Your Personal Greatest Games of All Times And/Or Personal Greatest in Specific Genre(s)

NerfedFalcon

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There will never be another competitive block-dropping puzzle game better than Puyo Puyo 2, for one simple reason: it invented and perfected the mechanic that every game in that genre since it came out shares, the offset rule. Besides that, the single-player challenge tower with its high replayability, the cute graphics and characters, plus the basic mechanics so polished that subsequent games in its own series still use them just about verbatim, make it the benchmark everyone's comparing themselves to even now.

It's like how every fantasy novel is touted as "the next Lord of the Rings" instead of "the next the last thing that claimed to be the equal of The Lord of the Rings".
 
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NerfedFalcon

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Could you explain this for those of us not overly familiar with the block-dropping puzzle genre.
The original format for competitive games in that style (think Tetris) was basically just a race to score more points, the 'race' part sometimes being optional. The original Puyo Puyo made it so that when you clear blocks, you send garbage blocks to your opponent's side to fill their stack. However, since you only needed a 6-chain to do it, every Puyo Puyo match was a race to build a 6-chain first. Other games that adopted the system had the same or a similar issue, and then PP2 was released with a rule that if you had garbage waiting to drop on you, but then you started clearing blocks before it fell, you would clear the amount of garbage you would've sent from your own stack first, and only then send any garbage that you score on top of that.

Rather than a pure chain race, offsetting makes games a lot more strategic: do you annoy your opponent with small chains or try to go for a big one, and if they start clearing, (when) do you start your offset? If they've got a one-hit-KO 6-chain ready, but you have one too, do you try to raise it to 7 so that you'll send your own counter-blow back, or pull the trigger now and force the other guy to respond? That was PP2's competitive edge in the market, and it was big enough that every block-dropping game since it came out has that rule.

30 years later, Puyo Puyo 2 is still the single biggest influence on the entire genre, and that by itself would be enough to make it important. But it also gets everything else so right that even its own sequels really only change the graphics (with any changes that do happen usually getting panned so much they don't get used again), and that's why it's the greatest of all time.
 

Drathnoxis

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The original format for competitive games in that style (think Tetris) was basically just a race to score more points, the 'race' part sometimes being optional. The original Puyo Puyo made it so that when you clear blocks, you send garbage blocks to your opponent's side to fill their stack. However, since you only needed a 6-chain to do it, every Puyo Puyo match was a race to build a 6-chain first. Other games that adopted the system had the same or a similar issue, and then PP2 was released with a rule that if you had garbage waiting to drop on you, but then you started clearing blocks before it fell, you would clear the amount of garbage you would've sent from your own stack first, and only then send any garbage that you score on top of that.

Rather than a pure chain race, offsetting makes games a lot more strategic: do you annoy your opponent with small chains or try to go for a big one, and if they start clearing, (when) do you start your offset? If they've got a one-hit-KO 6-chain ready, but you have one too, do you try to raise it to 7 so that you'll send your own counter-blow back, or pull the trigger now and force the other guy to respond? That was PP2's competitive edge in the market, and it was big enough that every block-dropping game since it came out has that rule.

30 years later, Puyo Puyo 2 is still the single biggest influence on the entire genre, and that by itself would be enough to make it important. But it also gets everything else so right that even its own sequels really only change the graphics (with any changes that do happen usually getting panned so much they don't get used again), and that's why it's the greatest of all time.
Oh, neat. Yeah I do recognize those mechanics in Pokemon Puzzle League, which is my only interaction point with the competitive puzzle genre.
 

BrawlMan

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Ok here's the stupidest one because I'm in a mood...

Creed up the a$$

View attachment 12434
I would put II at my #1 spot. The original would be somewhere in the top ten, but at #9. The first game is like a glorified tech demo nowadays.

What will you have after all of those AssCreeds, @Old_Hunter_77? What will you have?
 

davidthomas34

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When it comes to selecting your personal greatest games, it’s often a reflection of the genres and experiences that resonate most with you. Whether it’s the excitement of action-packed adventures, the challenge of strategy games, or the immersive nature of role-playing games, everyone has their top picks. These personal favorites are shaped by nostalgia, enjoyment, and how deeply the game has impacted you.

For me, while I enjoy a variety of games, the one I enjoy the most is an online racing game. It's an exhilarating experience that keeps me hooked, with fast-paced action and intense competition. I spend most of my free time racing, as the thrill of the speed, strategy, and skill required in these games is unmatched. The dynamic nature of online racing makes it one of my personal greatest games, offering endless excitement and challenges that always keep me coming back for more.