Topic: The puzzle discussion thread

I dunno whether I'm the only puzzle game freak on the forums, but I love them. It started with Tetris on the original Gameboy, and has continued through my gaming life ever since. I've moved on a bit from Tetris - other than the occasional multiplayer bout I don't really play that one any more, but I do love getting into the more experimental puzzle games that are around these days.

The DS is the king of puzzle games, imo, especially with DSiWare - that download service is just filled with awesome puzzle experiences. But, of course, both the Wii and PSN have great puzzle collections too.

Some of my favourite puzzlers include:

1) Art Style - which are all minimalistic and abstract, but really well-built puzzle games - simple but at the same time they're all challenging. Highlights are Kubos and Rotohex for me - both aesthetically and in terms of gameplay.

2) Luminines - I only just downloaded it on the PS3, but now I've discovered it I'm certain that I'll be spending a LOT of time with it. The fusion of puzzle game and music is excellent, and the aesthetics, through the skins, add a lot to the atmosphere.

3) Mitchell Puzzlers (Wakugumi and Polarium) - people say these two games are visually boring and too simple. I disagree on both counts. Both games are incredibly difficult to master, and the visual style is simple, but also incredibly artistic in a minimalistic fashion. It's the kind of visuals that would look at home in an interactive art exhibition. Wakugumi especially gets a lot of play time on my DSi.

So, lets discuss puzzlers of all kinds in here!

Portal is my favorite, by far.

I found Portal a little too complex for a puzzle game, personally.

I think I prefer my puzzle games to have a minimal concept and presentation, but within that, a complex idea that you have to work at to master (kinda like Chess - which I prefer as a board game to an expansive strategy game like Warhammer). Take Kubos/ precipice, for instance. It's an outrageously simple concept, and very minimal presentation, but personally I find it one of the most graphically appealing games of this generation, and I played it for hours upon hours to get to the point where I can get a high score of 3.7 million.

Boom Blox: Bash Party is the only puzzle game I have.

The other really simple ones without expansions I can play for free on Flash game sites.

I too am a huge puzzle nut. Been one since the days of MS-DOS and Tetris on the GB. I'll play any kind, though I'm quite partial to falling block puzzlers and puzzle-platformers.

My top 10:
1. Tetris (multi)
2. Lumines (PSP)
3. Puzzle LEague (multi)
4. Braid (PC)
5. Portal (PC)
6. World of Goo (Wiiware)
7. Mr. Driller series (multi)
8. Bust a Move (multi)
9. Donkey Kong (GB)
10. Marble Madness (Arcade)

I'm not much of a puzzle person at all. The only one that I really enjoy much is Dr. Mario for short periods. Although I haven't played that many since I'm not a fan.

TETRIS BABY!

Aquia was my shot in the dark when it came to puzzle games. It was a new genre for me at the time, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I've now downloaded titles such as PiCTOBiTS, Cubello and Mario vs. DK, and I absolutely love 'em!
_{precipice was okay...but it wasn't very puzzle-y enough for me...}
I probably wouldn't buy a full-price retail puzzle game though, because I'm getting plenty of entertainment from the five to eight bucks I spend on downloadable ones...

Has anyone else ever played any of the Grow series games at eyezmaze.com before? the idea is to put each item onto the grow planet or area in sequence in order to have everything be maxed out at the end of the puzzle and see the best ending. They're really interesting; i was just thinking earlier today how cool it would be to have a set of Grow puzzles that was DSi exclusive or something.

Puzzle League FTW!

I wish there were another name for the genre that includes falling blocks, match three, etc. Tetris isn't much of a puzzle. Certainly seems odd for someone to mention Portal in the same thread as if the two games would have anything in common whatsoever, and yet what else could Portal be but a puzzle game? I thought Portal was brilliant and funny. I hope the hinted-at sequel can live up to its name.

But putting such games aside and considering only Tetris-like "puzzle" games, I actually love a lot of these games. What's unfortunate though is, unlike millions of others, I can't play a game like Tetris by myself and enjoy it. I absolutely have to be playing with someone, and sadly none of my gaming friends like puzzle games much and tend to be not so great at them anyway. For a couple months I played Art Style: Base 10 on my own fairly often (never played versus), but that was a rare exception.

Anyway, my absolute favorite puzzle game is Puzzle League, specifically Tetris Attack since it's the only one I've played so far. I also love Puyo Puyo Pop, Tetris (including co-op on WiiWare, and Push on DS), Dr. Mario, Base 10, Pictobits, Box Life, and probably a couple others I've forgotten.

Oooh, thankyou for showing me those - I've never played them before, but they're awesome.

I also enjoy the genre (hence my massive string of 7 for the multitudes of decent ones). I like ones that can be played in short bursts. I'm not going to give away too much of my upcoming preview, but Astro Bugz Revenge has some potential as a combination of Puzzle Bobble and Space Invaders.

It's the arcade like aspect that attracts me. Tetris doesn't work as well for me on a console because it can be a time sink, so I usually only play Shadow Mode in Tetris Party (the level editor for that mode is the main draw of the upcoming retail release for me), otherwise I find it a bit too easy and end up purposefully messing up just to introduce some challenge - though admittedly multi-player is another story.

So Dr. Mario style games in short bursts are ones I enjoy more. I still play Block Out in MAME - best 3D version of Tetris ever - and hope someone brings it to Wii in some form. Another arcade puzzler I enjoy is Hasamu, which is a Japanese game using mahjong tiles where you need to attempt to clear a board using a limited number of tiles to make Shanghai-style matches.

I need Wetrix and Tetrisphere sooooo bad! D:

I just downloaded Magnetis on VC, and I think it's great.

Puzzle League, Tetris, and Dr. Mario.

Zelda

The MegaDrive game Columns on Sega Genesis Collection. Seriously, that game is, imvho, the most addicting puzzler I've yet played.

I really didn't think Magical Drop III would be any good on Data East Arcade Classics, but it actually does bring an interesting twist to the Puzzle Bobble formula - worth checking out.

I can't wait for Data East Arcade Classics to be released.