64: E-Motion

Number 64
(90.5 points)
E-Motion
1991: 30 (7.1)
1992: 76 (5.0)
1993: 62 (15.6)
1994: 73 (16.8)
1996: 55 (46.0)

Amusingly, this got included in the Top 100 five times out of six, yet the only review it received was a measly 22% from an infuriated Jonathan Nash upon its re-release. Clearly he was outnumbered when it came time to pick the list, but this puzzler is very much a love-it-or-hate-it experience.

You control a ball, and the object is to collide with other balls to make them disappear, before moving on to the next stage. There are several complicating factors, however: your ball has an energy bar, which will decrease if you don't remove the balls in time and they explode; you can remove balls by knocking them into balls of the same colour, but new balls are created if ones of different colours collide; you can replenish your energy by collecting the newly-generated balls (but they'll become regular ones if you're not quick enough). All this means you have a game where you must act delicately to knock the right balls into the right places, or you'll generate many new balls, leading to a situation you can't handle.

There have been some really polarising games on this list, and while Mr Nash might have been raging at it, I can't say I hate it so much - but I also can't see myself playing for very long. It certainly is a frustrating experience: when a level goes smoothly, it goes really smoothly, but make a little error and oh boy, it's utter chaos. Not one for the easily annoyed.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
E-Motion (1990)(U.S. Gold)[cr QTX]