying to give itself a little personality. Now, both the release of Tetris for the Game Boy and NES are great, I'm sure you know this. They've got a personality all their own which is why they are still being playing today en mass. Columns was released for the Genesis, yet seems to be on par with the above mentioned releases.

The gameplay itself is brilliant. The ability to match three in any direction lets you link up chains to score big points and the levels seem to progress and a faster clip than its counterparts. I really enjoyed the strategy this game lets you play with - putting together combinations that seem like they should work, then sliding in that last piece and watch the jewels drop. Nope, gameplay wise, this game is great. It's the rest that makes this a bit of a head scratcher.

I don't want to say that every game released on a platform need to be a shining beacon of its graphical fidelity, in fact, sometimes simple is better. What I'm more on the fence about is how they didn't put more into this game in order to compete on the home market against Tetris. The Genesis should have plenty more power behind in than the GB or NES, but this release is sort of... lacking. It's not terrible looking: the gems shine and spin and the music and sound works well. It's more the fact that the backgrounds are entirely dull textured walls and the fact that the music is the same song on loop (worked with Tetris, not so much here). I know, I know, I shouldn't review a game by comparing it to another, but you sort of need to in this case. Like Sonic to Mario, Columns seems to lack a special magic.

It is by no means a terrible game, in fact, I think I like the gameplay style a little more than Tetris. It's simply lacking in features which should have been on the design table from day one - we want better backgrounds, more music, a little more personality. This is still true even with the comparison to Tetris. It's a game with some great mechanics, but lacking in style and personality which would come to define the game's gaming generation.