GRcade

Missed the previous GRecommends? You can find a list of previous votes and results in this carefully prepared document

This month I want to try and find the 10 greatest puzzle games of all time.

As always, the definition is up to you, but here's what Wikipedia has to say:

Puzzle video games are a genre of video games that emphasise puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test many problem-solving skills including logic, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion. The player may have unlimited time or attempts to solve a puzzle, or there may be simple puzzles made difficult by having to complete them in real-time

Before I started this series of GRecommends there were two categories where I thought there would be a nailed-on winner – and this was one of them. But will that prove to be the case?

Just list your top 10 below (each counts for one vote, so ranking them isn't important). No compilations please, single releases only.

If you are voting for Tetris, please could you specify a particular version because some are significantly different enough (different modes for example) to count for a different vote. You can find a list of the different versions here, and you can vote for more than one if you like.

Nominations are open for a month and voting closes on 11 November.

There is also still time to vote for your top 10 Xbox360 games too.

Here are mine to get going:

• Lemmings (PC)
• Tetris (Game Boy)
• Puyo Pop Fever (GameCube)
• Bust-a-Move 2 (PlayStation, Nintendo 64)
• Super Bomberman 3 (SNES)
• It’s Mr Pants (Game Boy Advance)
• Meteos (Nintendo DS)
• Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (Nintendo DS)
• Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (Xbox 360)
• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Wii U)

The Talos Principle (PC)
Portal (PC)
Portal 2 (PC)
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments (Xbox One)
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (PC)
Hexcells Infinite (PC)
Spacechem (PC)
Lumines (PSP)

Can't think of two more, puzzle games aren't really my thing; i'm too thick for hexcells and spacechem but recognise that they're both very good.

Erm....

Tetris (GB)
Lemmings (Amiga)
Klax (C64)
Krusty's Fun House (SNES)
Columns (Megadrive)
1000000 (Android)
Chu Chu Rocket

I think thats pretty much everything Ive ever played.

If Super Monkey Ball counts that too.

If Tetris doesn't win this there is something wrong with the world.

Tetris
Portal
Donkey Kong 94
Pac Man Championship Edition
Drop 7
Fez
World Of Goo
Peggle (does that count?)
The Lost Vikings
Braid

1. Tetris
2. Portal 2
3. Marble Blast Ultra
4. Zuma
5. Mole Mania
6. Donkey Kong 94
7. Lost Vikings
8. Professor Leyton and the Curious Village
9. Kuru Kuru Kururin
10. Pokemon Puzzle League

Honourable mentions: Dr Mario, Portal, Lemmings, World of Goo, Solomon's Key, Hexic HD, Kula World, Mario vs DK

#. 42 All Time Classics - Nintendo DS.
#. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker - Nintendo Wii U.
#. Kororinpa - Nintendo Wii.
#. KuruKuru Kururin - GBA.
#. Kururin Squash! - Nintendo GameCube.
#. Mario Vs Donkey Kong - GBA.
#. Picross 3D - Nintendo DS.
#. Portal - XBOX 360.
#. Tetris - Nintendo DS.
#. WarioWare Twisted! - GBA.

Puzzle Quest 2
Peggle
Tetris (GB)
The Bridge
Portal
Braid
Columns
Devil Dice
Kula World
Super Monkey Ball

#1 - Portal 2 (Xbox 360)
#2 - Portal (Xbox 360)
#3 - Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (Nintendo DS)
#4 - Hitman Go (iOS)
#5 - Professor Layton and the Lost Future (Nintendo DS)
#6 - Professor Layton and the Curious Village (Nintendo DS)
#7 - Thomas Was Alone (Wii U)
#8 - Fallblox (Nintendo 3DS)
#9 - Super Scribblenauts (Nintendo DS)
#10 - Lemmings (Amiga)

Tetris (Game Boy) is obviously a classic but I can't place it in my top 10 . Being colour-bind does mean that I can't play quite a few puzzle games. I was particularly frustrated when I couldn't play Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes on DS as that seemed ace. Most "Make 3" games are out of bounds, albeit I could do Puzzle Quest and that was a pleasant surprise .

This could take a while to finalise but here goes

• Tetris (Gameboy)
• Hexic HD (360)
• Columns (Megadrive)
• Hexcells Infinite (PC)
• Lara Croft GO (PC/IOS)
• Chu Chu Rocket (Dreamcast) - specifically the single player challenge mode
• Lumines (PSP)
• Bust a move 2 (Playstation)
• Meteos (DS)
• PicPic (DS)

Seeing a lot of non puzzlers getting votes in here, Peggle, Pac Man and Super Monkey Ball are all more skill/reflex based and don't actually require much puzzle solving (if any).

Not sure how pacman can be described as a puzzle game.

I can't contribute to this thread. please consider the witness.

Not sure I've got 10 at this moment but the following would definitely be in it

Tetris
Portal 2
Chu Chu Rocket
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure
Threes

EDIT: I need a Picross game in here.... I'd probably have to go with Picross on the DS.

Edit 2: Puzzle Series Vol. 5: Slitherlink - DS

Edit 3: Hotel Dusk Room 215 - DS

Final edit: Advance Wars - GBA
Stacking - PS3

Tetris (DS) - The DS version's online mode was brilliant.
Super Street Fighter Puzzle II Turbo (Saturn)
Bust A Move 2 (Saturn) - The Saturn version used the system clock for some ace seasonal 'Easter eggs' in the menu.
The Lost Vikings (SNES)
Portal (PC) - I loved this game. Even though I could only play it for fifteen minutes without getting severe motion sickness I still completed it.
Deflektor (ZX Spectrum)
Freecell (Windows) I'm still playing it after erm... quite some time. I am very good at it.
Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS)
Picross (DS)
Wooords (iOS)

Hmm...

1. Lemmings 2 The Tribes (Amiga)
2. Lumines (PSP)
3. Donkey Kong 94 (GB)
4. World of Goo (Wii)
5. Polarium (DS)
6. Mr Driller (DC)
7. Denki Blocks (GBA)
8. The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom (360)
9. Portal (PC)
10. SpaceChem (PC)

Controversial opinion...Tetris isn't that good.

HSH28 wrote:Hmm...

1. Lemmings 2 The Tribes (Amiga)
2. Lumines (PSP)
3. Donkey Kong 94 (GB)
4. World of Goo (Wii)
5. Polarium (DS)
6. Mr Driller (DC)
7. Denki Blocks (GBA)
8. The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom (360)
9. Portal (PC)
10. SpaceChem (PC)

Controversial opinion...Tetris isn't that good.

What? Also DC Mr Driller over the GameCube version? Someone reboot Hugo.

Tetris (GB)
Puyo Puyo Pop Fever (GC)
Planet Puzzle League (DS)
Mr Driller Drill Land (GC)
Denki Blocks (GBA)
Lumines Electronic Symphony (Vita)
Fez (PS4)
Lemmings 2 The Tribes (Amiga)
Donkey Kong 94 (GB)
Chime Super Deluxe (PS3)

suzzopher wrote:What? Also DC Mr Driller over the GameCube version? Someone reboot Hugo.

I have a copy of Drill Land but it was very difficult to actually play it. Perhaps it would have been a different story if it'd ever been released in English.

One question, is Advance Wars a puzzle game?

Rex Kramer wrote:One question, is Advance Wars a puzzle game?

I would say that's a strategy game, and those are coming up in a future edition of GRecommends.

SerialCeler wrote:

Rex Kramer wrote:One question, is Advance Wars a puzzle game?

I would say that's a strategy game, and those are coming up in a future edition of GRecommends.

You see, I'm not sure. I always felt like the missions in the original AW had only one correct solution, maybe that wasn't the case in the later releases.

Rex Kramer wrote:

SerialCeler wrote:

Rex Kramer wrote:One question, is Advance Wars a puzzle game?

I would say that's a strategy game, and those are coming up in a future edition of GRecommends.

You see, I'm not sure. I always felt like the missions in the original AW had only one correct solution, maybe that wasn't the case in the later releases.

It wasn't the case in any version of Advance Wars.

Just because there might be a perfect solution to the game doesn't make it a puzzle game. Its a Turn Based Strategy game, always has been and always will be.