Pokemon Puzzle League

"Finally a good puzzler for the N64!"

When I first heard about PPL I was very skeptic. I thought oh great another bad game with Pokemon. Well fortunately for me I decided to rent it at Blockbuster and I was immediately hooked. Ok now for the review.^_^

Graphics 8/10

Although they could have done better Pokemon Puzzle League's graphics are not too shabby. They're bright and detailed but don't bug you while you're playing. And the characters are designed very nicely. Not really much too say here.

Control 9/10

Now you might not think it but control is vital for a puzzler to be succsesful and PPL delivers. You can either use the control stick or the directional pad to move around and both of them work fine. I myself use the D-Pad because you don't move around as fast. In other words it's solid.

Gameplay 10/10

This is Puzzle League's true strong point. Although it is a rip-off Tetris Attack it rips it off well. The main idea is to outlast you're opponent as the blocks rise from the bottom. Once one of your blocks touches the top of the screen you lose. To clear your blocks you must get at least 3 or more blocks in a row vertically or horizontally. If you get more than 3 blocks or a combo you will send bars over to your opponent to thus speed up his doom. One thing is though you can only switch the blocks horizontally and not vertically.Trust me I found that out the hard way.:-)The many modes of play are a great plus and the multiplayer is awesome!

Sound 6/10

The sounds are very clear but unfortunately you don't want them to be. During the match whenever you send over bars to your opponent your person will yell something really obnoxious i.e. Ash goes YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Not something you want to here when you're right in the middle of a fierce battle.

Replay Value 8/10

There are many modes of play in this game which keep you coming back for more. With the ability to create your own puzzles the fun never really stops. And the best part is you don't have to listen to your character in this mode.^_^

Overall Analysis
Pokemon Puzzle League is a great and only great puzzler for the N64. Puzzler fans will enjoy it alot while casual gamers should probably rent first.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/15/02, Updated 08/15/02