9. Stakk'M
Instructions
Instructions
(pg 2-3)
Read between the lines and you find there is something to say when Stakk'M
is the only game in Maxi 15 that didn't see an individual release
outside of the multicart. Behold the spoken words: The game is bad.
Stakk'M is another subpar clone of Tetris. Instead of dealing with shapes of geometrical patterns to make lines, Stakk'M has blocks with images or numbers listing from 1 to 9. You make lines by placing three blocks of the same number together -- horizontally, vertically, or diagonally -- or by placing numbered blocks together in ascending or descending order. There are also two other kinds of blocks: One is a death block (skull) and the other is a treasure block (star). Death blocks will prevent lines and they can only be taken out by treasure blocks or by lining up two other death pieces. A treasure block, on the other hand, acts as a "wild card" of sorts that count as any kind of block.
Strategy is sorely lacking from Stakk'M. The game tells you flat-out if lines are to be made horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. No choosing on your part is allowed. You can get by most levels by simply stacking unneeded blocks at the sides of the screen; that is, if you can count how many Goddamn hearts, for example, are on the blocks quick enough. I don't think AVE knew how to make Stakk'M sound any bit of more fun than it is either, as their usual hyping of games in the manual falls pathetically short: "It's more than a mere jigsaw puzzle! It's Stakk'M!" Congratulations to you, Stakk'M. You come off as being a hair better than a mere jigsaw puzzle. Get it engraved, won't you.
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