  Tetris DS is more fun than barrels and monkeys. |
Tetris, of course, is the puzzle video game. Like the Rubik's Cube, and most recently perhaps Sudoku – it kidnapped the imaginations of a generation of people who might otherwise have never used their brains to solve a conundrum. It's so synonymous with handheld gaming; it was always inevitable that the Big N would update the decade and a half old puzzler for its flagship portable.
I doubt there's many gamers out there that haven’t either played, or at least seen Tetris, in one form or another. But just in case, and the simplicity is this particular game's beauty, here’s the skinny in one handy, portable sentence. Tile the seven different shapes (tetriminos) to create single or multiple lines, by rotating each piece accordingly, and repeat.
And rest assured, you will repeat. Because despite it really being that simple, Tetris has a proven power to transfix the young or old in a way no other video game before or since could or will. So once again, who can blame Nintendo for wheeling out the Tetris cash cow for this latest generation of gamers? Bolt a better soundtrack on and some variations-on-the-theme type mini games, and of course thanks to the DS's wireless capabilities, introduce online head to head modes, but it's the same core genius that some Russian dude thought up back in the 80s.
Visually it's pretty much the same as it always was, although the original Gameboy version wasn't in colour and obviously didn’t have the retro Nintendo character goings on in the background (more on which later), but there are a few gameplay differences; some positive improvements, others not so much. The "Hold" feature is a boon, allowing you to save a tile for a more opportune time such as an upcoming four-line combo, but the infinite spin, which keeps the piece "alive" as long as you continue to spin it, isn't so hot. I’m still undecided on whether the ghost piece, which shows exactly where a tile will settle before it actually lands is a worthy contribution or not, but at least it can be turned off.
Illustrating the proceedings, and lets face it until we get dual screen Tetris action, something has to fill the DS's spare screen, are various playouts of classic Nintendo outings; Super Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong etc.
They don’t really affect play (unless you fall for their distraction) and I really do wonder why Nintendo have seen fit to wrap Tetris DS in this 8-bit gift-wrapping. But as I said, it doesn't (in most cases!) affect the proceedings and can be easily ignored.
As for other single player modes aside from (as near as) classic Tetris, Nintendo have more options, each with minor variations of their own. 'Push' stacks the player against either the CPU or a human opponent on the same playing field, and each line clearance pushes the opponent nearest their end zone in a kind of reverse tug-o-war.
'Touch' features the stylus, and requires you to manipulate (slide or spin) the pieces which already fill the screen, making them tessellate into lines.
'Mission' asks specifics of the player, such as "clear three lines at once" – and of course in a timely fashion.
'Catch', which in a way is a complete reverse variation on the tetris theme (and suffers the most as a result), requires you to spin a tile in a fixed position, and catch the falling pieces to make a bigger one – with the idea of creating 4x4 blocks, which will then explode.
As with most online enabled games, the multiplayer options are no doubt likely to be the biggest selling point of Tetris DS, although it's the local option that comes off best here. Alongside an up to 10 player local head to head mode, are in classic Nintendo fashion, weapons – allowing players to viciously affect their opponents gameplay, or give themselves a temporary advantage. Strangely, online play only grants this option for games involving four players. Still, online Tetris is online Tetris, and is mighty fun without the extras local setups offer.
Most people will know whether they like or even love Tetris before they read a single review, but even if you only have a slightest casual interest in the greatest puzzle video game ever made, the stack of gameplay modes and the introduction of online play are completely reason enough to warrant purchase. Sure, it's not exactly the Tetris you knew, but thankfully, it's something way better.
WHAM! Rating: |
9 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
E (Everyone) |
Official Web Site: |
|
|
