Introduction Tetris & Dr. Mario was published by Nintendo, released for the SNES in 1994 as a two-in-one compilation cartridge bundling enhanced remakes of both Tetris and Dr. Mario onto a single cart. Each game received a genuine visual and mechanical refresh over their earlier NES and Game Boy incarnations, with the Tetris side offering…
Introduction The Humans was developed by Imagitec Design and published by GameTek for the Genesis in 1992, following its original release on the Amiga earlier that same year through Mirage Technologies. The game is a puzzle-platformer set in prehistoric times, tasking players with guiding a tribe of cavemen through environmental puzzles using cooperative teamwork mechanics,…
Introduction Shanghai II: Dragon’s Eye was developed and published by Activision, originally released for home computers in 1990 before reaching the Genesis in 1991 through a Japan-exclusive port by Home Data and a separate North American port by Activision itself in 1994, as the sequel to the original 1986 Shanghai. The game is built around…
Introduction Dragon’s Fury, released in Japan as Devil Crash MD, was developed by Compile with the Genesis port handled by Technosoft, released for the Genesis on October 10, 1991, as a spiritual continuation of Compile’s earlier TurboGrafx-16 pinball game Devil’s Crush. The game combines traditional pinball mechanics with a dark fantasy theme, featuring a demon-headed…
Introduction Marble Madness was originally developed by Atari Games and released as an arcade game in 1984, before being ported to the Genesis by Electronic Arts, reaching North America and Europe in November 1991 with reprogramming work handled by Michael Schwartz; a separate Japanese release, ported directly by Tengen, Atari’s home-console division, stayed closer to…
Introduction Columns III: Revenge of Columns was developed by Minato Giken and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in Japan in October 1993 and reaching North America the following March through Vic Tokai, as the third entry in Sega’s Columns falling-block puzzle series. Building on the original Columns and its sequel, the game keeps…
Introduction Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine was developed by Compile and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in 1993 as a Western localization of Compile’s own 1991 Japanese puzzle game Puyo Puyo, reskinned with characters and setting from the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog animated series rather than Puyo Puyo’s original cast. Players drop…
Introduction Adventures of Lolo was developed and published by HAL Laboratory, released on the NES in 1989 as a puzzle game built around navigating a blue creature named Lolo through single-screen rooms filled with enemies, moveable blocks, and treasure chests. Players must collect a set number of hearts scattered throughout each room, sometimes hidden inside…
Introduction Puzzle Bobble 2, released internationally as Bust-A-Move Again, was developed and published by Taito, released in arcades in 1995 as the direct sequel to the original Puzzle Bobble. The core aim-and-match bubble-shooting gameplay remained unchanged, with Bub and Bob once again firing colored bubbles upward to clear the shrinking field above them, but the…
Introduction Puzzle Bobble, released outside Japan as Bust-A-Move, was developed and published by Taito, released in arcades in 1994 as a spin-off built directly from the world of Bubble Bobble. Players aim and shoot colored bubbles from a cannon at the bottom of the screen up into a shrinking field of bubbles above, matching three…
Introduction Three Wonders, known in Japan as Wonder 3, was developed and published by Capcom on CPS-1 hardware, released in arcades in July 1991 as an unusual multi-game cabinet offering players a choice between three entirely different games on a single board. Midnight Wanderers: Quest for the Chariot is a fantasy action-platformer following a hobbit-like…
Introduction Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo was developed and published by Capcom, released in arcades in 1996, its tongue-in-cheek title deliberately echoing that year’s own Super Street Fighter II Turbo despite having no other Puzzle Fighter games to distinguish itself from. Rather than a traditional fighting game, it is a competitive falling-block puzzle game in…