Quite a few years back, I rented Pokemon Puzzle League just because it was another Pokemon game. I'm glad I did, because this is one game that keeps me playing for hours and hours. Even if you absolutely despise Pokemon, you won't regret this purchase, and it's well worth your points.


Story: 7/10

One afternoon, Ash and Pikachu are chillin outside at a beach, when he gets a call from Professor Oak, telling him that he's invited to a Pokemon Puzzle Challenge held at Puzzle League Village (It's as if the village itself was made for the Puzzle League). Ash immediately becomes interested and gets up, puts on his jacket, and heads straight for Puzzle League Village with Pikachu to sign up (he gets to the village in a matter of two seconds, he must have teleportation powers or something). He must then enter the stadium and fight all the Gym Leaders from the first generation of the GameBoy games (Red/Blue/Yellow), along with some other anime characters, who aren't in the original Pokemon games, being one of their only appearances or mention outside of the anime/manga. So, if he manages to complete his task and win the Puzzle League, he must challenge the Puzzle Master to determine who the true master is. Nothing special, really, but it at least has some kind of story, I can imagine if it had no story, nothing would really be taken away, being a puzzle game and all, but since it's Pokemon, it's always awesome to see. There's also the Spa Service mode where the story focuses only on Team Rocket and their crazy escapades.


Gameplay: 9/10

The meat of all video games. This game plays pretty much the same as Tetris Attack for the SNES. The only real difference is that they slapped the Pokemon logo onto it, which really does fit into it good, but it doesn't feel like it should be Pokemon. Your objective in this game is to get rid of colored blocks with symbols on them; the basic Tetris Attack gameplay. It may not sound fun if you're not a Tetris fan, but once you try the game, there's a good chance you'll be addicted for quite awhile. The main focus of the game is in the 1P Stadium, where the "story" takes place. You have to fight Gary first, then all of the Gym Leaders from the Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow Gameboy games. The object is to clear as much blocks as possible to prevent your stack of blocks from ever reaching the top. As they get closer to the top of your game field , they'll wiggle around and the music will change to a fast-paced tune, indicating that you're about to lose unless you get rid of some blocks. However, it's not as simple as simply removing a set of three blocks; you can also perform combos and chain attacks. To get a combo, you have to clear more than three blocks at once. A chain is similar, except after you clear a row of blocks, you have to clear another row of blocks using a set that was on top of the row of blocks you just cleared. This is what a chain is, and is the best way to win matches by far (on higher difficulties, it is pretty much essential). In order to get a really good chain going, you need fast reflexes and fast hands, I actually have little to no difficulty with this, as I trained myself into it.

There are several difficulties in 1P Stadium. There's Easy, Normal, and Hard, but as you complete these difficulties, you'll be prompted to input a certain button code on the difficulty selection screen to unlock more. The other two hidden difficulties are Very Hard and Super Hard, which are much much more difficult. On each difficulty, you fight more trainers (save for Super Hard, where there are no new trainers for you to battle). If you want the true ending of the game, you have to at least beat Very Hard; beating Super Hard nets you another secret button code and bragging rights. Nothing more, kinda disheartening, but the code you get is awesome. And finally, there are two different modes you can play: 2D and 3D. 2D is the default and holds true to Tetris Attack's style. 3D is pretty much the same thing, only this time you have to be a lot faster and harder since the blocks are in one large cylinder. They're both not that different at all, but I prefer 2D, myself, because it is much simpler to use. There's also the 2P Stadium, where you get to either play with a friend or play with a computer casually, (on a difficulty level of your choice) which you can get to in the settings, an odd place to put something like that, most don't even know about it unless they've been to the settings. Instead of a human controlling the second player, the computer will.

I recommend the second player as a computer if the 1P Stadium becomes too frustrating or hard for you, or you just want to play with a computer closer to your level of skill. In 2P Stadium, you can play in both 2D and 3D mode. You can also play in the Spa Service, which is a sub-story where Team Rocket steals your Pokemon, and you must get them back from them as you win puzzles and force them out of their many disguises. At the end, you must face Giovanni, Team Rocket's leader. It's a nice sub-story and adds a little more fun to the game, but playing/beating it isn't in any way necessary. A couple things I forgot to mention is that for one, before each match, you can choose between three Pokemon. This doesn't give you an advantage or a disadvantage in any way, and the only reason for being able to pick a Pokemon is to add a little touch to the game. They keep their cries from the anime, which I thought was nice. The key to winning in this game is to stack as many Garbage Blocks on your opponent as you can. These are blocks that you must slowly destroy by matching up blocks that are on top of the Garbage Block. To stack them onto your opponent, you must get chains and combos. In Very Hard and Super Hard, Garbage Blocks become an extreme annoyance, because the computers will pretty much *never* fail to get a 10-chain or more (at least, it's annoying for someone like me, who sucks at the game =P).


Multiplayer: 9/10

After you beat the story mode (1P Stadium), you still have the 2P Stadium to play. As I described earlier, you can either play with a friend or against the computer. I always played this with my mom and my sister, they loved the multiplayer of this game as well. You'll have a blast with this mode, and you even get to choose your own trainer! There are four hidden ones which are unlocked with a button code, and another one that unlocks a special stage for multiplayer, which you can discover by beating the Spa Service sub-story (or you could take the cheap and much easier route and simply look for cheat codes online), and in the 1P Stadium (Which you can also get online). You can also set your handicap level for both players, but I always leave both at 5. It's your choice, however, how fast the game goes.


Music/Sound: 9/10

The music and sound are both excellent. This game actually excels in music; a lot of tracks are really good (some examples being Ritchie's theme, Misty's theme, and Giovanni's theme, just to name a few). As mentioned earlier, all of the Pokemon have their cries from the anime, and they all sound perfect; just as good as ever. Overall, the sound and music definitely add a touch and certain feel to this game. This was one of my favorite parts of the game, and I remember all of the main themes right now, they were really awesome.


Graphics: 8/10

Decent for a puzzle game. All of the backgrounds are crisp and clear, and the characters and Pokemon look exactly like they do in the anime. The blocks are also nice and colorful. The anime cutscenes (what little there are) aren't perfect, but they get the job done. Overall, the graphics couldn't have been any better for a puzzle game, though they're not skull-crushing by any means.


Replay Value: 9/10

The fun of this game really never ends, especially if you have a friend or two to play with. Not only is there the story mode and the Spa Service, but there's the 2P Stadium which really never gets old. If you're a fan of puzzle games and/or want a fun, easy-to-play yet difficult game with lots of replay value, this is the game for you.

Depth: 8/10

There's a ton of modes that will keep you happen, and they all seem to be their own games but attached to the original, which is good.


Overall: 9/10

After reviewing the whole game, I give it a score of a nine out of ten. This is one of the most fun and addictive games ever created, and even if you aren't a fan of puzzle games or Pokemon, I recommend getting this game as soon as you can. If you really must eliminate all traces of the Pokemon theme of the game, you have the option to turn the blocks to normal Tetris blocks rather than the Pokemon edition. You can also mute your TV combined with that, and it'll be just like normal Tetris Attack.


This is a well beloved part of my childhood, and I hope that it will become a great contribution to your gaming.

Is there a reason why your review is almost identical to this one?
http://www.gamefaqs.com/n64/913924-pokemon-puzzle-league/reviews/review-129460

David caught this one. The review is plagiarized