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ぷよぷよCD
©Compile 1991
©LMS Recordings 1991
©NEC Avenue Ltd 1991
Release : 1994-04-22 (¥5600)
SuperCDRom² NAPR-1038
Puzzle / Action Game
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The classic Puyo Puyo finally arrives on the PC Engine system! Here is
the port of Compile and Sega's popular Tetris-inspired puzzle
arcade game originally released in 1992. The gameplay probably doesn't need much of an
introduction - multicolored gelatinous beans, called Puyos, fall from the top
of the screen in pairs, and the player has a limited amount of time to rotate and
stack Puyos and make sure they fit together. If the player matches four or
more Puyos of the same color, they disappear and any Puyos located
right above them will fall down, setting off potential chain reactions. Each level
is designed like a duel where two opponents attempt to subdue each other in an
intense Puyo battle - each successful combo or chain releases
garbage Puyos to the adversary's side, and if one player's stack
reaches the top of the playfield, it is game over. The game features several play
modes - a Story Mode when the player battles a slew of enemies, a
Two Player versus mode and a no time-limit solo mode.
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Puyo Puyo was first released for the MSX and Famicom System in 1991
(see Puyo Puyo for more information) - but the game really enjoyed its moment of
glory when Sega joined the fray and decided to work with Compile to release
an arcade game instead (picture on the right). The game was released in 1992 and became a huge commercial success.
It was ported to several home systems, such as the Megadrive (1992),
FM Towns (1992), Super Famicom (1993), Sega Game Gear (1993),
PC Engine (1994),Game Boy (1994) and Sharp X68000 (1994). Two other
versions that exclusively appeared in the west are worth mentioning - Sega's
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (1993) and Nintendo's Kirby's Avalanche (1995),
two Puyo Puyo clones using Sega and Nintendo characters. The sequel
Puyo Puyo Tsū (a Japanese pun on 'Puyo Puyo Two', the Kanji 通 (Tsū), also
means 'expert' or 'connoisseur) followed in 1994 in the
arcades - the game is a lot clearer and improves upon the gameplay mechanics put forth
by its predecessor. The game was, of course, a success and it was converted to
countless home systems, such as the Megadrive (1994), Game Gear (1994),
Saturn (1995), Super Famicom (1995), PC Engine (1996),
Game Boy (1996) and Wonderswan (1999) to only name a few. The arcade
game Puyo Puyo Sun (a Japanese pun on 'Puyo Puyo San', which means
'Puyo Puyo 3') then followed in 1996 and was ported to several home systems,
such as Saturn (1997), Playstation (1997), Nintendo 64 (1997),
PC Computer (1998) and Game Boy Color (1998). Puyo Puyōn
(another japanese pun on 'Puyo Puyo Yon' which means 'Puyo Puyo 4') followed
in 1999, but for the Sega Dreamcast, Playstation (1999),
Nintendo 64 (1999) and Game Boy Color (2000). The Puyo Puyo
series is still quite strong today, but after Compile's demise in 2002,
Sega obtained the franchise rights and Sonic Team continued
Puyo Puyo's design and development. They however rebooted it, and
Puyo Puyo Fever released in 2004 had entirely redesigned characters and
radical changes in the gameplay (such as the addition of the fever mode).
Countless other games and spin off exist - the ones worth mentioning are the
Nazo Puyo series (which borrows the 'Mission' mode from the first
Puyo Puyo), Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon (a Rogue-like dungeon
adventure game) and, of course, the Madō Monogatari series (well, they
were technically released before the first Puyo Puyo, but these
RPGs/Dungeon Crawlers have been associated with the series since then).
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Click on picture to enlarge |
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
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Puyo Puyo is one of my favorite Tetris wannabees
(with the excellent Puzzle Bobble). In truth, I've never
been a fan of Tetris, and I've always found the game to be
pretty bland and quite boring (sorry). But with Puyo Puyo,
Compile introduced the concept of 'duel' which took
the Tetris genre to a whole new level! They also threw in a
collection of ridiculously cute characters as well as a brillant
story line, and a really catchy soundtrack. Compile has
blessed the video game world with amazing shooters and yet, they
have also managed to create other monumental classics such
as Puyo Puyo. This version can be quite difficult though,
the game becomes very challenging very fast,
and some of the opponents are tough as hell to beat.
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