Tetris Plus

"Tetris is beginning to show its age."

Tetris Plus for the Playstation is the latest attempt at reviving the now classic puzzle franchise Tetris for Sony's wunderkind system. Although all Tetris updates reek of rip-off, Plus nobly creates somewhat new angles on an already tired series.

Graphics
The graphics for every Tetris game are simple; that much is a given. However, the Sony version manages a clean and simple graphical interface and the backgrounds and Tetrads have pleasant color schemes and are easy on the eyes in cases of extended play (which is often the case with Tetris). However, for some reason the game goes to the ''now loading'' screen constantly- you have to see it five times before you can even access a game menu! Now, I know that the Playstation has problems with 3D games, but this is ridiculous. I really question how dedicated the creators of Tetris Plus were in bringing this game to the Playstation, and when one must question this it certainly doesn't bode well for the rest of the package.

Sound
Sound is Tetris Plus' strength. Although it contains none of the classic original material that made the NES version so enjoyable, the new tunes are definitely a welcome and well-done new feature. The music also speeds up in cases of stressful play, which draws you in very nicely. Obvious attention was paid to making the soundtrack work (and you can listen to it if you pop the disc into your stereo. Just make sure you start playing at track number 2!). Here it seems like the developers spent at least a little extra time in making this version of the classic puzzle series at least memorable.

Game Play
The game play is a tough aspect of this game to rate. The tried and true Tetris style of play is present here, and it remains intact. However, the idea by now is of course stale and in need of a major revamping. In order to compensate for this, the game has tons of options, ranging from traditional one-player games to versus and story modes that have you clearing lines in order to assist a treasure hunter in finding goodies at the bottom of each puzzle screen. In the versus mode, you must also keep the hunter away from the spikes embedded in a descending ceiling; by clearing multiple lines at a time, you can raise the level of the other player's treasure hunter and increase your chances of survival. This mechanic sounds a little awkward for the Tetris series, but it is carried off pretty well and at least invigorates a tired idea.

The most important addition by far, however, is the mode where you can create your own Tetris puzzles. You can dictate which blocks a player must begin with and in which order the blocks shall fall- this brings a unique and gratifying creative angle to Tetris that has been sorely needed for some time. Although you can only save about a dozen puzzles at any one time on a memory card block, this makes for an interesting gauntlet of puzzles through which you can run your unsuspecting friends.

Control
There isn't much to say about the elegantly simplistic controls of Tetris; the Playstation version really just stays faithful to the series and has solid, dependable controls.

Story
Well, there's a story mode, but the treasure hunting idea isn't exactly a thought nourishing plot line. I don't stay awake at night wondering what will happen next to the plucky and intrepid Tetris treasure hunter. 'Nuff said.

Replay Value
It's Tetris, meaning you will play this game from now until the end of time. If you have a friend, then you will doubtless have plenty of heated contests over who exactly is the Tetris puzzle master, and the excellent aforementioned Battle Mode and Puzzle Creation Mode cater well to this.

Tetris Plus is a worthwhile purchase, although despite a few new features it remains the same old game. If you have another version of the classic puzzle game it is really hard to justify buying this update. However, it has achieved Greatest Hits status and retails for a mere $19.95, making it well worth your money if you are new to the game or you just don't want to drag out your dusty NES.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/20/01, Updated 01/20/01