The NES and SNES Classic Edition consoles have been bona fide hits for Nintendo. They have constantly been selling out, and command high scalper prices during production lulls. Now that stock has finally reached an equilibrium with demand, we are at the point where just about anyone who wants one of the classic consoles can easily go out and buy one at msrp. Several factors contribute to them being as popular as they are: nostalgia, ease of use, price point, design appeal, and so on. If you follow any retro gaming groups on social media, you probably have seen many discussions regarding these consoles. Invariably, someone brings up RetroPie as a superior alternative. I'd like to dissect the various arguments.

There are lots of different cases available for the Raspberry Pi computer

Capabilities
The NES Classic is a single board linux computer, and has hdmi video out put at 720p.
The Raspberry Pi, also a single board linux computer, has a superior processor, onboard Wifi and Bluetooth, four usb ports, ethernet, hdmi (1080p), 3.5mm audio out, and more. The Pi is intended as a multi-use Swiss army knife of small computers. From a technical standpoint there is no comparison. This may or may not matter to the user, if all you are doing is playing 8 or 16 bit games. The 1080p video output of the Pi tops the 720p output of the NES Classic, but again, we're talking about a resolution that is originally 240p, so the difference is not really going to be noticed. It could be argued that the 720p is a perfect 3x integer of 240p, and so no interpolation (which may cause visual artifacts) is necessary.

There are a lot of user made images and themes for RetroPie

The Pi has multiple options for operating systems that provide emulation front-ends: Emulation Station with RetroPie, Attract Mode, and Recalbox. They each have their nuances, and while the end result is the same (playing retro video games), the operation and navigation is where the differences lie. Personally I find attract mode too flashy, almost dizzying. It also requires more tweaking than Emulation Station, and easier to mess things up. Recalbox is a simpler setup, with fewer options than the others. Emulation station is a happy medium between them. The Front ends can be customized to show opening animations, game box art, video previews, game descriptions, ratings, and a plethora of related information. Games can be assembled in collections by system, genres, publishers, and favorites. Gameplay can be customized using the Retroarch menu, allowing for tweaks to visual and audio output, game cheats, save states, screenshots, and more.
Virtually any usb controller can be used, it just has to be configured once. Bluetooth controllers are supported as well, and the company 8Bitdo makes several high-quality options. Even Wiimotes, PS3, PS4, and XBox controllers can be used. Configuring Bluetooth controllers is a little wonky, but once they are set up they are good to go. Obviously these are all third party controllers, and for those who grew up playing on the original controllers, most of these just don't feel as good.

The NES Classic has its lone default operating system, which is the epitome of clean and simple. There is no learning curve, installation process, rom loading (unless you hack it), or any other setup process - simplicity through and through at the cost of virtually no customizability. Again, the NES Classic was never marketed as a tinker computer so the comparison is not on the level.

The NES Classic user interface is simple and intuitive, if not rudimentary

The NES Classic only comes with a relatively small number of games when compared to the potential of RetroPie, but there's a reason behind that: Copyright. Nintendo has a mix of its own IPs and licensed games on its Classic consoles, everything is on the up and up, and everyone who should get paid is getting paid. RetroPie itself does not come with any games, it is on the user to load software. Since video game roms have been freely available on the internet since the late 1990's, people have gotten used to downloading entire libraries of games for retro consoles. A quick search on eBay or Etsy will yield completely loaded SD Raspberry Pi systems at marked up prices. As of this writing, there is a sudden change in the rom landscape as Nintendo is suing some of the major websites known for distribution of roms. This may have the effect of squashing open rom sharing across the internet altogether, making it more difficult to obtain roms. This is an entirely separate topic altogether.

When adding games to the NES Classic, making folders is recommended

Intended Audience
While both pull at the heart strings of nostalgia, the intended audience of these two devices can be  pretty different. The NES classic requires no technical know-how, and appeals to a wide audience. The Raspberry Pi is a tinker computer, intended to promote coding and programming skills. In order to get RetroPie loaded and operational is not for the faint of heart; even with loads of tutorials and walkthroughs available online, it is can be an exercise in frustration, and a teacher of patience. Not many will go through the trials and tribulations required to setup their own RetroPie image, which is why the selling of such is so prominent. Those who stick with it are rewarded with a trove of systems and thousands of games at their virtual fingertips. I have always felt that having entire libraries of games was a little grotesque, especially when I have no intention of playing many of them. I like to pare the lists down to what I have in physical form (or what I can't afford, in the case of Little Samson). It makes scrolling through games lists manageable, and more efficient.

Like the Wii, the NES Classic is something that your grandparents can setup and play, a casual system with universal appeal and approachability. Many people that I know that have tip-toed into the world of RetroPie have needed assistance here and there, as random bumps and hiccups are the order of the day. There have been developments in the world of RetroPie to make it more user friendly and accessible, such as cases with shut-down scripts (since the Raspberry Pi is a computer, it has to be turned off from the menu or command line; a shut down script runs the command from the physical action of turning off the power on the Pi case - something you would not normally do to a computer). Even still, it is a jungle that most will not want to navigate.

Cost
The NES Classic with one controller is priced at $60 (SNES Classic w/two controllers - $80). A Raspberry Pi 3B+ computer board alone costs $40, and comes with nothing else. You will need a power supply ($10), hdmi cord ($5), controller ($15), and micro SD card ($15 for 32 GB) at the very least. If you don't want the board open and exposed, you should get a case (like the popular NESPi case - $25). All of the prices of these components vary, but on average it adds up to about $120 after taxes and shipping. That's double the cost, but it potentially will be able to do a lot more than Nintendo's offerings.

Intangibles
As many features as RetroPie has, There is one feature that the NES Classic has that stands out, and makes me come back time and time again: visual save states. Sure RetroPie has save states, but there's no visual indication that they are there. You might have played a game half way through, and saved your progress, intending to come back later. A few weeks later you may not remember that you did so, as there is no way of knowing unless you try loading save states blindly, and so you start from scratch. On the NES Classic, save states create a screen shot of where you are, accessible under the game in the menu. This to me is huge, almost game-changing. Being able to look at a picture of where you left off immediately reminds you of your progress, and you are more likely to continue on from that point. Most games from the NES era were too difficult to finish in one sitting, so annoying passwords were used, or you simply left the game paused, for hours or days. This lets you look at the save state images, and select which one to start. As an adult with a full time job and family with kids, this is a life saver. I feel like I can go back and finally finish many games that I never had the chance to, simply because I can save incremental progress at will with ease. I remember losing hours of  progress in Metroid because I couldn't tell what some of the password letters were. This mitigates that issue.

The screen shots of the save states are AWESOME!!!

Also consider that the NES Classic is first-party hardware, designed and manufactured by Nintendo. The build quality is top notch, as are the controllers. The software is fully licensed, and for some people that is a big deal. Everything about it is legit and above board. Once you hold one in your hand, you know it will last. I can't say the same about many of the Raspberry Pi peripherals and cases out there. USB controller quality never really seems to measure up to OEM Nintendo controllers. From a quality standpoint, Nintendo sets the bar.

The Classics series controllers are almost indistinguishable from the originals - can you tell which is which?

Summary
So on the surface it seems that these two products have similar audiences, but in reality they lean in different directions. Debating which one is "better" is subjective and depends on the user. Super hardcore retro gamers are not going to use either on this as their main setup, as they most likely have a fine-tuned retro gaming rig. RetroPie is geared towards people who prefer the perks of emulation (entire game libraries), or at least dabble in it. The NES Classic is for casual/non gamers, who want to enjoy some nostalgia here and there but on the whole are not invested enough in retro gaming to go any further. While I generally reside in the first two categories, the visual save states on the NES classic and the first party controllers make the NES Classics a surprising favorite, especially since I have added the games in my library to it. So what do you think? Which do you prefer? Why?

Brett Weiss has written several books compiling the libraries of retro video game systems. I have two of his previous books: Classic Home Video Games 1989-1990: A Complete Guide to Sega Genesis, Neo Geo and Turbografx-16 Games, and Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988: A Complete Reference Guide. These were some of the first books of their kind. Prior to these, I have never heard of a book that chronicled the entirety of a console's library. I found these pretty useful in vetting the library of NES and Genesis titles. The information provided was just enough to get a glimpse a game, with varying levels of detail. Many games that were of lesser quality were given shortened treatment, sometimes justifiable, sometimes not. Unfortunately these early publications were in black in white, and thus what photos were present did not convey the necessary detail to sell the games.

I have been an avid collector for the Sega Saturn since the late 2000's. Its fair to say that it is one of my top 3 favorite consoles. I particularly enjoy all things 2D, and the Saturn had that in spades, but only if you import; the domestic Saturn library was focused on 3D gaming, as that was the trend. It's a shame, as many top tier games for the system happen to be 2D games like Radiant Silvergun, Battle Garegga, Batsugun, Street Fighter Zero 3, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, and so on. Of course many of these games have become quite collectable of late. Some of these have been rereleased recently, like Battle Garegga and Radiant Silvergun, but many have not. Anyone who has started collecting for the Saturn has come to the realization that it is just too cost prohibitive now.

Emulation has been a handy tool for gamers to try out games that were too costly to obtain. Holy Grails like Chrono Trigger on the SNES, MUSHA on Genesis, and Magical Chase on Turbo Grafx all can be played with relative ease on a computer or rom cartridge. This is not the case with Sega Saturn games, however. The Saturn's internal architecture made for some difficult programming back in the day, and only the best programmers could make use of the Saturn's potential. What that amounts to is emulation that is behind the curve compared to its contemporaries. The gems of the Saturn catalog are locked in physical form until its emulation matures. Or until something else comes along. Enter  Rhea.

The Rhea is an optical drive emulator (ODEMU) for the early Sega Saturn models (the Phoebe is the version for the Model 2). It is a device that reads roms from an SD card, instead of a laser reading a disc. In effect, it forgoes the need to use the CD. Much like the Everdrive which came before, it is a bridging of modern tech and original hardware. This comes at long last, as some games reportedly have succumbed to the dreaded disc rot. I have only one game that this has happened to, and it wasn't fatal as the hole must have been in an unused sector of the disc. Even still, this can give a collector chills just thinking about the potential disaster looming.

ODEMUs and Everdrives offer the benefit of keeping games protected and not risking scratches, and that was a motivation for myself. As Saturn game values skyrocket, they have inadvertently become something of an investment. I never would have though they'd be worth so much, but here we are. The Rhea will allow me to play backups of my games, keeping the originals is prime condition, should I decide to sell them at some point.

Since the Rhea physically replaces the laser in the console, it is best used in a Saturn that has a dead laser. I bought one off eBay as I didn't want to sacrifice one of my working units. The installation of the Rhea itself is very simple (The Phoebe units require some minor soldering).

The most difficult part of the process was the software end. There are a lot variables, and its easy to get lost in the sea of technical information if you're not used to working with various computer file formats. First of all, you will need to properly rip the game from your discs, and in the allowed formats: CDI, CCD+IMG+SUB, MDS+MDF, and some ISO files as long as there are no separate audio tracks. There are many applications that will do this, and the one that the internet says will work best is Disc Juggler. I had mixed success with this, so the games I couldn't back up I found through other sources. Secondly, the Rhea seems to dislike micro SD cards, or at least my micro SD cards. This was particularly frustrating as I worked on the same cards for days before I tried a regular SD card, formatted in FAT32. Thirdly, the folder structure is a little wonky. Rhea only likes folders with numbers, and will only read the game in the first folder. To change to the next game, you need to press the small button on the board to the right of the card slot. This is highly inconvenient to say the least. Thankfully, there is the RMenu program by Neuracid, which provides a menu interface and allows the games to be selectable on screen.


The action replay (AR) cart, which is the defacto-norm when it comes to bypassing the region lockeout on the Saturn, can still be used for its RAM, cheats, and memory capabilities. Leaving it in all of the time will be annoying, as every time a rom is selected the Saturn intro screen plays, along with the AR load screen. I just leave it out until I know I need it.

After a week of frustration and reading/watching every resource online, I finally broke through and got everything working. I am happy to report that games play, look, and sound as they should.

So at this point I ask myself when I'll hook up a Saturn with a laser and play my original copies. I asked myself this when I got the Everdrives. It is just too convenient to select a game from a menu. I used to love pulling a game off the shelf, opening the case, and plugging it in. That appeal has worn off somewhat recently. I seriously doubt that I will sell off all of my games, but maybe I don't need all that I have. Playing the games on original hardware is my preference, and now that is possible on the Sega Saturn. Its interesting to see how perspective can change over the years.

Wrestling was huge in the 80's. The WWF was ubiquitous; licensed t-shirts, wrestling figures, and bedsheets were everywhere. While Nintendo would license plenty of video games, the best wrestling game on the NES was Pro Wrestling, an early first-party title, part of the black-box series.


The game can be played with one player, in a circuit-type campaign, or two player, which is head to head. The latter has consumed many a Friday night for me as infinite rematches and controller bashing prevailed. The fervor of such matches rivals that of Tecmo Bowl matches.

The body slam is a basic move in all wrestlers' repetoire

What makes it such an ideal head to head game is the simplicity of controls. Most moves are simply the result of a directional press and a button. Even if you don't know how to play, you will learn quickly. There is a punch and kick, using B and A, respectively.

Landing a kick is all timing

Body slams are easy to pull off by pressing up and B.You can throw your opponent into ropes (left or right  and B), and clothesline him on the rebound. You can throw your opponent out of the ring if you are close to the edge, and get out yourself to continue the carnage (just be sure to re-enter the ring in 20 seconds or you will be counted out).

Flying off the turnbuckle is very satisfying, as long as your opponent doesn't roll out of the way at the last second

You can even climb on the top turnbuckle and launch yourself on your felled opponent; if he gets up while you are in mid-leap you will crumble to the mat, so timing is critical.

The clothesline in all its glory

Once you think you've worn your opponent down, you can attempt a pin by pressing A while standing near him. If he has enough fight left, he will push you off before the 3-count. Likewise, if you are being pinned you can mash the buttons to get up.

Pick your opponent up off the mat and take advantage of his exhaustion

While every wrestler has their own special moves, these moves cannot be used right away. Your opponent needs to be broken in a bit before they become available. To execute, press some combination of A and a direction after engaging. The exception is Fighter Hayabusa's back-brain kick; you need to be positioned at a 45 degree angle below the opponent. This is the most difficult move to land as your opponent is generally always moving.

The Iron Claw

Against convention, there is no life meter visible. You are always guessing as to how much vitality you and your opponent have. A subtle clue is how long a wrestler takes to get up off the mat; the longer it takes, the weaker he is. An obvious sign is the loud alarm that sounds when a player is subjected to a devastating move. Recovering from a pin attempt at this point is difficult.

A suplex can land your opponent out of the ring

Pro Wrestling has seven selectable wrestlers, each with their own ethnicity and special moves:

• Fighter Hayabusa - a nondescript Japanese wrestler, with a devastating back-brain kick that is difficult to pull off
• King Slender - the classic, long haired, blonde American, he is stereotypical wrestling hero. His special move is the suplex.
• Starman - a pink unitard and star face makes this Mexican wrestler a throwback. He has the ever-amusing standing sommersault kick, and less impressive flying cross chop.
• The Amazon - the most unique character on the roster, he is the usual favorite due to his vicious piranha bite and head lock choke. Oh, and he has the head of an angry fish and he's green.
• Giant Panther - a blonde, tan skinned giant, he is anti-hero of sorts. He finishes opponents with his iron claw and head butt.
• Kin Korn Karn - a Korean wrestler that is less interesting to use, given the other choices. His special moves are a Karate kick and Mongolian chop (why Mongolian if he's Korean?).

If you're not warmed up before you attempt a suplex, your opponent will counter with is own

The final wrestler is the Great Puma, who is the title holder. This guy is super tough and can utilize all special moves, and seemingly has endless stamina. Being the final boss, he is not selectable as a player. If you manage to defeat the Great Pumu, you then have to defend the title against all challengers. I'm not sure if there's a proper end to the game, as each successive match becomes more difficult.

The visuals are very early 8-bit, but sprites are drawn well enough that you can clearly see everything that you need to. Each wrestler has enough visual flair to set them apart. The background consists of a ring, the announcers, and the mildly animated audience.

The music is a catchy tune on a loop, which sticks in your head when you're done playing, but is not annoyingly redundant as you might expect. The sound effects are appropriate for the action, and the crowd will cheer when you pull off a special move.

Beat your opponent down out of the ring, just make sure to get back in before 20 seconds

Somehow this game was truly forgotten, as it doesn't seem to come up in any kind of list for the NES, which is a crime. It doesn't have the flash that other games have, but it has supreme playability. Find a way to play this game, an give it a few tries, you won't regret it. Better yet, grab a friend an play it together for the first time.

When I was a kid, there was a Comic book store in my home town that would feature a different arcade cabinet every six months or so. I distinctly remember it having Rygar, Time Soldiers, Ikari Warriors, and 1943. I would buy a comic for 75 cents, and then play a game with the change. I played 1943 a lot, and became pretty decent at it.

picture from the International Arcade Museum

Later, 1943 was released for the NES. I didn't purchase it right away; new game purchases were rare  in my household. I think I got it from Funcoland as part of a trade-in deal. As crappy as I felt about trade-in values back then, I still continued to trade in games as that was the only way to a kid could get enough money to acquire games. I mainly bought used games, as they were more affordable.

Naturally, 8-bit color spaces dictate that the carrier is orange.

We all knew that home console games weren't as pretty, or didn't sound as good as arcade games. Especially considering the NES could only have 24 colors onscreen at one time, there was bound to be some imaginative use of pinks and purples. Given that the game takes place entirely over water, the backdrop is lots and lots of ocean. There are little flecks of color here and there, and lots of clouds of different shapes, but overall the visual variety was doomed from the start. In true shoot'em up nature, there has to be lots of enemies on screen at the same time, so that means small enemy sprites, which are hard to make detailed due to their diminutive dimensions.

Once you reach the end of the stage, your plane will dive closer to the surface and do battle with the boss, which is usually some battleship, carrier, or giant bomber. The bosses are the largest sprites, which I'll bet are the background graphics, as the the background graphics change right before.

Increasing attributes makes this game standout among its 8-bit peers.

Even though the game took an expected hit in the graphics department, it was even more fun than the arcade. I remember the soreness in my thumbs after I played it for hours on end. I think the reason it was addicting was the RPG elements that it incorporated into its gameplay. Your plane could could "level up" any one of its five attributes if you found a secret icon (rose or dragonfly). The attributes you could improve were: offensive power, defensive power, energy limit, special weapon variety, and special weapon timer. It is so satisfying to see the longterm effects of progress, and helps to balance the increasing difficulty of the later levels.

Your P-38 plane is equipped with a double machine gun. If you hold the fire button, you charge a powerful laser blast, but charging takes two seconds, which in a fast paced game is a lifetime. I don't find it worth the risk to not fire, so I seldom use it. Your plane also has an escape loop the loop manuever, like in 1942, except this is accompanied with a lightning strike or tsunami, depending on your proximity to the surface. This will wipe out small enemies on screen, but it will also cause damage to you as well, which is a questionable programming decision. If your life meter runs to zero, you can use these attacks without loss of life, since you don't have anything to loose, that's really the only time I would use them.

Three-way is a decent all-around weapon choice

Being an early NES title, there was no rapid fire feature, so using a turbo controller is a must. A couple of the weapons have automatic fire, but since all special weapons are timed, you can't count on these for long, so you have to keep an eye on the weapon timer. When it gets low, you need to shoot the next power up icon that you see until it becomes the desired weapon. Which special weapons are available is determined by how many points you have used to upgrade the special weapon attribute. For every attribute point, a new weapon is made available. Each special weapon pick up has its benefits and draw backs.

• Shotgun - fires a short range spread, which is not very powerful but it does destroy enemy bullets. It can be leveled up to include a forward shot in addition to the wide shot.
• Three way - fires in three forward-facing directions; is a basic versatile weapon good for beginners, as it covers a wide range of the screen, destroying popcorn enemies before they get too many shots off.
• Vulcan - a rapid fire machine gun, with slightly larger bullets. You don't need rapid fire for this, just hold the fire button down.
• Missiles - these are powerful and fire in rapid succession, but it fires in a narrow stream. 
• Laser - super powerful twin laser, the strongest weapon in the game (same as the charge shot, without the charging).

The laser makes short work of most enemies, but it is a serious investment in attribute points to acquire it

I mainly use the shotgun, powered up twice, as it allows me to not worry about direct enemy fire. In the later stages, there is so much going on that it is easy to get hit as fire comes from all directions. Also, this allows me to build up my other attributes like offensive and defensive power, energy and weapon timer limits. Thirdly, the fewer weapons you have unlocked, the easier it is to shoot the power icon to get the desired power up, since there are fewer weapons to cycle through.

Bosses fill the screen

You have only one life, and your energy limit determines the number of hits you can take before you explode. However, the timer counts down, and you will continuously need to replenish energy by collecting energy tanks, or power icons. The basic appearance of a standard shoot'em up has become eschewed by the resource management and leveling up tactics, making this a remarkably deeper than it appears. It also has difficulty in spades; you'll have to work to get far in this game. Fortunately there are unlimited continues, and even a password system, which is unheard of for a shoot'em up.

You recoup some energy after defeating a boss

Overall, 1943 on the NES deserves more credit than its given. Even though it may appear monotonous in nature, its got enough tweaks and challenge to keep you coming back for more. The password system and unlimited continues gives you a fair shot at success, and being able to pick up where you left off was a novel idea for its time. I highly recommend this game for any fan of shoot'em ups, just make sure you use a controller equipped with turbo.

With the reveal of an upcoming Sega Mini-Mega Drive (Genesis), I thought I'd try my hand at deciding on which games would be included, if it were up to me. Never mind the fact that AT Games is the company responsible for developing the plug 'n play console, which by the way is the worst kind of news a Sega fan could hear, based on the level of quality they have become associated with.
This exercise is purely for fun. I'll try to be realistic as far as expired licenses, and take the perspective of what Sega would like their legacy to be. As far as number, I think around 30 is fair.

Beat'em ups:
When you look back at gaming in the nineties, couch co-op was king. That meant beat'em ups were a staple for sleepovers and family gatherings. Sega had two of the best franchises in the genre in Golden Axe and Streets of Rage. I wold have included all three entries for each, but the constraint of thirty games necessitates that only the best appear. Hyperstone Heist is derided by Nintendo fans as a port of Turtles in Time, but that would be an injustice; it has its own nuances, longer levels, and just feels right on the Genesis. Splatterhouse 3 is more than just a brawler; you need to strategize and make the right decisions to get through the game as the time pressure gets intense.

Grand papa! I mean grand upper! (I think)

1. Streets of Rage 2
2. TMNT Hyperstone Heist
3. Golden Axe
4. Golden Axe 2
5. Splatterhouse 3

Platformers
Platformers were perfected in the '90's and Sega's flagship franchise, Sonic, carried it out of obscurity and helped overtake Nintendo (for a brief period) in market share. Rocket Knight Adventures is a unique take on platforming, bringing in the rocket pack mechanic for super fast bursts and platforming challenges designed for it. Castle of Illusion is an early Genesis title, and a masterfully crafted game that has deliberate pacing with spot-on control. Moonwalker would be a great addition, but it is another game restricted by licensing.

These pigs are always so scared

1. Sonic The Hedgehog
2. Sonic The Hedgehog 2
3. Sonic The Hedgehog 3
4. Rocket Knight Adventures
5. Castle of Illusion

1. Thunder Force III
2. Thunder Force IV
3. Musha
4. Gaiares

1. Phantasy Star 2
2. some other RPG
3. some other RPG

1. NHL '94
2. Joe Montana Football
3. NBA Jam T.E.

This list was very difficult to make. Keeping the numbers down to 30 involved a lot of bloodletting that went against what I personally preferred, and what was a list more likely to cater to the masses. If I didn't care what was likely then this would have been nearly all shoot'em ups, beat'em ups, and action platformers. As my freshmen year English teacher told me: " variety is the spice of life", hence the potpourri of included genres.

An Additional ten game to include, if we stretch the game limit to 40:

Street Fighter II Champion Edition
Vectorman
Virtua Racing
Mortal Kombat II
Road Rash II
Out Run
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
Captain America and the Avengers
Tecmo Super Bowl
Raiden Trad

To round out the package, the system should come packed with two controllers. 32X and Sega CD add-ons are not part of the picture here. The Genesis was a fantastic system with devoted fans, and this kind of revival is what Sega fans have been waiting for. Let's just hope AT Games ups their game, seeing the standard that the NES classic has set.

So what do you think? Any major omissions? What definitely should be on an officially licensed Sega Genesis Mini?

Puzzle games are a staple of every console generation, appearing among the earliest arcade games. You might say the the earliest video game smash hit, Pac-Man, was a puzzle game. The reason why puzzle games are popular is their accessibility. They are generally visually appealing, easy to learn, and addictive. These are the games that you might pull out for people unfamiliar with gaming. When competitive modes are available, they often lead to legendary matches, all night gaming, and some tested friendships. With every new console generation, the puzzle game genre is well represented, by most of my favorites were in the past. Here's my top ten puzzle games, in no particular order. 



Bomberman series
Hudson's Bomberman series has a lasting legacy even to this day, spanning from the third generation through today's consoles (eight generation). The gamplay is simple: plant bombs to destroy barricades and reveal the exit, and don't get caught by an enemy or blow yourself up. Power ups make your task easier, but be careful as sometimes your stronger bombs catch you in the greater blast radius. Playing alone is fun, but multiplayer is the true calling of this game. Multitaps allow for up to five players on most consoles, but the Saturn version supports up to ten players! I don't have a Saturn multitap yet, nor ten controllers, but this sounds like a convention experience like no other.


Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
In what is a tounge-in-cheek name, Capcom has ribbed itself with parody of its sequel naming conventions and produced a refreshing puzzle game. Gems of different colors fall into the play field, and if you connect like colors they meld together. A swirling ball is the catalyst that will set off the same colored gems. Of course the goal is to bury your opponent in gems. You pick an avatar from the Street Fighter or Darkstalkers universe. Each character has different attack patterns; the patterns of gems that fall on your opponent when you set off chains.


Bust-A-Move series (various)
The series is related to the Bubble Bobble franchise with its inclusion of Bub and Bob, yet the gameplay is its own. Bust-A-Move uses a color matching mechanic to pop bubbles that stick to the ceiling. When three or more bubble of the same color are physically touching, they pop and disappear. Every miss causes the bubble to stick and accumulate. The ceiling drops an inch or so periodically, and adds to the pressure; if the bubbles attached to the ceiling fall below a certain line, the game is over. A ubiquitous Taito arcade game, ported to nearly every platform, it has several renditions with minor, if any changes to the gameplay. The version I played the most is on the Playstation, but it is on nearly every system from the SNES and on. The soundtrack is as sugary sweet as the colors on screen, and if you play for longer than ten minutes, you'll find yourself humming them eventually. Two player competitive mode is just as fun if not more so, as your success contributes to your opponents struggle.


Tetris (various)
The original killer app, Its my belief that the Gameboy's massive success was largely due Tetris being the pack in game. The very definition of: "simple to learn, hard to master". It was the first time I would see adults gaming on their own accord, and not simply appeasing kids with a patronizing few minutes of gameplay. It may be the most popular puzzle game of all time, and its pretty easy to see why. Who knew dropping shapes consisting of four blocks and making lines disappear could be so fun?


Bombastic (PS2)
Bombastic is the sequel to the Playstation game Devil Dice. The concept is there are dice scattered all over the floor. Your character can walk all over them, and each time he does, the dice turns. Whatever number the dice shows facing up, that is the number of dice that have to have the same number facing up and touching each other in order to detonate. For example, if you turn a die to show a four, then you will need to turn four neighboring dice to show four, after which they will pulse and explode. Two player co-op can be chaotic, as you can cancel your partner's turns if you're not paying attention. Its a blast.


Lumines Plus (PS2/PSP)
I know this game premiered on the PSP, but I played the PS2 port first. You have squares that are made of four tiles. The squares can be any combination of two colors, i.e, all red, one read and three white, two red and two white, one white and three red, or all red. As you drop the squares onto the blocks on the play field, any singularly colored squares or rectangles that form as a result will be eliminated. If your drop results in anything other than a uniform color square or rectangle, it remains, adding to the bulk that may potentially grow. The music is a potpourri of drum n' bass, electronica, techno, and related genres that young party people would have listened to in the mid 2000's.


Ms. Pac-Man (various)
There's no need to say much here. Ms. Pac-Man is an institution, a game that has stood the test of time. The home 16-bit ports include the pac booster option, to allow you to move twice as fast when holding the boost button. This added acceleration adds a new element of strategy that is welcome to savvy players who like to take chances. There are also new mazes and game modes, for those who have the original mazes memorized.


Super Monkey Ball
While not a typical puzzle game, Super Monkey hits all the right notes when it comes to what a puzzle game represents: challenge, physical rules, coordination, patterns, and fun. You roll your monkey in a glass ball through a course, and hopefully you are able to navigate to the end. The course is suspended in air, so if you go off the rails, you plummet. You collect bananas along the way, but don't let that distract you from the ultimate goal of completing the course. This game was released on the Gamecube and PS2, and the analog controls are sublime. Definitely one of the best games of that generation.


Tetris Attack (SNES)
In what might be called a blatant name drop, Tetris Attack is not related to Tetris at all. The game was originally released as Panel de Pon in Japan, and was renamed upon its western release, along with the additon of Yoshi themed characters. The game consists of rising blocks from the bottom of the screen. The blocks are of five varieties: yellow star, red hearts, purple diamonds, green circles, and blue triangles. You maneuver a two-block cursor, which can switch the order of any two blocks framed by it. Doing so may result in a chain of three or more of the same block touching, and thus disappearing and reducing the bulk below a set line, which is the goal for each stage. Again, two player mode is where the real fun is at. The music is super, super, catchy.
Dr. Mario (NES)
In the early days of the NES, Mario was wedged into many first-party Nintendo games as possible. Golf, Punch-Out!!, and now Dr. Mario. It's more ludicrous than people give it credit for, and bit scary to pass off pill prescriptions in such quantities. The concept is this: there are viruses that must be killed by color-matching pills. There are three colors of viruses (red, yellow, and blue), and correspondingly, three pill colors. The pills can be one solid color or half and half. The pills can be rotated so the correct side falls on the intended virus. Four segments of the same color, virus and/or pill, cause that chain to disappear and thus progress. The goal is to rid the jar of all viruses. Its bare-bones as far as complexity, but sooooo rewarding to whittle down a screenful of viruses to a clean bottom finish. The music is catchy as anything you will hear on the NES, even if there are only two tracks. Two player mode lays on the competition, and you can imaging the change in mood that can take place when things get heated.