"Poor little Beans"

Intro: You don't actually see Sonic in this game, but it is still a "Sonic" game nonetheless. It has Dr. Robotnik and his evil machines, so that will suffice for most of us, but it will leave some die hard fans a little disappointed.

Game Play: Mean Bean Machine is like Tetris. You connect the same colored blobs to make them disappear and try not to flood your box to the top. In this game you compete against the game itself, so it can obviously be somewhat stressing. The missions start out easy, as would be expected, and reach a level of difficulty that some may consider impossible. It is a very difficult game for a very skilled individual. Rest assured, this shouldn't stop you from enjoying the game, as there are many other options to choose from that will keep you having fun, even if you find yourself unable to succeed in the difficult missions. The controls in this game are kept simple, so you don't have to look at the controller when the game starts getting faster. There is also 2 player mode so you can show off your skills with friends.

Story: Well, believe it or not, there is a story. Dr. Robotnik captures poor cute little blob creatures, and transforms them into his evil robot servants. You must save the little blobs because you are nice like that. The enemies you battle against include all of Robotnik's evil robots from the Sonic Comics. You may recognize them.

Music/Sound: The music and sound effects in this game match each situation. When you get to the harder, more heart pumping missions, they music grows much more intense, and can make you freak out. The music adds to the games level of stress and difficulty, which can be good and bad. The only real sound effects are perhaps the sound of the blobs popping or disappearing. It can be annoying when playing in the harder missions, but no one is stopping you from pressing mute. The music and sound aren't horrible in Mean Bean Machine, but it's not the best in the world.

Graphics: They work. That's about all I can say here. They aren't bad, they aren't good. They just fit. It won't even really be something you will be worrying about as you play this game anyways.

Final: Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is a great game for Tetris lovers and people who like stressful and difficult games. Most of us perhaps will want to avoid this game, unless you find it cheap, which you of course will. If you like Tetris, buy this game. If you don't like Tetris, than simply don't buy the game. I give Mean Bean Machine a 7/10.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/30/04