It's a game that's been around for over 20 years, yet it's never really changed. How many different versions of Tetris do you honestly think there are? Over the course of the years, could you even come close to the number of versions that have been released? If you do a search on Gamefaqs.com, you'll find that there are 50 unofficial versions of the addiction that has been known to the world as Tetris. Now, a new version has found its way onto the XBL Arcade, and it's just as addicting as ever.
First off, it's Tetris. You spin the blocks, try to fill in the space, eliminate the lines, repeat as necessary. Learning how to quickly decipher which blocks go where will ultimately make or break you in this puzzle game. The more lines you knock off at a time, the better. However, there are a few spins that have been put onto this one. Combos have now been added to the mix, which means that if you can continually knock out line after line with each piece that drops, you'll score more points than normal, which is something we haven't seen in past versions. Also, doing special moves like "T-spins" can also net you some extra points as well.
In single player, you'll choose from two different modes. The first one, Marathon, is just as it sounds: How long can it take you to get to Level 15 speed and successfully complete it? Time and score will both be judged on the leaderboard in that mode. The other mode is known as "40 Lines", not to be confused with Allen Iverson's pitiful attempt at rap, known as "40 Bars". In 40 lines, the concept is simple: Eliminate 40 lines as fast as you can. Currently, the number one player is sitting at 53 seconds. I consider myself to be good, and am sitting at one minute and 40 seconds. It's tough.
Multi-player is a bit different. There are modes such as Free For All and Team which are just as they sound. Free For All will give you the chance to face up to five other opponents in a match that tests skill in a different manner. Over the course of the game, how well your opponents do will decide how many extra lines are sent your way. With Team mode, you pair up with another person and attempt to knock people in a similar fashion, except it's double the firepower.
Overall, nothing has truly changed about the game itself, other than it's now in a revamped, high definition version. The little catch to this version (no pun intended) is that it's background is an aquarium, with multiple different fish swimming around. Really, they don't serve a purpose for the game itself, but it's just something nice to have on the sides of the actual game. On a side note, one nice thing that this game gives you is an aquarium screen saver, so if you ever want to just leave up the aquarium with the fish swimming around, you can definitely do that. Kind of cheesy, but also fairly cool.
Cost to download Tetris Splash is 800 Microsoft points, with multiple little things to buy in the marketplace, such as new fish to put in the aquarium. Possible achievement points that can be accumulated is 200 points. Overall, it's pretty simple: the addiction that is known as Tetris is back, and be prepared to lose hours at a time if you download this one.
Final Score: 8.5/10
First off, it's Tetris. You spin the blocks, try to fill in the space, eliminate the lines, repeat as necessary. Learning how to quickly decipher which blocks go where will ultimately make or break you in this puzzle game. The more lines you knock off at a time, the better. However, there are a few spins that have been put onto this one. Combos have now been added to the mix, which means that if you can continually knock out line after line with each piece that drops, you'll score more points than normal, which is something we haven't seen in past versions. Also, doing special moves like "T-spins" can also net you some extra points as well.
In single player, you'll choose from two different modes. The first one, Marathon, is just as it sounds: How long can it take you to get to Level 15 speed and successfully complete it? Time and score will both be judged on the leaderboard in that mode. The other mode is known as "40 Lines", not to be confused with Allen Iverson's pitiful attempt at rap, known as "40 Bars". In 40 lines, the concept is simple: Eliminate 40 lines as fast as you can. Currently, the number one player is sitting at 53 seconds. I consider myself to be good, and am sitting at one minute and 40 seconds. It's tough.
Multi-player is a bit different. There are modes such as Free For All and Team which are just as they sound. Free For All will give you the chance to face up to five other opponents in a match that tests skill in a different manner. Over the course of the game, how well your opponents do will decide how many extra lines are sent your way. With Team mode, you pair up with another person and attempt to knock people in a similar fashion, except it's double the firepower.
Overall, nothing has truly changed about the game itself, other than it's now in a revamped, high definition version. The little catch to this version (no pun intended) is that it's background is an aquarium, with multiple different fish swimming around. Really, they don't serve a purpose for the game itself, but it's just something nice to have on the sides of the actual game. On a side note, one nice thing that this game gives you is an aquarium screen saver, so if you ever want to just leave up the aquarium with the fish swimming around, you can definitely do that. Kind of cheesy, but also fairly cool.
Cost to download Tetris Splash is 800 Microsoft points, with multiple little things to buy in the marketplace, such as new fish to put in the aquarium. Possible achievement points that can be accumulated is 200 points. Overall, it's pretty simple: the addiction that is known as Tetris is back, and be prepared to lose hours at a time if you download this one.
Final Score: 8.5/10
