Columns

Back in the time of the Classic Console War, Sega's answer to the mighty Tetris was Columns: the Ur Example of the Match Three Game. Colored gems come down from the top of the screen in columns of three: you cannot change their orientation, but you can shuffle the three gems around in their column. The objective is to line up gems in groups of three or more, either vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

Tropes used in Columns include:

• Alternate Company Equivalent
• Combos
• Covers Always Lie: There is a guy on the cover of Columns 3 for no reason. Trust us.
• Endless Game: Expect to hit a lot of coincidental combos when you're getting near the top that send your blocks back down again. This game can go on for hours.
• Falling Blocks
• Match Three Game
• Regional Bonus: The US version of the arcade original has an alternate gameplay BGM that can be used by changing one of the DIP switches. It went on to make a second appearance in Columns II, which was released in Japan only.