"Still to this day I have my share of endless fun..."

Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is the American friendly Puyo Puyo. With characters from the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog you will familiarize yourself with a small handful of characters. Except for Has Bean, that little guy was in the original Puyo Puyo and so Sonic fans might be a bit confused.

Graphics: 10/10
Clean, Fun, and cartoony in it's special way. The character designs are well done and their animations for winning, losing, and just playing is great. Some beans look at their similar colors being next to them. It gets pretty funny when you see a red bean looking two different ways. The texture in the background is well done and gives its environment what it needs.

Gameplay: 10/10
Fun and although repetitive, it's addictive. Even today I enjoy playing this game and exercising my mind. Although it's a simple grouping of the same four (or more) colors horizontal or vertical or both, it's still challenging for even the experts. I still challenge myself by playing Hardest mode without losing one round. And exercise mode is a great way to pass the time. Although slow at first, later you will find yourself not wanting to lose.

Sound: Bloop/10
I like the sounds of the beans landing actually. It sounds good to my ears. Anywho, not only are the sounds fitting to the game, but the music is happy and cheerful. And in the later stages things get more serious. Which makes sense seeing as you have to save all the beans from becoming robots huh? Unfortunately there is no sound test so some of the songs that you like in the later stages will have to be gotten by playing up to those stages.

Story: 8/10
I know an awkward score but this is the only reason why I gave this game a 9 out of 10. Although I like the story it's just so... blah. You have to save beans who are also people in a way to this world from being robots for Dr Robotnik. The thing that makes me uncomfortable about this is that there is no Sonic to be found so you have no idea who is stopping Dr Robotnik.

Replayability: 11/10
Yeah, 11 out of 10. The reason for this is because I played this game when I was 5 years old before I packed up and left for kindergarten. Now when I am 15 years of age I still play this game. I still have certain challenges coming my way. I still use this game to exercise my mind and think strategicall and quickly. This game helps you think quick while still having fun, safe gameplay for all ages.

Rent/Buy/Download?:
Rent if you don't exactly like playing Puzzle games for long periods of time. Buy if you like puzzle games. And download if you have the original copy of the game and you don't want to whip out the old Sega Genesis because it would mean disconnecting the complex PS2 or Xbox or Gamecube system you have today. Or better yet, don't download, it's worth the nostalgia to plug the good ol' system, plug in your Genesis controller, and play some good games from the past.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/15/05