| Best Action/Puzzle
Adventures
of Lolo
Long before
they were making Kirby
games as a part of the Nintendo collective, HAL was developing Adventures
of Lolo, a whimsical action/puzzle game that spawned two hit sequels. You
control the fuzzy, spherical prince Lolo. This cute puffball must solve
50 different puzzles to rescue his beloved lass, Lala. Each stage has several
heart icons that must be collected to proceed. Your arsenal is limited
to the occasional ability to turn enemies into eggs, so most of the time
it's about strategic avoidance. Deceptively cute, this game's difficulty
betrays its seemingly kid-friendly exterior. We decided to separate games
like Lolo into the action/puzzle genre, as there is a sizeable difference
between block-pushing mindbenders and Tetris.
Any puzzle game in which you controlled an onscreen character was placed
in this category, but we experienced some difficulty coming up with worthy
competitors to Lolo's legacy.
Runners up:
Marble
Madness
 A
classic trackball arcade game, Marble Madness has appeared on several consoles
over the years. The NES version is perhaps the most popular, retaining
the fun of the arcade original despite the system's lack of a trackball
controller. You guide a personality-deprived blue marble thorough various
obstacle courses, avoiding enemies and the ever-present danger of falling
off the edge. Heavily stylized graphics and a believable physics model
make this game a standout hit in the action/puzzle genre. Nothing of its
kind had really been seen before, and surprisingly, nothing since its release
has captured the same unique spirit.
Lode
Runner
 While
most of us agreed that Lode Runner was a landmark title for the Commodore
64 and Apple II, several felt that this NES version had no business being
considered for this award. However, classically simple gameplay, functional
graphics, and a high level of difficulty make this a title to check out
for the puzzle-inclined. A map edit mode allows you to create your own
custom levels, so the fun is only limited by your ingenuity.
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