 Review By: Andrew Joy |
Developer: | Nintendo |
| Publisher: | Nintendo | |
| Genre: | Puzzle | |
| ESRB: | Everyone | |
| # Of Players: | 1-2 | |
| Online Play: | N/A | |
| Accessories: | Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable | |
| Buy Now: |   |
Now, on to my personal favorite, Puzzle League! Until I got this game I’d never played Puzzle League before, though I’d certainly heard of it (albeit in such licensed forms as POKéMON Puzzle League), so I can’t speak to the nostalgia factor of it, such as I could to Dr. Mario. However, as I’ve mentioned, from the moment I started playing this game, I was hooked...well, once I figured it out anyways. Not being one to read directions first, I naturally jumped right in and, quite possibly, lost the game in record time (hint: don’t find out what buttons do by testing them – the shoulder buttons add more lines). To be honest, when I first played this game, I was stumped.
For those of you who’ve ever played Meteos but not Puzzle League, liken it to a horizontal version of that game, without the touch screen of course. And, for those of you who’ve never played either, let me just explain Puzzle League to you. Players move a two-block cursor around with the D-pad and move/swap the pieces caught within it. The idea is to get three or more like symbols lined up either horizontally or vertically to make them disappear. Unlike Tetris, or even Dr. Mario for that matter, the pieces don’t fall from the top, but rather rise up from above in whole lines. Once again, there are several modes of play, though they are all roughly the same with only the most minute of changes between each.
Though the dated appearance of Puzzle League is far less noticeable than that of Dr. Mario (in my opinion at least), they are still very simple, perhaps more so in some areas, but the clean look of it is just one of the reasons I enjoy it. The gameplay itself is something faster than Dr. Mario and all together more complex than Meteos. The use of a D-pad and the limits of the cursor force you to think just that much more quickly in order to win. Like Dr. Mario, Tetris and most any other title in the pantheon of puzzle games, you lose once a line reaches the top, which can happen much quicker than you think (so mind what I’ve said about the shoulder buttons).
Alone, the replay value of each game will last only as long as you can hold out and continue playing the two. And, together, things aren’t much improved, though you do have a choice at least. With the variety of modes, you may be able to squeeze a little something extra out of each, but don’t expect this to be one of those games you be playing right on until next year. However, for those of you who do stick it out and continue playing, you can even unlock a few things. The games also have a multiplayer aspect, too, though it requires your opponent to have a copy (unless they simply want to download a single player demo), and that might be asking too much considering these games haven’t really been the talk of the town in recent years.
Bottom Line:
The package as a whole, a 2-in-1 game, is something few can turn down. However, unless you are searching for a little piece of nostalgia or just really enjoy puzzle games, you should take a closer look at Dr. Mario & Puzzle League. It is not that they are bad games, but just that they are a little dated, especially for the price. While the games don’t cost a great deal, no more than a normal GBA game at any rate, it just seems like a bit more of a discount should have been considered. At the very least, I would recommend you wait until a price drop, sale or even picking up a used copy at a discount.
However, despite all that, the game does have its merits. First off, it is solid puzzle gaming on-the-go, and Puzzle League is great fun (and others could certainly get some enjoyment out of Dr. Mario, too, I suppose). The games have a few GBA enhancements, including a sleep mode so you don’t have to start all over again when you put your GBA away, and there is even a sort of built in instruction manual for each game, which should come in handy with whoever you may eventually swap cartridges with. And, to top it all off, there are a variety of different play modes, including multiplayer.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 6.0 |
Posted: 2006-02-28 19:02:56 PST