"It's baaaack"

Introduction
Tetris. A beloved game, known by most gamers. Tetris is a game invented by Alexey Pazhitnov, in 1985. It is a puzzle game; where you match up 'tetriminos', which are groups of four blocks arranged to look like the letters I, J, L, O, S, T, and Z. The blocks drop down from the top, and the player has to match them in rows. Depending on how many rows you clear at a time, you get more points; and advanced to the 'next level' where you get more points per row; but the blocks drop faster... and faster... and faster.

This 'new' Tetris for the Gameboy DS, is absolutely different than every other Tetris game. Sure, it has the original mode of Tetris; but the programmers added even more things to do. There is six different modes to play in, which each have their own subcategories. The modes are Standard, Push, Touch, Puzzle, Mission, and Catch.

Gameplay
The gameplay is very easy. As soon as a child can understand how to use a controller; they can be immediately taught how to play Tetris. The gameplay is also easy enough so that elderly people can play it as well. Tetris can be very easy; but at later levels, it can be very difficult; even for veteran gamers. Just imagine trying to match up the blocks when they teleport down. Fun, eh?
Controls for Tetris is pretty basic; it's very easy to handle. The only problem that I can see is the D-pad not being able to move fast enough; but if you time everything correctly, then there should be no problems at all.

Story
Well, usually there is no story for Tetris; but in this version you can incorporate stories with your imagination. In the background, there is retro themes going on, and you can just imagine all the games being played through all at once. Also, the other themes in other modes seem to have a story, it's just not written.

Graphics/Sounds
Amazing graphics for such a small handheld. The animations in the back are very smooth, and the blocks drop perfectly. The sound is just awesome, I mean; it has Korobeiniki (One of the original music tracks from the original Tetris, remixed for this game). Who doesn't love Korobeiniki? While playing through the standard mode it has a bunch of recognizable songs if you've played the 'old school' games.

Play Time/Replayability
Infinite. Seriously. People who bought Tetris years ago can still play it now. The game is very easy to complete, but replaying it over and over is easier to do. It's addicting.

Final Recommendation
Buy it just for the WiFi mode. The game was addicting enough with just single player; but now you can play with 3 others in WiFi. If you have a Nintendo DS, buy this game. If you still have a SP, go and look for Tetris DX. Both are great.

Gameplay - 10/10
Story - 1/10
Graphics/Sound - 8/10
Play Time/Replay - 10/10

Overall - 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/24/06