Sega Ages: Columns Arcade Collection

"Gem dropping addiction in 4 flavours"

I have not seen a review for this game so although I have exactly beat the game so to speak I thought I’d at least shed some light on it and let you know what it’s all about… so far.

Columns Arcade Collection is basically a collection of 4 different Columns games released at the Arcades. These are Columns, Columns 2, Stack Columns and Columns ’97. Now perhaps you are asking “But what is Columns?”. Let me tell you.

Columns is a drop down puzzle game that is somewhat similar to Tetris. This was Sega’s answer to the NES game craze that took place with Tetris on both the gameboy and the NES systems. Basically you have a “well” so to speak just like with Tetris. Then you have sets of three jewels that are stacked on one another in a vertical fashion. These drop down from the top of the well. The jewels come in different colours and can be moved around, only vertically, as they drop before they hit the bottom of the playing field. The idea of the game is to match a minimum of 3 same coloured jewels vertically, horizontally or diagonally. This clears the jewels. The idea of the main game is to basically last as long as you can. Eventually the jewels drop faster and faster. After a point it will slow down and eventually speed up again. The point is to last as long as you can. You have a meter and when it fills up, depending on how many matches you’ve made, you get a “special” jewel stack that eliminates all the coloured jewels of the jewel it hits first. The game play is not complicated and is very easy to pick up and play.

The first game Columns is almost identical to the version that is on the Genesis console. This is the one that started it all. The options are pretty slim. You have a single player and two-player mode but there is no “battle” type where you give your player garbage or anything like that. You basically just last as long as you can. There’s no story to the game and seeing as it is a puzzle game it doesn’t need one. The premise is simple, last as long as you can and get the highest score. The graphics are simple, not pretty to look at or anything but they get the job done. You don’t wish that the jewels could be polygonal or anything like that while you play because it’s all about the game play here. The sound is serviceable, nothing special, if anything it isn’t very good. It’s not important to the game play so you can mute it and listen to whatever floats your boat. This game is good but very basic, not quite as stellar and entrancing as Tetris but it is very playable and addictive. The replay value on this is high because this is a very “pick up and play” style of game.

Columns 2 is an evolved version of the original game that revolves around the “flash” concept. “Flash” is where you have the game well that is already filled with jewels and one two or three are flashing. The objective is to clear those flashing jewels within the time frame. The graphics and music are a bit different with different boards, music and different types of jewels. I actually prefer the music from the first game to be honest but this one has at least a bit more variety. It’s a bit of a change from the original columns. 2-player mode is essentially the same thing only you try to beat the other person’s time.

Stack Columns is a bit of an evolution in the game play of the first two games. This game focuses more on two-player battle mode. Depending on the number of combos you get this will cause the opposite players well to hike up. The only way you can counteract this if it happens to you is to get combos or a succession of jewel breaks or by using the “special” jewel that will force your floor back down as opposed to clear any jewels from the screen. In single player mode you basically play a championship where you play in various exotic locales (Las Vegas, Macau, etc.). The graphics aren’t really much improved unless you count the opening screen that shows a 3D jewel spinning. The game play is fun, the music is different and your opponents even say things to you prior to the game starting. It’s all in Japanese though so unfortunately I didn’t understand it. It’s a different game than the other two.

Columns ’97 is graphically the best of the lot unfortunately it is about the same as the first game as far as game play is concerned. The graphics are leaps and bounds better than the other 3 games. This game looks good even by today’s graphic standards. The jewels are CG renders that spin as they fall. When you do a particularly great combo it shows you what you did in the opposite well. Unfortunately when things are going particularly hectic you don’t have a lot of time to watch your handiwork. The sound is CD quality as opposed to the 16 bit bleeps and bloops of the second game. This game is wonderful to play but unfortunately the game play is once again very basic. 2-player mode is essentially the same as one player, there are no battle elements or tricks you can do to disturb your opponent. When you complete a game it gives you a mini graph on how well you did. This is in Japanese though so I wasn’t able to understand it.

Considering how many games you’re getting here it is a good value and if you are a puzzle game connoisseur, it’s well worth your time. The game play is fun and addictive in all games. These are the arcade versions though and basically have no extras other than unlockable bits once you reach a certain number of jewels in each game. Columns 3 is missing from this collection and it apparently has much more features than the other games listed here. Check the review out in the Genesis section if you are interested. I recommend this game to anyone who likes Columns and/or enjoys a solid puzzle game. The features are a bit slim but the fact that you get 4 games with slightly varied game play makes up for it. Unlocking different gem styles and sound effects makes it a bit more interesting too. Check it out if you can find it, you can pretty much only find it on ebay now.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/29/03, Updated 05/29/03