Tetris DX

"It's hard NOT to like this game."

Back in the late 80s and early 90s, a puzzle craze swept the nation. Everyone was playing this new game with little falling blocks. When you managed to clear four solid lines of blocks at once, a magical little sound went off. Thus the Tetris phenomenon was born. Over the years, Nintendo has rereleased Tetris, as well as blatantly stealing the name for unrelated puzzle games. Tetris DX is basically Tetris... in color. Well, that's an oversimplification. Tetris DX is a vastly improved version of the original Tetris, with new options, better graphics, and more responsive controls.

Graphics: 10/10
Wow. This game really shows off the GBC's graphics. Everything is cleaner, crisper, and more colorful (well, obviously) than the original Tetris. Other than that annoying black background deep in the Marathon mode, the colors are well chosen.

Control: 10/10
Again, much better than the original. The pieces respond a whole lot better, leading to higher scores. Maybe that's a disadvantage; this version is less challenging because you don't have to fight the controls.

Sound: 4/10
Yes, the new music is great, but I WANT MY ORIGINAL TETRIS THEME BACK! ARGH! So that was a little harsh. The default music from the original Tetris makes a VERY small cameo in this game. So we'll have to live with the (actually very good) new tunes. So much for the Russian influence...

Options/Replayability: 9/10
Let's see. There's the Marathon game, which you can never stop playing because it never really ends (well, it stops gaining speed at some point, but the pieces keep coming).
There's the 40 Lines mode, which is a modified version of Type B from the original Tetris. One bad modification: the ''High'' system got changed so that the whole floor rises up instead of random blocks. I liked it the old way...
There's Ultra mode, which is a timed version of Tetris. (For the Tetris player strapped for time.)
There's the excellent Vs. mode. A fun trick to try: After playing for awhile, try beating yourself on Vs. mode. If it's anything like my experience, prepare to be thrashed by yourself. Ideas like this keep the game playable even after years of Tetris enjoyment.

Buy or Rent?
Are you kidding? This game will TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE. Having this game for five days is like being... wait, that's not a good analogy. But you know what I mean. For those who still have the original Tetris for Game Boy (sadly, I lost mine :-o ), you might want this game anyway just for the great new options. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get my daily Tetris fix...

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/09/01, Updated 08/09/01