Robotnik has his own game...and it's perfect! - [A Mean Bean Video]
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- Опубликовано: 19 янв 2022
- Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is puzzle perfection. Released in 1993 (bridging the gap between Sonic 2 & Sonic 3) Mean Bean was actually just a reskin of Japanese game Puyo Puyo. I'd argue that Mean Bean is one of the best games on the Mega Drive. Join me as I try to explain why Mean Bean is so fun to play, why it's superior to Puyo Puyo, it's links to the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon series and it's links to Kraftwerk.
Finally I'll also address one thing that's always bugged me about the game. WHO do we play as? Sonic? Has-Bean? Or maybe ourselves?
Video thumbnail art is taken from Karby64's Dr. Robotnik Puyo Puyo Champions mod, check it out at GameBanana: gamebanana.com/members/1639038
Thanks to JD for introducing me to Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2. You inspired this one!
Music used in this video :-
- Stages 1-4 from Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
- Stages 5-8 from Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
- Stages 9-12 from Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
- Chemical Plant Zone Mean Bean Boss from Sonic Mania
Find me on Twitter: / thejohnnyvector 
Игры
I love that they used the final bosses theme for puyo puyo in the versus mode in mean bean. It's the best song in the game and it implies you'll have no challenge greater than another player.
Haha yeah good point. Taking on a pal is as intense as taking on Satan. The tune is amazing as well, yeah.
the different instruments used in drmbm made the song even better
Unless that other player is 3 years old, then there is no contest
@@StaceyStAmant well then, I guess that makes YOU Satan then :P
I still prefer Sticker of Puyo Puyo, aka the practice mode theme 😁
Plot twist you're actually still playing as Arle but you just can't see her
I like it
So that means the intros to the characters are in 1st person view
BIG FAT JUICY ROTTEN GARLIC PLOT TWIST: Your actually playing as Wario but you can't see him GAMES GAMES ROTTEN GAMES TOO MUCH GARLIC TURD ON MY GOLD COINS CHEATER!
Maybe that explains why Carbuncle is in meanbean.🤷♂️
You actually play as Has Bean. Has Bean is literally just Carbuncle.
The 8 bit version of this game is also really good. That's the beauty of Puyo Puyo; it's simple yet addictive.
Absolutely. Simple but genius.
thats right I played and beat the 8 bit version on my 3ds
I like to think that Robotnik isn't worse at Mean Bean than he was back in the day. It's just that Sonic got lots of practice with the Puyo Puyo crossovers that his skills eclipse Robotnik's.
A decent theory but I still have flashbacks to Robotnik destroying me on Mean Bean. He had some absolute skills.
The Sonic Mania version is also fun. It's an unlockable extra game mode, too!
I was disappointed when I unlocked it for the first time, since I was expecting little character portraits or even the characters themselves in the centre of the screen.
I don't know what's with me and character portraits; I also liked it in early FPSes when your player character's face was shown in the HUD.
Haha, yeah I know what you mean, old character portraits are great. I did unlock the extra game mode. I was a little disappointed that it was quite minimalist but hey, it was just a fun unlockable.
I liked how in Sonic 3K there were character portraits for the save files whenever you completed the game in one depending on whether you got either all the Chaos or Super Emeralds. Even portraits if you didn’t get either. I consider the game to be at 100% once I get all of them. I remember filling out each save file and I was quite surprised to see Tails get one with all the Chaos Emeralds since he doesn’t have a super form with those set of emeralds in that game. He is simply giving just a thumbs up.
It’s too bad Sonic Mania doesn’t include any in their save files. All it shows for a completed file is the text “CLEAR” and that’s it. I suppose their images on the goal posts for each character are the closest thing to them.
Extra game mode?! Yo that’s awesome!
Yeah I agree
As a Puyo fan, while I prefer the original series, it’s nice to see a different take. It’s just a shame that Mean-Bean doesn’t have the offset rule found in games after it.
??
@@SamArt6607 if you're asking about the offset rule, when making a chain after your opponent does, you can reduce the amount of garbage you receive, or counter their chain if yours is greater than your opponent's.
Much more balanced. In Puyo Puyo 1 and Mean Bean, it's just 5-chain to win. Even if your chain if bigger than your opponent's, you're still screwed if they made a 5-chain beforehand
We remember this game because it was one of only two games (until very recently) to reference sonic media outside of the games also the fact the Robotnik replaced Satan and how in a crossover in Sonic Runner with Poyo Poyo, Eggman worked with Satan. Also we think the AOSTH design was use in some later fleetway comics and in the sonic 3 McDonald's toy line which we think made it somewhat iconic as a Robotnik design.
Eggman worked with Satan just like Wario
Haha yeah, Robotnik replaced Satan. So Robotnik and the Devil are just as good as each other at Puyo Puyo
This game destroyed me as a kid on the GameCube compilation disk. I did end up beating it though! Multiplayer was so fun too! I have it on the OG console now though. 😎
E g g m a n
Dr.
Robotnik
Egg robotnik
Death egg
Poyo poyo
ManeggkintoborE
This game kicked my ass as a kid. I think I enjoy completing it nowadays as a form of revenge.
Same but on ps2. I play it for time to time, especially in the multiplayer mode. I couldn't get very far in the story though.
@@sonicmaiden2871 Multiplayer really was awesome! Also, don't blame you for not getting far on single-player! 😅
@@JohnnyVector Gonna have to go back and beat it again just to reassert dominance! 😆
Finally someone who likes the soundtrack from Dr Robotnik Mean Bean Machines Soundtrack More than Puyo Puyos and I love the Yippie and Yeehaw sound effects. I love the drums in this game. They should make a Aosth Robotnik cameo in the new Puyo Puyo Games.
I miss the yippie and yeehaw too much when I play modern Puyo games. Restore AOSTH Robotnik!
@@JohnnyVector Yes, I miss it too. He should be a playable character in the new Puyo Puyo games
it's not going to happen
The Sonic encyclo-speed says in the story for the game it's up to you and Has Bean Hero of Beanvile to stop Robotnik so i guess you are playing as yourself with Help from Has Bean
Thanks! I guess Has Bean acts as a cheerleader or something
@@JohnnyVector Maybe he's helping the other beans escape while you keep the robots at bay.
@@JohnnyVector Has Bean is more of a robot who is added as a way of the developers not knowing what they should replace carbuncle with so they went "Screw it" and rename him to has bean
I was never any good at puzzle games but looking back, I'm thankful they localized this based on Dr. Robotnik and the AoStH show. I remember it was on Toon Disney around the time the Mega Collection came out, so the timing actually worked for me as a child. It's also nice to have a little way to memorialize the show since we will never have the localized American version of Sonic ever again.
And the RUclips Poops ensured this show's legendary status lol.
Haha yeah good point. It was nice to have a game based on the show. Doubt I would've played Puyo Puyo if it didn't have a Sonic coating.
To be honest, my favorite puyo puyo has to be the second because in the first it doesn't have rollback garbage so even if you're doing good you're still going to get dumped with rocks and the second game if you make a combo you can defend yourself and I feel that one feature makes it eons better.
I'll have to check it out, thanks
Yeah, at higher levels Mean Bean and Puyo 1 are actually kinda broken because it just becomes a race to see who gets a 5 chain first. Since you can't counter garbage, a 5 chain is a guaranteed kill.
As far as I know, every Puyo Puyo game except the first (and Sonic Mania) has the rollback garbage mechanic, as players quickly figured out that the skill ceiling for versus play is pretty low without it. So that means it's in the modern games like Puyo Puyo Tetris and such as well. Puyo Puyo actually has a pretty big esports scene in Japan, with big tournaments and such as far back as the 90s.
Alright but I cannot emphasize enough how entertaining the Puyo cast are when they're just getting down to shenanigans and aren't having to deal with an extremely depressed old man almost destroying the multiverse by being depressed. Especially Schezo.
Glad you covered DRMBM. A childhood favourite of mine.
I remember that the instruction manual referred to the "rocks" as "refugee beans"
For anyone who is looking to spend an hour learning about Puyo Puyo in a charmingly irreverent way, I'd recommend the Game Centre CX episode on it. Watching someone try and learn the extremely complex and brutal tactics involved is wonderful and it's one of the best episodes of the entire show. (and thats saying something considering it's been around nearly 20 years)
Thanks, as a Puyo Puyo connoisseur I'd be interested in checking that out.
@@JohnnyVector If for some reason you watch the show and binge 220 translated episodes of it (thats only 220 hours!) And then feel like writing a video on it, let me know; I will help you with the script.
It took me a long time for me to watch pretty much all of it (a lot has come out since I got burnt out and I haven't started back up because I'm still trying to finish Mystery Science Theatre 3000) but it is seriously the best show about gaming ever made. Super charming, wonderfully low budget and hilarious.
My friend who watched most of it with me back in the day actually has the rare Arino Hello Kitty. I'm jealous.
I always considered that I was playing as sonic himself, despite we never seeing him in the game.
I would personally love to see the Mean Bean characters return, even as DLC for a Puyo Puyo game.
Puyo Tsu is the definitive version of the game, and is the standard format for most of the series, with Fever being the only real optional ruleset that has found any long life, and the fact that Arle keeps Tsu pairings in Fever as her playset says a lot about the paired approach to the Puyo
I'll have to try Tsu. I've not played a huge amount of the series, so maybe I should branch out a little.
I've played this game as a wee lad but could never get past the second stage. Honestly, I've never been a fan of Puyo Puyo-esque games, but I absolutely LOVE that this game is based on that one Sonic cartoon. They really played into the whimsical energy it had while giving every character so much personality, and of course, they turned Robotnik's henchmen into official videogame characters! Truly a unique entry, even if it's just a side game.
You captured my thoughts exactly. I'm not a particularly big from of Puyo Puyo games (or Tetris either, for that matter) but this one felt special.
After playing other puyo games, it's kinda hard for me to come back to Mean Bean. I love the characters and setting of it for sure; fricking love AOSTH. But the old Puyo 1 ruleset is kinda wack. The offsetting feature that Puyo 2 introduced really helps with the competitive feeling. Without it it's just first to 5 chain instantly wins lol.
I absolutely adore Puyo Puyo in all its forms, whether it's the original, the newer games, Mean Bean Machine, Kirby's Avalanche, the Mean Bean mode in Sonic Mania, or the Puyo bonus mode in Hatsune Miku Project Mirai. It's just so fun to play
Hey guys robotnik here
@@JaxTheEpic hi Robotnik
The only thing that holds MBM back for me is that it's based on the original Puyo Puyo instead of the superior sequel. The game is still a blast to play through and the music is priceless.
I loved mean bean machine a bunch, I mainly played it on a plug in play that had a collection of genesis games but I couldn’t get very far in it. Playing it again recently it’s super fun seeing all the wacky robots and their expressions. It’s a good game and I’d love to see the robots make more appearances in things.
Mean Bean Machine was my introduction to the Puyo Puyo series, which I am now a huge fan of. Getting really long chains is super satisfying. There are some quality of life changes that make later Puyo Puyo games more enjoyable to me (neutralising opponent attacks, having 4 colours of puyo/bean instead of 5, general improvements to controls, etc) but the Mean Bean Machine is still a fun game that I play through every once in awhile.
If you haven't already, check out some of the newer Puyo Puyo soundtracks. The amount of bangers in the series is astronomical. Puyo Puyo Fever is a consistently solid soundtrack, where pretty much every song is great.
The first Switch game I played online was Puyo Puyo Tetris.
In recognition of Mean Bean Machine, I chose Robotnik as my display name.
Puyo Puyo really is a brilliant puzzle game. Very little has changed since the original. I believe counter hits were implemented in the second edition, which allow you to effectively perform a combo that will partially or fully cancel an opponents incoming attack instead of both attacks just dumping garbage on the opponent at full force. It was a necessary addition for real competitive play, but it's still amazing just how much the original got right. I just haven't found as much depth in any other puzzle game of this nature.
Not that this is gonna happen but the thumbnail made me want AoSTH Robotnik and the sassy Kirby’s Avalanche Kirby to be in the more recent Puyo Puyo games, that’d be cool
Oh my god! This was THE game I was the most addicted on the Genesis library when I was around 9. I eventually became a beast that could do 7 combo chains with ease, now I’m 14 and I kinda lost that skill, I can do 4 chain combos but it takes me a while.
I remember beating this twice on Hardest back in the day.
it would be cool if they did entire series out of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
I don't think we're playing as Has-bean because the instruction manual says he was "the jolliest bean before he was turned into a robot", but I suppose he could be a robot that maintained his will somehow and is rebelling. I, like you, always thought I was the one battling Robotnik's badnicks instead of playing as a character.
And this game was also released around the same time in the west on the SNES as well, as Kirby's Avalanche!
Yep! He mentioned that :)
Well the Super Famicom port of Puyo Puyo was released in 1993 (same year as Mean Bean), while Kirby's Avalanche was released in 1995.
Shame the Kirby one wasn't a reskin of Puyo 2, which had been released in 1994.
That's... what he said in the video.
This was also where Meta Knight got his name and current design from, interesting from a game that wasn't released in japan.
Not to mention, Kirby's Avalanche is a better name than Kirby's Ghost Trap.
I never played this game but I was familiar with it before watching this video and that it also came from Puyo Puyo. The first time I played it was in Sonic Mania and I enjoyed it there. With how colorful they are they make me think of them as candy in a way too. I also like how it's conveniently an unlockable separate mode there for those who just want to play that. That was rather considerate of them. I remember watching playthroughs of Mania and it was amusing to see the ones who weren't familiar with Puyo Puyo/MBM since they would just call it Tetris instead.
4:45 Now that I think about this, Sega almost did the same thing to Popful Mail by replacing the characters with those of Sonic. Making a new character that is apparently Sonic's long lost sister. The game was going to instead be called "Sister Sonic" but fans sent in letters against this decision and so they released Popful Mail unaltered. It's another interesting case of localizing for the western audiences since they deemed the original game to be too "Japanese" for them.
8:15 I think this is the most fascinating point that I learned from this video about them taking from Kraftwerk. I think it was for the best that they replaced it though so they won't get in trouble. The series has since had copyright issues with music. Sonic 3 being the biggest example of it.
10:17 I wonder if there was ever a situation of a kid in the 90s accusing Kirby's Avalanche of copying Mean Bean Machine and not being aware that both were derived from the same game.
Anyway, I enjoyed this video and the final thing I want to say is that I spotted that Mean Bean reference in the Sonic sequel trailer. It was a rather subtle way to sneak it in.
I agree that the player character from mean bean is that bunny vibing in the hud. It's name is "Hasbean", and it is a hyper detailed robot designed to help Robotnik subjugate the bean villagers.
The manual confirmed that’s not the case. He’s cheering you on just like Carbuncle did in the Puyo series.
I grew up with Mean Bean Machine, and it's been my all-time favorite puzzle game for the last 30 years. Tetris is fun, but it doesn't translate to a multi-player experience very well.
Even playing through Puyo Tetris (where I learned that Mean Bean was actually Puyo) only makes me want to go play some more Mean Bean Machne. In recent years, I've played Puyo Fever and Kirby's Avalanche, and even those don't quite match up.
I really loved the easter egg in the Sonic The Hedgehog 2 movie. Stone's coffee shop is called "The Mean Bean".
Yeah, that was brilliant.
Saw this yesterday, really well done.
I appreciate this game all too much it's absolutely fantastic and I love it a lot also the designs of the robot's translated quite well into a 16 bit format also love those yeepie and yeehaw sounds everytime a chain of beans gets transported to the opponent's side of the screen
It's such a shame this game is completely inaccessible to colourblind players like me. The blue and purple cannot be told apart quickly enough to be able to play with enough speed. Same with green and yellow. I couldn't even comfortably get through the mini Bean Machine in Sonic Mania.
Yes, I know they have different shapes, but they are too small to be able to use quickly.
Recent Puyo games such as Puyo Puyo Champions and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 have accessibility options that allow you to adjust the colours to suit colour-blindness. I’d recommend trying those out since it’s pretty admirable of SEGA to go and try and make the game more accessible for more people.
@@DaEgg123 Did he just turned a metal bar into a pretzel?
Best version of Puyo Puyo bar none. They should make a sequel!
Pingas World 2
Spike (Stage 9) is the furthest I've ever got in Mean Bean. Maybe one day in the future I might get to Robotnik, but at the moment, I am content that I've gotten further than pretty much everyone I know.
Honestly this game was always better than the original puyo puyo, incredible music and fun characters that give so much in just a few facial expressions and about two lines of dialogue lol. Plus it's Sonic, how much better could it get??
All of that can also be said about the original series??? Even like half of the music comes from the original game.
@@davidvaldez1093 just a preference chill out lmao
I don't agree with a lot of your points on puyo puyo as I love the story(especially in 20th some of the stories were so funny), gameplay and characters of puyo puyo tremendously, I do respect your opinion. I don't think you are right on puyo puyo doing well as a series at the moment. The only three games that were released this decade were chronicles, tetris and tetris 2. All of which weren't mainline puyo puyo games. I fear that their won't be another puyo puyo game as the last two were both tetris games and while it sold well, most people only bought them for the tetris and sega knows that another puyo puyo game might under preform
Thanks for the thoughtful comment! I often think it's impossible to be objective about games when nostalgia and good memories are involved. I enjoyed Mean Bean so much I found it difficult to enjoy Puyo but I can see the case for people preferring it's story/characters.
@@JohnnyVector yw!
I believe the devs stated they were moving away from numbered entries, meaning games like Chronicle are pretty much as mainline as stuff like 7.
@@FizzyChalice the only numbered entries were 7, 2, and 4. I'm referring to mainline games as in the ones that aren't anniversary games or spin-offs they may be canon but it doesn't mean they are a mainline game.
Champions didn't release this decade?
I feel like I'm lucky now to able to do 12 or 11 chains in singleplayer endless now
That's crazy. I'm comfortable pulling off a 5 or 6 bean chain but struggle to get much more than that in the heat of the moment.
@@JohnnyVector it probably because I put way too many hours into it :P
9:10 3 words that describe robonik's feelings: holly and jolly.
Oops 9:17
Puyo Puyo Tsu (the translation of SNES version at least) is absolutely worth looking into in my opinion above all the other Puyo games. It Has a similar amount of sass, and great gameplay that improves upon the original! However, I do agree that Mean Bean Machine is essentially better than the original Puyo… and better than a lot of the current entries, which drag on for far too long and have gotten irritating in terms of character writing.
Too bad there isn't a mod for Puyo Tsu that replaces everything with Mean Bean Machine elements, such as more badnik opponents and a super-charged Robotnik as the hidden final boss.
BOTNIK BOY
Wait you mean the super pingas from the episode where he turns a metal bar into a dark chocolate covered pretzel?
bruh the colums vibe and music is so good
I used to play this game for hours upon hours back when I was a kid. I would play it again if I had the chance. 😏
I always get stuck on stage 2. The face he makes when he wins scares me a little.
i Absolutely Loved this and still do
So, here's the thing you missed. We're not playing as Hasbean, you're playing as you. If you go into practice mode, and slam a ton of beans down you can get 2 "special" beans unique to that mode.
The Giga bean, a monster blob of a bean that shatters through a whole 3x3 column top to bottom, or hasbean will jump up and make a sort of 'snake' wiggling across and down your rows changing all beans to the same color as the initial one they touched, thus making one massive mega chain to explode. These events can ONLY occur within the practice mode.
I'm sorry the generic robots are more expressive and interesting than PUYO CHARACTERS!?
Obviously you haven't gotten invested in Puyo lore but those guys are way more interesting then most of the robots who were background characters in a single episode of a show.
Sorry, puyo just has one of my favorite cast of characters. Characters like Arle, Schezo, Draco, Witch, Rulue, The Dark Prince a.k.a Satan are all so fun and lovable and have great personalities!!!!
But I am someone who plays games mostly for the plots, so there is that
But you can't tell me a pump looking robot is more interesting than an imortal Dark Mage who can't help but speak an innuendo and has a shockingly sad backstory.
I really, strongly recommend you try out Puyo Puyo Tsu rather than rest on your laurels with Mean Bean Machine. The step up gameplay-wise (the addition of counters and two preview Puyo pairs rather than only one, among other qol improvements) with Puyo Tsu from MBM/Puyo 1 is essentially equivalent to that of Smash Bros. Melee to Smash Bros. 64. I can understand preferring the characters of Mean Bean, but when regarding the gameplay you’re gonna have much, much more fun with Puyo Puyo Tsu (or any following Puyo game for that matter) over MBM/Puyo 1.
Where can i buy that Has Bean plush from? If i can it would be such a YIPPEE moment for me!
Still hyped that in the Sonic 2 trailer, the oneoff latte joke from Sonic 1 has progressed to Robotnik's henchman working for a coffee shop that has MEAN and BEAN on the chalkboard
A "Mean Brew" can be seen which is a nitro cold brew with a shot of espresso. Order it at Starbucks! They definitely won't hate you!
I was stoked when I saw a little Mean Bean reference had made it's way into the second movie.
As a kid I couldn't beat Coconuts on the game gear version, now I'm a god at it. I play it on my PS3, part of the Sega Mega Drive Collection or whatever it is.
I fucking hate Skweel, I wish it killed itself.
The protagonist is assumed to be Has Bean, the star one.
Sonic is mentioned, I can't remember where but it says he's nowhere to be found.
The second Sonic movie references this game with the coffee shop Robotnik's assistant Agent Stone set up - The Mean Bean.
Epic video
I'd never thought someone would call me a maniac indirectly for liking Columns lmao.
The last phrase you said gave me you know who has black n red eyes vibe
As someone who beat this game on the hardest difficulty it really is a fun game.
Snooping as usual I see.
bassicly puyo puyo
The music is fire 101%
Honestly I’d love a video just on adventures of sonic the hedgehog
its good when they bring back it to sonic mania
Very Good Bro! :)
Thanks a lot!
bruh Kirby's avalanche has some weird dialogue 💀
Did you call me a maniac?
Lol I enjoy playing that game. Even though I can't get past the second level
The kraftwerk influence is strong but also I swear the vs. Robotnik music was based off Wash it off by Foetus
i love how the coffee shop in sonic 2 (movie) is called mean bean
What would have made it even more perfect is if they got Jaleel White to record Sonic singing "SEGA".
1:19 Did someone say AVALANCHE?
*kirby fans replaced the comments section, the sun screams*
*The yeehaws still haunt me*
Kirby likes to reference Puyo puyo.
Because kirby wants a triple double goofy goober sundae deluxe XL with different flavored sprinkles with 10 cherries on top
Good they remeber that game
For me, my favorite is Super puzzle fighter II Turbo
I always figured the protagonist was a self insert as well. Glad I'm not the only one who thought this.
Mean Bean Machine was the Bees Knees.
I love seeing the real og characters in mean bean that was my shit back in the kiddy days of my semi former self. Edgore eagle away¡
I like to think we're playing as Tails. He is the brains after all
Columns fans, there's dozens of us!
Dr.Robotnicks mean bean machine was hard for me on my Genesis plug n play
It was impossible for me as a kid. Nowadays though I can get it done in one sitting.
9:54 this image is PERFECT i will try to make some sprites that look like this and post them for free
I've never played Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine but I want to play do you recommend I play it or just stick to the classic sonic games?
It'll be cool if the NES port would have Sonic 2 Sprites of Robotnik and the robots
Played this on the portable genesis handheld
dr robotnik in puyo puyo new game imagine asking a question so what character you play in puyo puyo the guy who play dr robotnok-PINGAS
I kinda love it that they brought it to Sonic Mania
The bean machine
Hey dude, just wondering if you've played the DX ROM hack. If you have, what are your feelings on it? Personally, I really appreciate the polish it brings.
Actually sorcery saga are called madou monagatari 1-3 (sorry my puyo lore going brrr again)
The enemies were all mercenaries in the Sonic cartoon Pilot.
I didn't know eggman had his own game
Oh, puyo puyo. , sega’s tetris attack.
You should look at puyo puyo's sequels, you would like them more
I Like the video!
Thanks!
I still prefer the Puyo Puyo games to Mean Bean due to the characters. And lore. And character interactions. But its still Puyo gameplay so :/
And hey Carbuncle is still in Mean Bean Machine. Renamed to Has Bean but he's there. So at least I still got Carby.
But man I find myself disagreeing with EVERY poiny that in this video that you use to say this game is better than Puyo Puyo. Every. Single. One.
And honestly I'll argue Kirby's Avalanche is better because Kirby is an absolute savage in that game
My mom beat eggman when i was a kid i thought she was so cool.
"SnooPINGAS usual, I see!"
I personally don't think MBM is superior to Puyo. Like you said, if you played one, you played the other, it's the same, but with a different flavor
But yeah if you're a Sonic fan, why not playing that version over the og Puyo1, but if you're into the gameplay and want more, you'll have to do without those characters. Which isn't perfect if you're not really fan of the designs and all but, if you don't mind it, you're in for something really cool, Puyo is a great series
I get why you could think how you do, but saying that a reskin of the first game is better than the entire series and that they got it right the first time is maybe a bit too much (knowing that its sequel ruleset is one of the main two used competitively still to this day). But, eh, it's your opinion, it's alright
Gotta say, as fan of Puyo Puyo, the characters in particular and it's general lore, I always used to just see Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine as a corporate, charmless reskin of a series that was perfectly fine the way it was, because some executive thought it needed some marketable recognition factor instead of allowing it to simply just be a charming original IP of it's own, and......
Well, actually that's still what I think, so there is no "and." That's all I really have to say. :P
Garlic