Tetris

"A Classic for a Good Reason . . .Highly Addicting!"

This is normally the point where I introduce the game, but with Tetris, I doubt that it's necessary. I mean who, within the last decade and a half, hasn't played Tetris at least once? I read somewhere that it is the most played video game ever after Super Mario Bros. I don't know if that's true or not, but it doesn't really matter. Tetris is, hands down, the greatest puzzle game ever, and it started a whole subgenera of puzzle titles. There have been countless Tetris clones over the years. Some are quite good, but none have ever managed to stand up to their big brother. The reason for this is quite simple - Tetris is an incredibly complex, well-paced, and highly addictive game, wrapped up in a deceptively simple package.

There is no plot in Tetris, nor should there be. The whole game is based around using oddly shaped, rotating geometrical blocks that fall from the top of the screen into rows at the bottom. every time a row is formed, it is eliminated. The game speeds up after every ten lines are taken out. You play uninterrupted until your blocks reach the top of the screen, preventing any more from falling. The objective is to eliminate as many lines as fast as you can in order to keep your stack of blocks low. it is a simple, yet ingenious concept.

I consider Tetris for the Game Boy to be, in many ways, the definitive version. Although it was not the first, it is the version that most people are most familiar with. It contains two game types. A -Type, which is just a simple, straight-forward version of Tetris, and B-Type, In which you have to survive long enough to eliminate twenty-five lines from a screen that has varying levels of random blocks stacked at the bottom. There are ten speed levels and six different levels of scrap blocks to eliminate that you can choose from. B-Type is great, but can become redundant after a certain point, but A-Type never ever gets old. No matter how many times I play this game, I never tire of it. I, as well as many millions of other gamers, was addicted from the first time I ever played it.

The graphics are simple, but precise and well defined. This provides clarity and focuses all of the player's attention to the gameplay itself, which, after all, is what makes Tetris such a beloved and acclaimed favorite. the music is memorable, ear caching, and incredibly infectious. It is identical to the NES version except that the spacy, sleepy C-Type music has been replaced with another fun, classical sounding tune, which is actually my own personal favorite in the game. You can choose A, B or C-Type music or choose to play with the music off, but, to me, the classic tunes are an integral part of the Tetris experience. The sound effects are minimal, but very effectively used.

All of the Tetris games I've played feature great head-to-head multiplayer vs. modes, and this one is no exception. The goal in the two-player mode is to be the last to survive or the first to eliminate twenty-five lines. You can play at any one of ten speeds, and the champion of the match is the first to win four out of seven rounds. Vs. play is frantic, fast-paced, and just as fun as, if not more so than, the standard A-Type game. Since this is a game that almost everyone who ever had an original Game Boy owns, you don't have to buy two copies to play against a friend (or virtual stranger) whenever you want. Which, in some ways, adds to the appeal.

The bottom line is that Tetris is simple, addicting, and virtually flawless. I couldn't see any way not to give this game a very rare score of ten. It is perfect in its execution and design, and is insanely, even frighteningly at times, addicting. Tetris is a must own title for every gamer. this game is a classic for a very, very good reason.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/20/06