Sega Ages Puyo Puyo 2

It's been more than 25 years since Puyo Puyo 2 first debuted in Japanese arcades. Now the classic and quirky puzzle game comes to a whole new generation of gamers in Sega Ages Puyo Puyo 2. The game's presentation and gameplay remain faithful to the original release, which can be both good and bad. On the positive side, Puyo Puyo 2 has a lighthearted and all-ages take on the puzzle genre, with cute characters and controls that are easy to pick up and play. But it's hard to deny that the game is also starting to show its age. The "vintage" screen mode highlights this by making the game appear even more dated. And while the controls are simple to learn, there's still a bit of a learning curve to understand just how the gameplay unfolds. This can be frustrating for younger gamers, especially early on.

While Sega Ages Puyo Puyo 2 mainly stays true to the original, that doesn't mean a few additional features haven't been tossed in for good measure. The most obvious of these is the "Time Rewind" feature, which gives players the chance to roll back moves and correct earlier mistakes. While it's a helpful tool for understanding the mechanics of the game and for fixing accidental "oops" moments, it's also an easy feature to abuse, removing any consequence and challenge from a match. The game also includes battle modes for both local and online matches. This gives players a chance to put their Puyo matching skills against other human players, whether it's that friend sitting on the same couch or a stranger on the other side of the globe. Online matches seem stable for the most part, though some moments of lag can interrupt the flow of the occasional match. While Sega Ages Puyo Puyo 2 is fun, especially if you haven't played it before, its outdated play won't keep you busy for very long unless you're a big puzzle fan.