All Killer, No Filler Gamelists Part 4 - PUZZLE

[BadMouth]

Directory of "All Killer, No Filler Gamelists"

JUST BECAUSE A GAME IS IN THIS LIST DOES NOT MEAN IT IS WORKING 100% CORRECTLY IN MAME.
LOTS OF GREAT GAMES ARE PERFECTLY PLAYABLE, BUT HAVE SMALL SOUND OR GRAPHICS ISSUES CAUSING THEM TO BE LISTED AS NOT PERFECTLY EMULATED IN MAME.
DO NOT USE A NO-NAG VERSION OF MAME AND THEN COMPLAIN TO MAME DEVS AFTER YOU'VE REMOVED THE GIANT RED BOX THEY PUT THERE TO INFORM YOU THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE GAME.  IF YOU FEEL THE NEED TO ASK ABOUT AN ISSUE, ALWAYS TEST WITH THE UNADULTERATED OFFICIAL MAME BUILD FIRST.

EDIT: batch file added.  There are probably still too many Japanese block games in the list, but oh well.  It's a small genre.

EDIT: 5/16 Ditched Otenki since it's a CHD game and most people aren't going to like it anyway.  Added Super Pang.
Required CHDs:
otenki - It's another Japanese language block stacking game.  It was just different enough to stay in the list, but if you're conserving space or downloading CHDs one at a time, you won't be missing much by skipping it.


Original post:

All killer/No filler gamelists per genre for people who are interested in quality over quantity.
Yes it's subjective, but I trust the judgement of people with a passion for a genre.
This is not about listing every game in a genre.
That would put us right back up to scrolling through thousands of games, most of which suck.

Arcade games only, plain old joystick controls only.
To this one I'll add "No Porn" 

Next up is PUZZLE games. 
This is the list straight from my cab.
It's pretty short to begin with.
I love me some puzzle bobble, but we probably don't need 4 versions.

Anything to add?  Anything to cut?

mame

AQUA RUSH
BAKU BAKU ANIMAL
BANG BANG BALL
BLOCK HOLE
BLOCK OUT
CHICKEN SHIFT
COLUMNS
CROSS PANG
DHARMA DOUJOU
DEROON DERODERO
DR MARIO
EMERALDIA
GHOSTLOP
HATCH CATCH
KLAX
LAND MAKER
LOCO MOTION
MAGICAL ERROR WO SAGASE
MOSAIC (F2 Systems) (commented out in batch file because some of the pictures are racy. interesting game though)
MOUSE SHOOTER GOGO
MR DRILLER
MAGICAL DROP 3
MOTOS
MONEY PUZZLE EXCHANGER
OH MY GOD!
PLOTTING (FLIPULL)
PURURUN
PUYO PUYO 2
PUZZ LOOP
PUZZ LOOP 2
PUZZLE DE PON
PUZZLE BOBBLE 2
PUZZLE BOBBLE 4
PUZZLE! MUSHIHIME-TAMA
PUZZLED - JOY JOY KID
PUZZLI 2 SUPER
QIX
RISKY CHALLENGE
SENKYU (jumper must be moved in MAME after initial update)
SPOT
SUPER PANG
SUPER PUZZLE FIGHTER II TURBO
TAISEN TOKKAE-DAMA
TETRIS PLUS 2
TETRIS THE ABSOLUTE GRAND MASTER
UO POKO
WATER BALLS


naomi

AZUMANGA DAIOH PUZZLE
CLEOPATRA FORTUNE PLUS
KURU KURO CHAMELEON
PUYO PUYO FEVER
SEGA TETRIS

[harveybirdman]

Money Puzzle Exchanger

[harveybirdman]

Block Hole

[pbj]

Dump Puzzle Bobble 1 - it's impossible for the colorblind to play.  They added symbols to the balls in later versions.  Klax is pretty damned impossible, too.

Add:

Dr. Mario
Magical Drop 3
Puzzloop
Uo Poko
Qix

[harveybirdman]

second on one of the Magical Drop series.


Motos is pretty interesting.

[Malenko]

Baku Baku Animal
Chicken Shift
Ghostlop
Klax
Mr.Driller
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Pnickies
Puzzloop
Qix
Uo Poko


Pick one of the Puzzle Bobbles, and replace the rest with Puzzle D'Pon

[BadMouth]

Pick one of the Puzzle Bobbles, and replace the rest with Puzzle D'Pon

I couldn't live with only one Puzzle Bobble, so I kept 4 and added Bust-A-Move Again.
It's a lie I can live with.

[monkeybomb]

Purunrun - great co-op 2 player
Aqua rush - unique, simple,  fast paced, great combo of thinking about the puzzle but also operating the controls quickly.
Puzzli - or Puzzli 2

For the puzzle bobble series, I would include Super puzzle bobble because it adds a lot of elements not in the other games. I would swap out 4.  4 is really just about the chain balance.  I also prefer bust a move to bust a move again because I can't stand that beach background on bust a move again.  I realize you lose a lot of levels if you do that.

[RetroGreg]

I like the list. Would Pang qualify as a puzzle game or would it be on a different list?

[monkeybomb]

I like the list. Would Pang qualify as a puzzle game or would it be on a different list?

Fun game but I think it's considered a platform game. 

[Malenko]

I couldn't live with only one Puzzle Bobble, so I kept 4 and added Bust-A-Move Again.
It's a lie I can live with.

lol. No shame in having more than 1 bust a move, I was thinking 2 and 4. As for Magical Drop, I prefer the game play of 2 but the slightly more colorful sprites of 3, so maybe both of those too?
Kinda fun talking about these cause I have the neogeo carts

Pang / Super Pang ........ I'll leave it up to BM to say if its puzzle or platformer, I could see it either way.

[BadMouth]

Not sure when I'll get to it, but I'll check out Pang and see what I think.

Again, it's not a problem to have a game on more than one list.
Some games fit multiple categories.

The final and probably biggest PITA category will be CLASSICS.
There will be overlap there.  Thankfully we have a few other categories to go first. 

[Haze]

you have Naomi games in your 'MAME' list still..

also, maybe it's just me, but as a lover of puzzle games this list seems to be all filler, no killer.

I've gone over the top 20 most played games that the category files class as 'puzzle' on my other machine and not a single one is in this list, and when I look at the above list there's barely a game on there that actually excites me, looks like many are on there because they're known titles / from known manufacturers rather than actually being a selection of the best games.

 

[BadMouth]

you have Naomi games in your 'MAME' list still..

Which ones?

I've gone over the top 20 most played games that the category files class as 'puzzle' on my other machine and not a single one is in this list, and when I look at the above list there's barely a game on there that actually excites me, looks like many are on there because they're known titles / from known manufacturers rather than actually being a selection of the best games.

So are you going to share with us the names of the ones you enjoy or will they remain a mystery?

[Malenko]

I've gone over the top 20 most played games that the category files class as 'puzzle' on my other machine and not a single one is in this list, and when I look at the above list there's barely a game on there that actually excites me, looks like many are on there because they're known titles / from known manufacturers rather than actually being a selection of the best games.

Dont be a Paige Oliver. Either help out or pound sand.

Puzzle Fighter is great and it should be on your top 20, so shame on you for it not being there.

[Haze]

you have Naomi games in your 'MAME' list still..

Which ones?

AZUMANGA DAIOH PUZZLE
CLEOPATRA FORTUNE PLUS
KURUKURU CHAMELEON

I've gone over the top 20 most played games that the category files class as 'puzzle' on my other machine and not a single one is in this list, and when I look at the above list there's barely a game on there that actually excites me, looks like many are on there because they're known titles / from known manufacturers rather than actually being a selection of the best games.

So are you going to share with us the names of the ones you enjoy or will they remain a mystery?

yeah, hold on, the 'puzzle' category is quite broad, so just needed to strip out some I don't consider puzzle games (Gals Panic style things) and also the Tile Matching 'shanghai' style games because I know most people hate them.

Aqua Rush
Cross Pang
Deroon DeroDero
Dharma Doujou
Emeraldia
Flipull (Plotting)
Gussun Oyoyo (Risky Challenge)
Hatch Catch
Itazura Tenshi (not really sure I count this as a Puzzle game personally tho)
Land Maker
Magical Error wo Sagase
Mausuke no Ojama the World
Mosaic (F2 System)
Mouse Shooter GoGo
Neratte Chu
Naname de Magic!
Oh My God!
Otenki Kororin
Phozon
Poto Poto
Puyo Puyo 2
Puzzle! Mushihime-Tama
Puzzli 2 Super
Quantum (I'd count this as action..)
Taisen Tokkae-dama
Water Balls

some of those are a little obscure, some of them more common, some are sequels / variations on what you have (Puzzle! Mushihime-Tama being the sequel to Uopoko whereas Mouse Shooter GoGo I believe is a prequel to Bang Bang Ball) and some might have been played a fair bit out of curiosity more than long term enjoyment (Water Balls?)

I'm a bit surprised Senkyu (Battle Balls) didn't make my top list too, because I really enjoy that one, it's already on your list anyway tho, and the ones above were played more..

Also I really don't like Super Puzzle Fighter, sorry, I'm of the general opinion that if it hadn't been from Capcom and featured SF characters it would have been long forgotten by now; in terms of block dropping games I find Deroon DeroDero infinitely more fun.

[BadMouth]

Thanks! 

I will get the list updated when I get a chance.

EDIT:  I see Monkeybomb has mentioned a few of these.  I just haven't had a chance to update the list.

[Haze]

also in terms of "BUST A MOVE AGAIN EX"

I assume you mean the NeoGeo version of Puzzle Bobble 2 (set to US region?)

I don't really understand the appeal of that thing, it's just a horribly butchered version of Puzzle Bobble 2 from what I can see, adapted to run on the lower spec NeoGeo instead of Taito F3.  Simply having the proper version of Puzzle Bobble 2 (or Puzzle Bobble 2X, if you don't mind the Japanese - there was no English release of that one)

[Haze]

Thanks! 

I will get the list updated when I get a chance.

EDIT:  I see Monkeybomb has mentioned a few of these.  I just haven't had a chance to update the list.

Keep in mind that Pang and Cross Pang are 2 very different games from entirely different manufacturers.

I'd count Pang as an action / shooting / platform game, whereas Cross Pang is a grid based puzzler.

[BadMouth]

also in terms of "BUST A MOVE AGAIN EX"

I assume you mean the NeoGeo version of Puzzle Bobble 2 (set to US region?)

I don't really understand the appeal of that thing, it's just a horribly butchered version of Puzzle Bobble 2 from what I can see, adapted to run on the lower spec NeoGeo instead of Taito F3.  Simply having the proper version of Puzzle Bobble 2 (or Puzzle Bobble 2X, if you don't mind the Japanese - there was no English release of that one)

It wasn't on the original list (so isn't on my cab).  I was looking for options to sneak 2 back in after trimming down the number of puzzle bobble games.
I looked at the flyer while tied to my desk at work (as I am now).  It made it sound like it had extra levels and extra gameplay modes compared to puzzle bobble 2.

This is a WIP.  I plan to give all these at least a cursory play before calling it complete.
At this point, more will be cut than added.

[Haze]

also in terms of "BUST A MOVE AGAIN EX"

I assume you mean the NeoGeo version of Puzzle Bobble 2 (set to US region?)

I don't really understand the appeal of that thing, it's just a horribly butchered version of Puzzle Bobble 2 from what I can see, adapted to run on the lower spec NeoGeo instead of Taito F3.  Simply having the proper version of Puzzle Bobble 2 (or Puzzle Bobble 2X, if you don't mind the Japanese - there was no English release of that one)

It wasn't on the original list (so isn't on my cab).  I was looking for options to sneak 2 back in after trimming down the number of puzzle bobble games.
I looked at the flyer while tied to my desk at work (as I am now).  It made it sound like it had extra levels and extra gameplay modes compared to puzzle bobble 2.

This is a WIP.  I plan to give all these at least a cursory play before calling it complete.
At this point, more will be cut than added.

I'd go with 2X then, and accept the Japanese selection screens, IMHO that's the best version of '2'

[Haze]

Also be careful with Mosaic, there are multiple games with that title, the one I'm talking about is the F2 Systems one, which is putting pieces of a picture back together properly, not the SPACE / Fuuki game which is a dull tetris type thing.

[smass]

Wow, with the exception of tetris, I am going to skip this entire genre.  These games give me hives.  Puzzle games on an arcade cab just don't do it for me.  I will put tetris in my classic list and call it a day. 

[pbj]

I'm not sure that a bunch of jap crap nobody has ever heard of constitutes a 'killer' puzzle game for an arcade cabinet, but I suppose some of these titles can be fired up for a test drive.

[BadMouth]

Wow, with the exception of tetris, I am going to skip this entire genre.  These games give me hives.  Puzzle games on an arcade cab just don't do it for me.  I will put tetris in my classic list and call it a day. 

You use and love Hyperspin, don't you?

[smass]

Wow, with the exception of tetris, I am going to skip this entire genre.  These games give me hives.  Puzzle games on an arcade cab just don't do it for me.  I will put tetris in my classic list and call it a day. 

You use and love Hyperspin, don't you?

Maximus actually.  I guess I just prefer shmups, fighting games, and some sports games.  I like a good 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle now and again, but not on my arcade cab.  To each his own. 

And good job with the lists anyway.  They have been a great help to me overall, in this case the puzzle list has helped me decide: I hate puzzle games.

[BadMouth]

Wow, with the exception of tetris, I am going to skip this entire genre.  These games give me hives.  Puzzle games on an arcade cab just don't do it for me.  I will put tetris in my classic list and call it a day. 

You use and love Hyperspin, don't you?

Maximus actually.  I guess I just prefer shmups, fighting games, and some sports games.  I like a good 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle now and again, but not on my arcade cab.  To each his own. 

And good job with the lists anyway.  They have been a great help to me overall, in this case the puzzle list has helped me decide: I hate puzzle games.

Bah, thought I had you pegged.   
Certain people need LOTS of sensory stimulation to be entertained. 
Those types absolutely love Hyperspin.

[harveybirdman]

I'm not sure that a bunch of jap crap nobody has ever heard of constitutes a 'killer' puzzle game for an arcade cabinet, but I suppose some of these titles can be fired up for a test drive.

Yeah what would the Dev responsible for getting a ton of games working in MAME know?  Am I right? 

[pbj]

I'm not sure that a bunch of jap crap nobody has ever heard of constitutes a 'killer' puzzle game for an arcade cabinet, but I suppose some of these titles can be fired up for a test drive.

Yeah what would the Dev responsible for getting a ton of games working in MAME know?  Am I right? 

Ability to work on emulators != good taste in games.  Generally the market prevailed and there aren't too many le arcade gems that aren't well known.

I'm not so sure I'd trust the judgement of someone that's spent 5,000 hours tweaking sound effects in Donkey Kong.  That's like being an ice cream taster at a dairy farm.  Eventually only some weird, weird stuff is going to raise your pulse - and, in this case, instead of pistachio squid swirl it's going to be cat girls flashing panties for successfully matching tiles.

[harveybirdman]

l it's going to be cat girls flashing panties for successfully matching tiles.

You say that like it's a bad thing?

[paigeoliver]

Atari's Tetris is essentially the worst version of Tetris ever made. Every version that came after it was so much better that they retroactively made it not fun. It also requires 4-way joysticks and is essentially unplayable without them. I would remove it from the list. It is not killer, it is both filler, and not fully playable on the average machine (which lacks dual 4-way sticks).

[monkeybomb]

My puzzle list has the other two you picked:

TETRIS PLUS
TETRIS THE ABSOLUTE GRAND MASTER

All the other versions are on a hidden list of games that I don't want people to accidentally play.  Seems like an easy drop.

I'll second Haze on Puzzle! Mushihime-Tama.  I think it's lesser known because it hasn't been there as long as most titles.  I updated to 161 last year, but had never heard of the game prior.

[Haze]

Well with most of the puzzle games it is whatever the 'unique twist' they have is which makes or breaks them.

Obviously you've got your 'pure' classics, like Puyo Puyo and Columns which provide a template for a large part of the genre, but a lot of the games I've listed expand on that in some way I find unique or interesting enough to play them for long periods.

Others (eg. Risky Challenge) are truly unique games, doing something completely unexpected with the formula, crossing boundaries of genres etc.  Arcades are actually severely lacking in this genre compared to home platforms, although yeah, I think it's because many of them require thinking, and people playing arcade games don't want to think (same for a lot of games in general these days?)  They seemed to be more popular in Japan, so many of the better titles are better known there.

[BadMouth]

I'm calling this one done.  I went with Puzzle Bobble 2 rather than 2x because the list was already full of games with Japanese menus and instructions.
For the same reason I dropped some of the Japanese block stacking games.

I did not retest all the games in the list again after tweaking the bat file.
It should be good, but if any of the games are missing required files let me know.
I just don't want to spend any more time on it.

[gildahl]

Blue Print

[Generic Eric]

Does Mr. Driller still get laggy?  Was it the mame version or was it my machine?

[BadMouth]

Does Mr. Driller still get laggy?  Was it the mame version or was it my machine?

It's on the "playstation" arcade hardware, like Tekken 3.
It takes a fairly decent PC to run.

IIRC, it is playable with lesser hardware using the Zinc emulator.
You might need an older rom, from the olden Zinc days.

[Generic Eric]

Does Mr. Driller still get laggy?  Was it the mame version or was it my machine?

It's on the "playstation" arcade hardware, like Tekken 3.
It takes a fairly decent PC to run.

IIRC, it is playable with lesser hardware using the Zinc emulator.
You might need an older rom, from the olden Zinc days.

[pbj]

Mr Driller is a puzzle game like Dig Dug is a puzzle game.  In other words, it's not a puzzle game.

[thomashenry]

Puzznic? Probably my favourite arcade puzzle game.