40 - Puyo Puyo 2 (Various)

What's not to love about Puyo Puyo? This long-running series has appeared on many platforms and with many little tweaks here and there, and to be honest they're all pretty great but I've played the second one more than any.

I like the forward-planning element of it, which sets it apart from its obvious comparison, Tetris. In Puyo Puyo it's not enough to simply clear blobs off the screen. Because you're competing directly with an opponent it's vital that you plan ahead to unleash combos in order to drop trash blobs onto your opponent's stack. Of course they're trying to do the same to you. There's a clearly defined objective to it that makes it for me a little more enjoyable to play than Tetris - which basically amounts to hanging on until things become unplayable. Puyo Puyo is full of genuine character and amusing visuals, and who can deny the cuteness of those little blobs?

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