"The Western World is victorious in the battle of Gravity themed puzzlers!"

I have to say I am not a puzzle fan. Most of the puzzle games out there won't hold my attention for more than a few minutes, and there are a lot of bad ones. I hated Tetris in any form, and most attempts in all the years since then haven't swayed me. There are a select few that stand out, my favorites being Wildsnake, Super DX Ball 2 and this one. Few things would make a long and boring waiting session more bearable than a nomad with this game.

Originality; 7
''It's a Tetris clone!'' So what if it has to do with falling blocks? Sega's answer to Nintendo's boredom fest is better than anything communist Russia could create! The theme is that this is a game of gods and kings or something, but I don't really see what that has to do with anything. The game is fun, and that's all that matters.

Graphics; 6.
Okay, there isn't much to look at, but the colors of the blocks are all distinctive, and they are kind of pretty. The backgrounds are all pretty much the same; a different color of marble with a design that is neither distracting or ugly. There's nothing special here, but nothing to dislike either. The text looks like Greek writing and is nice and different. The theme for the pictures seems to be Phoenician/Greek mythology, and isn't bad looking. It's a lot better than a bunch of funny domes from Russia!

Sound; 10.
Amazing music! This is probably the best Genesis' greatest hour. The part that's incredible is that there are only about five actual songs! You get to pick between three for the actual game, and they all have a different sound to them. The first starts with a basic methodical sound, but turns into what sounds like an actual story. The second is mysterious and enticing, and the third seems like it should be called 'Ultra Happy!.' They all have names, and I don't know what they mean if anything. The menu screen and game over theme are great as well. The music even speeds up when you go to higher letters. Sound effects are mostly the landing sounds of your 'columns' and the sound they make when they disappear.

Controls/Gameplay; 10.
Exactly what is needed. You move your block left and right, and can make it fall down really fast. You shift the order of the blocks in order to line up three in a row. Of course, you can make a lot more than this, and the more combinations you make the more points you get. The speed of your falling blocks increases, but the game never gets impossible. In fact, you can pull off your best combos and chain reactions when you're on the fastest level. The two player mode is just as fun, whether you're playing to win or just sharing the game. 'Flash columns' is a mode of play where you have the objective to destroy the block at the very bottom and center of the screen. To really clear a lot of blocks there is a special flashing column that will destroy all of the kind it lands on. This can make amazing reactions or be very disappointing. It comes every set number of points, so hopefully you have a good amount of blocks on the screen then. I've been able to play a single game for hours it seems like, and it stays fun.

Overall Fun; 9.
This is the king of puzzle games. Every thing about this game I like. I highly recommend it. It's even on the six in one cartridge. Anyone can play it and there's nothing about it that would turn you away. Once again Genesis is proved to be the most underrated of systems.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/09/03