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By Steve Kilpatrick Equal representation. I figured since we have two Tetris games for the NES it would only be fair to review them both, but necessary. You see what if you find a copy of Tengen's Tetris sitting right next to Nintendo's Tetris? Which one are you gonna buy? You only read a review for one so how do you know the other one is that different? Is Tengen's version really worth that much more? Well here is where you get those answers. The events are the same, but names have been changed to protect the interest of big business. Well, if you haven't played Tetris it goes like this. You get a series of blocks connected together to make shapes. Some resemble L's, some are simply squares some are strait lines and others are weird shapes that I really can't compare to anything. These blocks drop from a hole in the ceiling and you have to line them up in a continuous line in order to make said line evaporate. The goal is to keep the pieces flowing and your game is over when there is no room to drop new pieces. Both Tengen and Nintendo had the same basic game, but there are noticeable additions or subtractions between the two titles. Wait a sec. was that there before? One of the first major differences in the two games is the way the levels are scored. With Tengen's Tetris you would have a certain number of lines that you needed to complete a level, then the screen would cut away to a little score box. The box tells you how many single, double, triple and Tetris combinations you've had plus the points they're worth. In Nintendo's version there is no stopping in between. Every 10 lines is a level and the level change is indicated by a sound, a color change and an increase in game speed. You may notice that your line totals are higher with Tengen's game than with Nintendo's. Don't worry that is normal. I don't know why because the games are pretty similar, but it just seems to be standard. The biggest flaw in the Nintendo version is the absence of a head to head, two player game. There is a cheap little trick that allows one person to flip the blocks while the other places them, but that only serves to annoy me. The lack of a two player mode takes off a full letter grade just for that. There is a type "B" game where you choose your level and the height of the blocks and try to get a certain number of lines. The game counts back from 25 to 0 until you either get all 25 lines or you run out of room. It is a simple little game, but hardly breaks up the monotony. Looks like Tetris.Smells like Tetris. Now I'm not saying that it's a bad looking game, but I prefer the look of Tengen's Tetris. I know I should judge this game on its own merit, but life isn't fair and neither am I. I love Nintendo's Tetris. I think it looks great and it has some of the coolest songs I've ever heard. Then when I turn the music off, rotating the blocks has a nice echo that is a really cool effect. There is a little ticker on the side of the screen that counts how many of each block you are given. There is also a little box that tells you which block is coming next. Everything goes together very well. I repeat, "I LIKE THIS GAME". Bottom line. If you're looking for the best all around Tetris package go with Tengen, but if you can afford the cost of that rare title this is still a fine game. My Score: B |
© 2001-2003 Stephen Maiorana (RoyalRanger)
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