Nintendo Puzzle Collection

Nintendo Puzzle Collection (ＮＩＮＴＥＮＤＯ パズルコレクション) is a Japan-only Nintendo GameCube game released in 2003. It is a three-in-one compilation game containing sequels to three Nintendo games: Dr. Mario, Panel de Pon, and Yoshi no Cookie. Dr. Mario was previously released in North America as Dr. Mario 64, Panel de Pon was ported from the unreleased Panel de Pon 64, and Yoshi no Cookie is the only game that appears to not be originally developed as a Nintendo 64 title since it has native and uses the system font.

Copies of the Nintendo Puzzle Collection were bundled with a Link Cable that allowed players to play the original Family Computer entries of the three games on a Game Boy Advance, with the exception of Panel de Pon, which boots a simplified rendition later used in Dr. Mario & Puzzle League. Wario World had a similar feature where players could play WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! microgames on their Game Boy Advances.

Nintendo Puzzle Collection was tentatively titled Masterpiece Puzzle Collection in development, and it was planned to have a release outside Japan. However, the English localized version, despite being given an E rating by the, ended up being canceled.

Dr. Mario
The Dr. Mario 64 port offers the same gameplay as the original Nintendo 64 version.

Panel de Pon
The Panel de Pon game is a sequel to the Super Famicom original with additional modes, a new set of characters, and more stages. Feature-wise, it is similar to Pokémon Puzzle League, including the same set of puzzles.

Yoshi no Cookie
The Yoshi's Cookie remake is a complete revamp of the original. Vs. Mode can be played with up to four players. Unlike the original, however, it has a story mode, wherein Mario and Yoshi decide to take a nap after making too many cookie deliveries, but Bowser steals their cookies. Background music is remade from the soundtrack from the Nintendo Entertainment System version of the game.

Backgrounds in Action Mode use background tilesets from stages of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Each round has different confetti when the player clears a stage. Cutscenes between rounds have changed from the NES, Game Boy, and SNES versions, and are as follows:
 * Round 1: Mario throws a Yoshi Cookie to Yoshi, who eats it by catching it with his tongue. Mario then throws another Yoshi Cookie to Yoshi at a higher arc, accidentally hitting Yoshi in the head, knocking him out. The cookie bounces past Yoshi and lands in front of Bowser, who happily stomps the ground.
 * Round 2: Mario throws a Yoshi Cookie to Yoshi, who eats it by catching it with his tongue. Yoshi then acts strangely before spitting the cookie out. The cookie turns much larger, surprising Mario and Yoshi.
 * Round 3: Mario throws a fireball at a Yoshi Cookie that comes out of a Warp Pipe, toasting it, while Yoshi, standing on a block next to the Warp Pipe, catches the toasted cookie and eats it. Another Yoshi Cookie shoots up from the Warp Pipe, much higher than the last. Mario throws a fireball at it, but he misses, accidentally hitting Yoshi instead and burning him.
 * Round 4: Bowser conjures a Bill Blaster in front of Mario and fires a Yoshi Cookie at him, and Mario throws a fireball at it to disintegrate it. Bowser fires another cookie, and Mario throws a fireball at it, toasting it. Mario then catches the cookie and eats it, to Bowser's shock.
 * Round 5: Bowser conjures a Bill Blaster in front of Mario and fires a metallic Yoshi Cookie at him, and Mario jumps out of the way. Bowser then conjures up a larger Bill Blaster, and it fires a partially eaten Yoshi Cookie. The Bill Blaster misfires two times before firing Yoshi out from it, surprising Mario and Bowser.
 * Round 6: Mario and Yoshi are running and jump over a Yoshi Cookie rolling on the grass, then over a giant one. Mario and Yoshi then come to a halt as they see Bowser inside a rubber ball chasing after them and run away from him.
 * Round 7: Mario and Yoshi are at a running track, with Yoshi at the starting line. Mario blows a whistle, and Yoshi runs down the track, disappearing on the right side of the screen. Mario then throws a Yoshi Cookie in the air, and Yoshi reappears from the left side of the screen and catches the cookie as he reaches the finish line. Yoshi then acts strangely and starts to run much faster on the track. Mario throws another Yoshi Cookie, but it turns large and Yoshi crashes into it, knocking him out.
 * Round 8: Bowser sees a Yoshi Cookie on the ground and discovers a trail of cookies left behind by Yoshi, who is carrying a bag of them with a tear at the bottom. Bowser then collects the fallen cookies in his own bag, and Yoshi turns around and sees him. As Bowser laughs, he turns around and notices Mario eating a Yoshi Cookie that came out from a tear in the bottom of his bag, to his shock.
 * Round 9: Mario uses matches to light a fuse for fireworks and takes cover. A green fireball is shot out from the cannon and turns into several Yoshi Cookies. A second fireball is shot out, and Bowser, while on a cloud, catches the cookies it turns into with a net.
 * Round 10: Mario sees a Yoshi Cookie roll along the ground and chases it, but he gets distracted by a shooting star in the distance. Mario then brings a telescope and looks at the sky through it. In first-person perspective, another shooting star appears, which turns out to be a Yoshi Cookie and gets closer and closer until it breaks through the lens of the telescope. Mario falls to the ground, and the small cookie pops out from the telescope's eyepiece into Mario's hands.

Enemies
The first five stages offer different non-playable opponents depending on the difficulty. All of the non-playable opponents in the story mode appear in Super Mario World, with the exception of Blooper and Hammer Bro.

Regardless of the difficulty, the final two stages offer the same non-playable opponents, though their skill differs between each difficulty. Stage 6 lets the player face off against Thwomp, followed by Kamek. Stage 7 is a best-three-out-of-five match against Bowser himself.

Easy

 * Goomba
 * Cheep Cheep
 * Koopa Paratroopa
 * Boo
 * Spiny

Normal

 * Koopa Troopa
 * Blooper
 * Bullet Bill
 * Eerie
 * Piranha Plant

Hard

 * Buzzy Beetle
 * Rip Van Fish
 * Lakitu
 * Fishin' Boo
 * Hammer Bro

Trivia

 * Characters that appear in both the Super Famicom and Nintendo Puzzle Collection iterations of Panel de Pon were planned to appear in Panel de Pon GB, which was released as Pokémon Puzzle Challenge.
 * The version of Panel de Pon featured was planned for the Nintendo 64 under the title of Panel de Pon 64, but was canceled for the system. It was retooled in the west as Pokémon Puzzle League. A prototype of the canceled game was discovered years after its cancellation, with one of the main differences being the title screen.
 * The world map artwork found in the difficulty settings of Yoshi no Cookie depicts a massive sword piercing Bowser's Castle. This sword references Exor of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, who pierced Bowser's Keep during the events of that story.

External link

 * Official Site

Nintendo Puzzle Collection Nintendo Puzzle Collection