Tetris gets updated & overhauled for the better! (Tetris (DS))

Member Name: mr_nadge

Product:	Tetris (DS)
Date:	30/09/09 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Six distinctly different game modes. 10 Person Multiplayer. Online Play. Loads to offer

Disadvantages: Sounds & graphics basic. Still a little Pricey

Tetris DS is the up to date version of the classic game that Helped lauch the Game Boy. In some ways it is very similar. But in others it is very different.

Tetris DS has six different game modes to choose from. Making it great value & giving lots of different feels to the game. They are;

Standard:
The original game mode of falling blocks slowly filling the screen from the bottom & only being removed when a line is completed. Both of the original varieties of this are here. Marathon (which is the most famous) where you keep going until your screen fills up. Or Lines, where you have to try & get the best score you can get from a set amount lines completed. Both of these provide hours of fun trying to beat your high score & are the manic Tetris games that most people will remember & be buying this game for.

Push:
This is a versus game for 2 people or 1 player against the computer. It is a variation on the standard game where you both share the same screen. Your opponents blocks come from the bottom & yours come from the top. When you form 2 lines or more the entire stack is pushed down towards your opponent. Equally, they do the same to you. The first player to run out of room & hit the top of the screen looses. Again, this is pretty manic fare but still good fun. Especially with two Human players.

Catch:
In this mode you start with one square. Tetrominos (the name for the pieces) fall from the top of the screen. You catch them with your block. The aim of the game to be create large squares, which then knock out lots of bocks. The way you lose the game is when your energy bar runs out. This is depleted any time you let a tetromino fall off the screen. This sounds manic. It isn't. The game builds very slowly & is quite relaxing at first. Only once you get to level 10 does it start to get tricky.

Puzzle:
This is a mode where you are presented with a set of blocks on a screen. You will be given 3 or more tetrominos & you will have to use them to completely clear the screen. You have as much time & as many attempts as you want. Cue much staring at the screen & head scratching. A relaxing game mode.

Touch:
This is similare to puzzle. This time you have loads of blocks on a screen & then use your stylus to move them from side to side to make them form lines & dissapear. Again, not time limit is in place & you can take as long as you like. Another chilled out game.

Mission:
You are given a list of missions to complete & try to do them as quickly as possible & before your blocks get to the top of the page. A mission could be "use a Square to complete 2 lines". You also only see one mission at a time so you can't plan for the next one. Very tricky. Manic gameplay. Good fun too.

On top of all these modes there are many multiplayer options. You can play standard mode with TEN people all connected at once & even with just one copy of the game. Amazing. Push can be played head to head as can Mission. Also, you can go online & take on the world in 4 player Standard Mode & two player Push Mode.

The only downside to this game is it's price tag. I think that £24.99 (which is the average online store price) is still good value for money, but a lot of people will be put off what the see as an old game for a high price. I would say that I picked up my copy from HMV recently for £3.98 as it wasn't in it's original case. It was brand new with the manual but in a HMV box. This deal still might be happening & it is a bargain.

I would highly recommend the game. It is one of the best DS games that I own & offers so much to both the single player & the family of DS owners. Go & buy it now!

Summary: One of the best Nintendo DS titles available. Great Game!