I just spoke to a friend of mine earlier today. He mentioned an interesting fact during our conversation, as is usually the case between us. He told me that Tetris has over 65 different versions of itself. That is more than any other electronic game/gaming franchise currently in existence. Nobody and/or nothing else can say the same. Not Mario, nor Pac-man. Bejeweled can't claim such success, and neither can Snake. Tomagotchi wishes it was this successful, along with Pokemon. Not even the grandfather of gaming, Pong, can say that it has over 65 different releases on almost every single piece of electronic media that has the ability to play games.
So I began to think about what Tetris means to me. Such a well-known video game phenomenon deserves some attention and introspection. I have played several different versions of the game during the the course of my gaming history, and I have a pretty good idea about what Tetris is, and what I think is so great about it. I'll work through this particular view by examining a few choice games of Tetris that made a difference in my life, beginning with the first game of Tetris that I ever came in contact with.
Like almost anything wonderful that I have been introduced to in my life, my introduction to Tetris came from my mother. She was an avid player of the original Nintendo Entertainment System as I was growing up. When I was still in diapers, she would spend her time playing Tetris on the NES when I was sleeping for the night. It was almost an addiction for her, you might say. Occasionally, she played it during the day. And when she did, it caught my attention, naturally.
I can't remember exactly when I started playing it, or how, but this was definitely the first version I saw. Going back to it now, it pretty basic. You get the basic game, a time attack version, and that's pretty much it. There was no 2-player mode, and only 3 different sets of music to play the game to. At the time, that was all that was needed. Nowadays, that might not work. I give this version credit, for introducing me the sensation that Tetris already was, and was to become.
The next time Tetris would re-enter my life would be in the game Tetris & Dr. Mario, on the Super Nintendo. As I understand it, this game has become quite rare nowadays, and is somewhat difficult to get a hold of. I can imagine why. This is a pretty special game. It comes with an upgraded version of the NES's Tetris, a graphically re-done version of Dr. Mario from the NES, and a brand new mode that pitted the player against both game modes in a row. That kind of stuff just isn't done in video games anymore, you know? I would explain why Dr. Mario is a great compliment to Tetris, but maybe I'll save that for another entry. All I can say about this particular game was that it was fun, the competition between players was better realized, and it was a nice double-pack of a game.
It's a good thing I had that game, because I wouldn't see a new version of Tetris in my life for quite some time. Fast forward to my pre-teen years. I grew up on the Nintendo side of things, so to speak. So I missed out on things like the Sega Saturn, and most of the original Playstation. As the Nintendo 64 did not get much of my attention for Tetris...it seemed I was out of luck for a while. As fate would have it (if you believe in that sort of thing), I would eventually get a Playstation near the end of the Playstation life-cycle. Because of that, I didn't play many games on the Playstation. Yet there was one I remember.
Tetris Plus for the Playstation did quite a few different things for me, and for Tetris. It came with classic mode, and vs. mode, as usual. However, this version had 2 differences. The first was puzzle mode. It involved protecting a professor trapped among the Tetris blocks, and getting him to the exit at the bottom of the screen. What really got me hooked on this particular version, though, was edit mode. Edit mode was a special feature that allowed the player to create their own Tetris levels, and try to solve them on their own. I made plenty of puzzles for others to try out. Of course, the only “play-tester” I had at the time was my mom, but I don't think she minded.
I wouldn't touch another Tetris for a couple of years. After a while, Tetris Worlds came along, which I played on the Nintendo Gamecube. I would say that this is probably the weirdest version of Tetris I've played, and certainly the most unique. Tetris Worlds brought along a throwaway, alien storyline, and 6 different variations of Tetris. Every time the player starts a game, a female voice would whisper “Go for a Tetris.” Some called it sexy, I just thought it sounded creepy. It wasn't something I wanted to hear alone, at night.
Even though there were 6 different variations of Tetris, only 2 of them made an impact upon me. The first was classic Tetris. The second was called Fusion Tetris. In this particular version, there was one small glowing square, called an atom block. Other small blocks would fall from the top, along with normal Tetris blocks. The goal was to connect the small blocks with the atom blocks, in order to create a fusion. What I loved most about this variation, was how those small blocks could literally fit into any possible hole. This is the only game to unseat the almighty “stick block” as the single best, most useful Tetris block. I enjoyed Tetris Worlds a bit, but it became just a footnote in my Tetris experience, once my next Tetris experience came to pass.
Tetris DS is the next Tetris game I played. This one was special. It currently holds the spot as my personal favorite game of Tetris ever created. Why, you might ask? Because it combines everything I could ever want from a Tetris game all into one. Then, it brings innovative new variations of Tetris that work better than the ones attempted in Tetris Worlds. On top of that, it adds a dosage of old-school Nintendo goodness, making the aesthetic pleasing and the soundtrack catchy/familiar. Let's not forget portability. One of the most important success factors for Tetris is portability. (If you disagree with me, ask gameboy/cellphone owners.) Add to that an easy to access, exciting multiplayer mode, and you have the perfect Tetris game, as well as the perfect puzzle game.
This particular game had many things going for it. I liked some of it, and didn't like the other parts. My less favorite parts included the more gimmick-y modes of play, such as Touch Tetris. Since this was a DS game, it had to have touch controls thrown in (naturally). Touch Tetris wasn't terrible, but controlling each piece individually with the touch screen proved to be inaccurate. Besides that, it added gravity to the blocks, which muddled everything together. Puzzle mode wasn't too hot, either.
Meanwhile, my favorite mode, besides classic, of course, was Catch Mode. Catch Mode was placed in an 8-bit Metroid setting. The goal was to rotate a 4x4 square of Tetris around, to catch falling Tetris blocks. If the player missed any Tetris blocks, they would fall to the bottom of the screen, and the player would lose health from the life bar. By catching Tetris blocks, the 4x4 block grew to become a 16x16 block. Once that happened the big block was set to explode. By catching falling Metroids and other blocks in the explosion, points would be added to the score, and health would be added to the life bar. I found this mode most innovating and entertaining out of any other mode of Tetris I've played (besides classic, of course).
Vs mode wasn't unique to this particular Tetris game. Other games had attempted it before, that's true. What made this particular vs. mode better, was the level of interaction between players. This vs. mode had items that players could use to help themselves, and hinder others. A star could enable the player to have constant “stick blocks” falling on their screen, or a banana could scramble the playing field of the opposite player. I think this type of back-and-forth mechanic in multiplayer helped foster the most fun and competition. Add to the fact that all that was needed for vs. mode was one game, and another DS, and players now had access to an easy and fun game of competitive Tetris. Simply ingenious.
I believe it ends here. The latest version of Tetris I played afterwords was a game called Tetris Splash, on the Xbox Arcade. This was nothing but a regular game of Tetris set in an aquarium backdrop, so it didn't make any kind of impression on me. In total, Tetris is a very classic series to me. It seems to be one of the only games capable of staying fun and addicting for years upon years of play. Indeed, Tetris is so special, it has the ability to cause “The Tetris Effect” in people, causing them to see Tetris blocks when they close their eyes, and go to sleep. That may sound scary to some, but it doesn't surprise me in the slightest. When you play that much Tetris, like I have, it gets to you, after a while. Not to worry. The fun to be had is totally worth it. And besides, when I play Tetris in my mind, I always win. That makes me smile. I'm sure we'll all be experiencing that fun Tetris effect for years and years to come.
