I dont
know why all these guys want their significant others to get into video
games with them. My wife started playing Tetris Worlds and I havent
seen my X-Box since. Yes THQ has brought us another incarnation of the
game weve loved for well over a decade. The question remains: is this
Tetris so mind bogglingly greater than all the rest that I should spend
my cash on it? If youre a Tetris aficionado then by all means add this
one to your collection. The majority of gamers, though, are going to
need some more convincing. How does Tetris Worlds stack up?Tetris
does have a storyline that, while not being very deep, is a nice
addition. Early on the player is introduced to the plight of the Minos,
a small cube-shaped species in some serious trouble. These little guys
live on a planet named Hadar 4. The Mino scientists have discovered that
the planets sun, Hadar, is no longer stable and will soon fry poor
Hadar 4. The thought of these poor little guys getting fried crispy will
urge you to give them a helping hand. The scientists have outlined a
mission for you so that you can help in the evacuation of the planet by
unlocking the Tetrions.
The
game speaks about an ancient civilization leaving behind gateways called
Tetrions. These gateways can transport the Minos from Hadar 4 to more
agreeable surroundings, but theres a catch. The Tetrions are activated
only by manipulating falling blocks a.k.a. Tetris. Yes youll laugh,
youll cry, youll probably skip the story anyway. The Tetrions do send
you to six different worlds, though, and in the story mode each planet
represents a style of Tetris.
The first world, Deneb, challenges you with a game of classic
standard Tetris. Players will feel most at home on Deneb for obvious
reasons. Levels are gained by clearing 5 times your current level (Level
1-clear 5 lines). You are also timed. If you clear the required lines
within the time limit your rank improves along with an impressive light
show. Players will also notice some ambience on the planet in the
background. As you progress, hills will form along with vegetation. It
was all very peachy until some birds flew in front of me, breaking my
concentration. As developers quest for ambience you have to just shake
your head at what they come up with.
Youll
be very thankful for the handy manual that explains some of the more
unique styles such as Square Tetris. This style can be found on the
rocky planet, Mira. Players must play regular Tetris while trying to
form types of squares to earn points. This is one of the least fun
styles. It seems like you have to pause and consult the rules so much
you get bogged down. The next planet offers a more refreshing challenge.
The water world of Aludra is the next stop on the Minos list. Amidst
the underwater environment gamers will wade into Cascade Tetris. Cascade
Tetris is a cool concept. Naturally when you clear a line, the blocks
above it fall down. The point of this style is to get the blocks to fall
into place and clear a line. This no doubt will demand a lot of strategy
beyond clearing initial lines. The idea of causing "Cascades" will stick
with you in the challenges to come.
Planet
Antares is filled with volcanoes and lava. Here players will run into
one of the most addicting styles in Tetris Worlds. Sticky Tetris asks
you to do a simple task. Clear out garbage blocks, reach the bottom
level, and clear it. Heres where things get "sticky," though. Several
of the blocks are made up of different colors. If those colors come into
contact with another block they stick. The parts that are not of that
color and are not resting on another block will continue to fall. This
allows you to use several different strategies to clear lines. While
Cascades are not mandatory, they are possible in this mode and prove
helpful when youre racing the clock.
The cloudy planet of Talitha contains the Hot-Line Tetris challenge.
On the screen there are four lines of different colors. Your objective
is to clear lines of blocks on one of these "Hot-Lines." Doing so is the
only way to earn points. The higher up the line is towards the top, the
more points a line cleared there will earn you. This challenge can prove
to be the most awkward. In order to get points players must avoid
clearing lines. It may take awhile to get the hang of this style as it
proves to be one of the more frustrating ones.
Finally
there is planet Unukalhai. In this icy world youll encounter Fusion
Tetris. On the bottom of the screen youll see one red block. Your
mission is to attach yellow blocks from your rotation to this red one.
As you progress, this red block will become harder to reach. Cascades
apply to this style as well so gamers will want to factor that into
their strategy. That sums up what youll find in story mode.
You can practice any of these styles in the arcade mode as well as
challenge your friends to a match. I had a blast getting three friends
together and going head to head. Tetris Worlds also supports your own
soundtracks. Its a good thing too, since the funky techno beats will
probably annoy you after a short time. Even though this is becoming a
norm with X-Box games, Im still so excited to see how much it injects
to the experience. Is there enough here to merit a purchase? Committing
to Tetris Worlds becomes nearly impossible when you consider all of the
other wonderful games out there as well as the ones soon to arrive.
I had a great time with this game, but its hard for me to recommend
it. The developers mixed things up a bit, but it is still Tetris folks.
Now if youve been in some other world for the last 15 odd years, buying
this game might make sense. For about 90% of gamers out there, though,
Id have to say this title is most likely a solid rent. Pay a couple
bucks and relive one of the classic games of our culture, save the other
$48 for something new.