3RRGG SColumns

Columns is back for the Game Gear in super form! But will this little
puzzler prove to be a better version then the original or does it just not
stack up? There are some cool new additions both to the overall
package of the game and even to the gameplay itself. But did Sega
mess up a good thing here? Read on to find out! If you don't know the
basics of the game, be sure to check out my original review of Columns
for the Game Gear!

New to Super Columns is a story mode. The previous Columns on the
Game Gear had no story to speak of. Super Columns has taken an
Arabian, Middle Eastern theme and the story goes that an evil
merchant has an magical amulet. And if this merchant figures out how
to harness the power of the amulet he can make people his slaves and
rule the world! Obviously, no evil merchant is ever alone, so he
recruited four evil henchmen to try and stop you. And stop you they
will! A story mode was a nice addition to Columns, but I can't seem to
enjoy it. Why? Because the game is just way too damn hard! This is
coming from a guy who spent eight hour sessions on the original
columns too, so I know the ins and outs of the game.

Also making a return from the original are the Endless (which was
basically the original mode in the first game) and Flash modes. Endless
as the name suggests, is just an endless game of Columns, to see how
long you can last. Flash is the most fun out of all the modes. In this
mode you have to reach the bottom of a column filled screen to get to
a flashing gem. Connect two more of the same color with the flashing
gem to win and move on to the next level. I'm not sure how many levels
there are, as around level five it got increasingly difficult.

Another thing of interest is that once again you can link up to play
some two-player Columns, if you have a friend with a Game Gear, Super
Columns, and a link cable. Yeah, didn't think so.

The gameplay this time around has been altered ever so slightly, but
also tremendously. In the original you could only drop the block in
columns, but now with the "1" button on the Game Gear you can flip
the block on their side and drop them in rows. This opens up doors to
many new strategies to the game. Mastering when to drop columns or
rows is imperative to successful most likely, so practice up. There are
also garbage blocks or sand blocks that the computer can send your
way when he pulls off combos. These litter the screen and you can't
destroy them unless you too can pull off some sweet combos. There
are also the sparkly pieces that get rid off every type of colored block
based on the one it lands on. Very helpful when the screen gets filled.

Endless mode is the only mode that presents options for you, and it's
two steps forward, and one back from the original. You have normal
and hard difficulty, and ten different difficulty levels to start at. There
are six different pieces of music to listen too, but now there are only
two types of block designs. The original had elaborate ones like fruits
and card symbols, but now we have the standard gems, and generic
squares. Boo on that.

The graphics are just as colorful as the first game, the exception here
is that the background is of a Middle Eastern town. The characters and
cut scenes are a nice plus, and even the title screen looks better.
Cosmetically, this is more advanced as it should be. All of the text on
the screen like "score" and "gems" are done up in colorful crazy text
that looks cool. The gems are all very easy to see with the nice full
color back lit game gear screen. So you can play Columns anywhere at
any time and see what your doing perfectly.

The new music in this game is very good. Nothing too memorable, but
catchy none the less. Still kinda going with the classical theme from
the first game, but this one combines more elements of fun to the
sound. The sparkle sound when the blocks disappear is just as good,
and overall you won't be disappointed with the sound.

Replay wise, it's a puzzle game, so it never gets old per say. Story
mode is impossible though. You have to win five matches against the
computer and you can't change the difficulty or number of matches or
anything. This is a shame because for months I have wanted to get
further into the game, but I'm lucky to beat the first guy once or twice.
Flash mode will also bring you back just to see how far you can go. Is
there no end? And of course just playing endless mode on those long
car trips can be very enjoyable. However, the difficulty has really put
me off, so I tend to play the original more often.

So in my mind the original Columns was the perfect puzzler for Game
Gear. And while this version does add some stuff to the table, it also
takes some stuff away. No options in Flash mode, very limited block
choices, and an incredibly hard Story mode take away from all the new
stuff. It's still a fun puzzler that will eat up much of your time, and it is
one of my favorite Game Gear games, but compared to the original
gem that was Columns, this one is just a pretty rock.

Review by: Orochi Sonic