Video Game Review #100: Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine

Sega Genesis

Well here it is, my 100th video game review. I started reviewing games about two and a half or three years ago. I started simply because I had a massive collection of video games, but I would find myself only playing a select number of these games over and over again while the rest would sit on the shelf collecting dust. I figured that I would go through and play each game one by one. I'd then write a review for each game I played to help me remember the game. Then I would check the game off the list, put it into storage, and move on to the next game.

Even after about three years it still seems like I have barely made a dent in my collection. I have been trying to avoid buying new games until I am about 90% caught up with everything I own. But it hasn't exactly worked that way. Sometimes if I see a really good deal on a game, I just have to buy it. I do, however, believe I am reviewing games faster than I am buying them. So there is that.

I wanted to play something special for review #100. I've reviewed my fair share of Mario, Resident Evil, Metal Gear, and Final Fantasy games. One series I have barely touched, however, is the Sonic series. Out of my previous 99 game reviews, only two of these reviews have been Sonic games (the original Sonic and Sonic 2 for the Genesis). While this isn't technically a Sonic game, this game is very near and dear to my heart. When I was perusing my game collection and came along this title, I knew that this had to be it. Review #100.

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine actually is not a game I grew up with. I had a Genesis as a kid, but this title never appealed to me. Back then I was all about shooters, platformers, and fighting games. Outside of the original Tetris for the NES, puzzle games were simply not something I was interested in.

I first played Mean Bean Machine when I was about 20 or 21 years old. So it was about 2002 or 2003. I was living with a girlfriend at the time. We were gifted a Sega Genesis with a small handful of games. Some of the games were okay, but the game that we spent the majority of time playing was Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine.

I played through the single player campaign. I don't know if I beat it on my first go around or if I had to continue the next day, but I did finish it pretty quickly. I was challenged by the game, especially by some of its later bosses. I died many, many times but I eventually came through and won.

The game plays kinda sorta like Tetris. At the time, that was the only game I could compare it to. Since then I have played Dr. Mario and I can tell you that this game much more closely resembles Dr. Mario than it does Tetris. So if you have played Dr. Mario you should know what to expect with this game.

I don't know who you are supposed to be playing as. I assume Sonic, but it never actually shows your character. Your enemies are all robots or mutant lackeys of Dr. Robotnik, complete with witty one liners at the beginning of each match. "I've got more sizzle than a rasher of bacon!" is my all time favorite. One by one you take these bosses on in battle until you get to the final showdown at the end with the mad doctor himself.

The screen is split into two sections. If you are playing single player, you are on the left and the enemy is on the right. Different pairs of colored pieces come floating down. You can rotate these pieces however you like. But your ultimate goal is to match four of the same color. Make a match, and the pieces disappear.

Sounds simple, but it is really not. Because any idiot can match colors. If you want to win this game you are going to have to plan for a massive combo. For example let's say you have a stack piled up of several different colors. Your next move is green. You can match your green pieces to some green pieces towards the bottom of your stack. This causes the pieces above it to fall down, creating other color combinations. The bigger the combo, the more damage you inflict on your opponent. Because every time you score a combo, you drop boulders onto your opponent's screen.

These boulders block your opponent's progress. You have to create a color combo next to a boulder to make it disappear and go away. Clearly these things can be a big pain in the butt. If you get a giant combo you can literally bury your opponent in boulders and make them lose the game. The bigger the combo, the more you drop on your enemy. So that is the main point of the game. Be on the offensive. You always want to be an irritation in your opponent's plans. Constantly drop boulders on them. Go fast, plan for big combos. It doesn't hurt to be lucky either.

I played this game a lot and became really really good at it. My girlfriend at the time played it and liked it too. We would have the most intense two player battle sessions all night long. I have to hand it to her, she was a very worthy opponent. We were pretty even skill wise, but I give her the edge. There were nights when she seemed untouchable and could not be beaten. We played it for weeks on end. The competition was so fierce that there were times it was genuinely causing animosity between the two of us. Fighting over Mean Bean Machine. I can look back it and laugh now, but it was no joke back then. I am very competitive and so was she. We were heated when it came to this game.

Eventually we broke up. She kept the game, but that was fine. I actually now have two copies of this game. One of them is on Sonic Mega Collection for the Gamecube. The other one is on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection on PS3. I haven't played the game since, like I said, back in 2002 or 2003 when I was with her. But I knew that this was a fun game and a good one to go back and revisit and make my 100th review.

First thing I notice now is how much my skills have regressed. I found myself dying on some of the easier bosses in the game. I thought back to those fierce, epic two player battles I used to have and I used that as motivation to get my head back in the game. I ran into a few snags along the way, but I pretty much breezed through single player mode in an hour. Dr. Robotnik himself was a big letdown as I beat him within the first 36 seconds of the match.

After I beat the game I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. I used to play this game for weeks on end. I had such great memories playing it. I play it now in modern time and finish it in an hour. And I don't have anyone who could stand up to me competitively enough to make the two player fun anymore. I felt like I expected more.

I did give the game's ultra hard mode a shot. This is something I usually don't do on games because I know I will never be good enough to master it. I ran into major trouble immediately. I could tell it was going to be much more difficult this time around. I had to go on super crazy attack mode and hope for the best. I spent a good amount of time fighting my way forward in the game. I died a LOT but still was able to get to the end and defeat the evil doctor one more time.

I had managed to extend my enjoyment of the game a few more hours, but I still felt a little let down by it. This game just wasn't nearly as fun with the two player element taken away. If I had been asked to grade this back in 2003 I would have said A+. But playing it now, I don't know what to do. The nostalgia factor is strong. That can't be denied. I did enjoy the game, but was it A material?

I'm going to have to compromise here. Current feeling vs nostalgia factor. This game is a lot of fun, but there is no doubt that it is more fun to play with another person. Take that away, and the game is just kind of short and forgettable. I mean, it is fun to play. The graphics and the sound effects are about as charming as you can get. This game has the look and feel of an all time classic. But the experience is so short and so shallow. Single player can only keep you entertained for a few hours, but then that is it.

Nostalgia comes into play to save the day, however. Two player mode is crazy fun. Especially when you are playing someone with a skill set similar to your own. All those memories I had playing this game. Mean Bean Machine can be very intense to play with another person.

So I have to take all these factors into account when grading this game. The short and shallow single player mode. The amazing two player mode. When I think about this game in my head, I consider it to be a classic. It is very well made. It is a lot of fun. It sucks that the single player mode is so short, but that's why it gets an A- and not a higher grade.

Congrats, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine on being my 100th video game review! You will be remembered for this honor forever.

Overall:

A-