"Well, it's Tetris on Live, with some other game modes. Pretty fun, but primative to gaming. But still, it's nice to take a break from shooting Shrew to actually dumping garbage on Shrew at a nice game of knock-out Tetris."
Overall: This feels very identical to the N64 4-player version of Tetris. That's fine by me. The game was free, and before that VERY cheap. The single-player really isn't anything great, but multiplayer is. Online was the best thing for this game cuz you essentially don't have an excuse to not enjoy the best part of the game. But my only complaint is all the gametypes excluding one from the N64 version are in the Xbox version. No new ones. So iono kinda feels like the same game, but still, gotta love the multiplayer. Gameplay: The premise is simple. Stack up blocks so that rows are completely filled. If a row has a space in it, doesn't break. Also, you can store a piece away in a reserve and bring it back out later. Probably the only different between that and classic Tetris. Oh yea and the quick drop button. Other than that, it plays the same.
However, the multiplayer modes offer some team and vs. varieties. The one that is missing from the N64 version is where you choose which player the junk goes to. Junk is basically however many rows you break, the game calculates that and drops in on another player. The Xbox version it's only random. In the N64 game there was random and choose who you want to junk. The latter was fun because you could just gang up on one friend and laugh at his demise. However, it is understandable in regards to rankings seeing as people could easily boost themselves up by doing that. Still, it retains it's fun and is defintely a challenging but addicting multiplayer game. Graphics: It's a 2D game so and it's on Xbox so you can't really hold it to the Halo 2/Splinter Cell graphics standard. No special effects on the blocks, just a lot of different backgrounds, or boards, whatever you wish to call'em. I don't remember if you unlocked more backgrounds in single player or if that was the N64 version, sorry it's been a while since I've played. Sound: It's not annoying, it just fits the game, meaning I don't think I'd enjoy listening to this music outside of the game, but in the game, it just goes along with frantically trying to break as many rows as soon as possible before your opponent. Suggestions: Though every puzzle game owes it's existance to the original, other games like SPFII and MK:Deception have just added certain elements like the characters and the fighting going on in the background that just make it for more interesting. You guys are gonna have to go back to the drawing board for next-gen, that is if you make another one, and come up with some amazing feature not seen in a puzzle game.
Overall: Best game ever. No game can beat this besides halo and some other ones. It bring s the classic back to life. Gameplay: Fun! It's a puzzle and what could be better. I love this game so much. It is so cool. Graphics: Love it. They actually put backgrounds in it. It is really fun to look at. Sound: The music is pop and it is really pointless. But it keeps you from getting bored with it. Must make blocks. Sound good. Suggestions: Nothing.
Overall: What can i say? I am a tetris addict. I loved the original tetris back on gameboy/nes, but hadnt played any other variations since then not wanting to pay fifty bucks for tetris. But when i found out that they were releasing it on xbox, for 20 bucks, online enabled, i knew i had to pick this one up. Gameplay: How do you describe tetris? drop blocks, make lines, the more lines you make, the more points you get. There are a few new variations included on this game, all very entertaining. and with Online play, this game takes tetris to an all new level. Graphics: Ok, its tetris. How much detail can you put on a buch of blocks? there are some pretty looking backdrops that you can play on, but nothing special here. Sound: Comes standard w/ an ok soundtrack of techno type music. It gets boring after a while though. Custom soundtracks are supported, which is a very good thing.
Overall: Love this game, its your classic tetris plus many new game types. The best part is the online play because if your like me your good enough that you cant find ppl to play with at home, so now you can adventure out to the killing fields online. I should not that I was #1 on XBL for 5 months till I stopped playing it becuase of school, now I am #5 even after not playing it for so long. Gameplay: Classic tetris, plus many new types. My favorit is for sure block tetris. Its where you creat a four by four block out of either like or dissimualar peices. Graphics: Well its tetris ya know not to much for great breath taking graphics. I will say that the menue system is easy to work with. Sound: Again it tetris and its not a game known for its breath taking sounds. But, it does allow you to play custom sounds tracks, which is perhaps next to online play, the very best thing that was added to this already great game. I love playing my Brave Heart sound track while beating the !&%$@#* out of ppl. ^_^ Suggestions: Dear God make it so that you can fix the problems with this game. I hate it when your in a game and it glitches and not all the ppl can see each other and not all the trash is given out equelly.
Overall: As did YellowLab I acquired my game through my XboX Live Starter Kit (version2) for free. Which is good because I couldn't see myself springing the money to buy it. It wasn't much of a LIVE hit for me. Im all for classic Tetris..Tetris just isnt meant to be online. Unless maybe it was the Dr. Mario Tetris...LoL Gameplay: It wasn't all that fun to me actually. Like I said the game isnt a LIVE title...Its not meant to be Live in my eyes. Classic tetris is the way to go. However it was a fun simple game it always used to be. Glad I got it free though. I tell you that. Graphics: You know what.. Best squares ever! LoL... Sounds sarcastic I know, but the looks were just perfect for the game. The pieces were all nice and polished up with a nice framew design. Sound: Im a techno fan, but the beats this game laid down...Weren't the beats I favor. But, this game hit it right by utilizing that ever so great custom soundtrack feature. Good call fellas...Custom Soundtracks is the way to go. Suggestions: Good job with the game, but it just aint MY cup of tea.
Overall: This game may not look much at the start, and when you first begin to play it, you may seem dissapointed, but if you get the right soundtrack going and have a good group of people to play with, you start to feel the magic of TWO.
The major problem with TWO, as mec said earlier, is the bugs, like the Voice bug, the not seeing all the players bug, not being able to see when someone has joined the lobby, so you will all of a sudden hear a voice from nowhere, usually instructing you to go back to the lobby to "let me in", and, yes, I have even seen the infamous "Ryan Error" myself, and while it is certainly amusing the first few times, it does tend to get on the nerves a bit. Gameplay: If you have ever played Tetris before, you know what to expect. There are various gameplay modes, which of course includes regular Tetris, in which you must completely fill a line to clear it, and recieve points for it, and the more lines you clear at once, the more points you recieve. Then there are more elaborate modes, such as Hot-line, where players race to complete lines on colored lines in the background. The higher up the line is, the more points it is worth. Then there is Cascade, which is exactly like regular Tetris, except that blocks now have "Gravity" and fall when there aren't blocks under them. Then there is Square, in which players have to make a 4x4 square with the blocks and then clear lines which also include the square to gain points. Then there is sticky, in which the point is to clear the bottom line, but with Cascade physics, and finally Fusion, in which players must try to put "Fusion" blocks together as fast as possible.
The gameplay online is as you would expect itto be, absoltuley lag-free. It is suprisingly fun when you get a good game going and it is the only game that can consistently get me to stay up until 5 o'clock in the morning.
The single player modes are quite good as well, as they slowly show you the Tetris ropes and let you get a hang of the game, although the Story is quite inane and pointless, as I'm sure Alexey Pajitnov didn't create Tetris with a story in mind. Graphics: As maneatingcow already mentioned, the graphics are not bad for a Tetris game, and considering that this IS Tetris, Radical Entertainment could have done alot worse. The backgrounds are fairly nice and constantly change with the pace of the game, although they can sometimes distract you in the middle of a game, like when clouds appear in front of your Matrix when in changes into the Space background theme. The menus do their job well and are pretty nicely done. The one problem is that when someone is talking, the little red light that glows in the respective corner of their little window is barely noticeable. Sound: The sound not too bad, but Radical Entertainment probably could have done alot better. The built-in music, while okay at first, quite gets annoying with it's lame techno beat and lack of the original Tetris theme. The saving grace is the Custom Soundtrack option, which can greatly improve your game if you get the roight tunes going (I have a seperate Soundtrack for Tetris). Other than that, it's your usual blend of Tetris swooshes and clanks. On a side note, the woman in the background (E-Kim) is quite creepy and can freak you out with here odd, pointless one-word comments, whih pretty much consist of "Single", "Double", "Triple", "Tetris", and Suggestions: Get rid of all of the bugs which never should have been overlooked in the first place. The "Ryan Error" was obviously only meant for the Game Testers to see and should never have been left in the game. Things like the inability to see when someone has joined the lobby is also inexcuseable. But, overall, I'd say you did a good job. Make another one with more options, no more bugs, and maybe some online tourney's set up for XSN (Tetris is SO a sport!!!) and I'll be back with bells on!
Made in Canada