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Developer: THQ
Publisher: THQ
Genre: Puzzle
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 14 Jun 03
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- Those addictive blocky puzzles are back. Apart from Live support, there's nothing much going on here.
Overview
It was about a year ago when THQ published their first Tetris game on the Xbox. The game of Tetris has been around since the 80’s and the basis of the game really hasn't changed at all and surprisingly neither has the graphics. You are probably wondering what upgrades were made to this Tetris World well now you can play with people all over the world via Xbox Live, but is that enough to make the game worth purchasing.
Gameplay
It may be quite surprising to most that a company would publish a game such as Tetris for a next generation console. It kind of boggles my mind as well, there are plenty of places you can download Tetris for your computer and play it for free. So Radical Entertainment knew when they wanted to make a Tetris game that they would have to give the game enough features to give people a reason for dishing out $20 for Tetris Worlds.
The game of Tetris is one of the most well known video games ever to be created. It’s simple yet fun and addictive gameplay has kept the game around to become one of the biggest series around. If you have played Tetris, it is a puzzle game where shapes fall down on your screen and it your job to put the pieces together to make a complete row. It’s not an easy game to explain but it is an easy game to figure out once you have it in front of you.
The one thing that makes this Tetris Worlds more appealing then last years is the Live support. Instead of going up against a computer you can go up against people all over the world in the game of Tetris. The game modes in the game include the Story Mode, Arcade Mode and then the Live support. Why would Tetris have a story mode you may be wondering well quite frankly I am not sure but at least they tried something new. Basically what the story mode comes down to is you playing Tetris. Only the true hardcore Tetris fans are even going to want to bother reading into the actually storyline given to the game.
The Live mode is where the more impressive side of Tetris Worlds is. You can play from a variety of modes including Race, Knockout and Lounge. Basically if you are just looking to play Tetris with people from over the world then the lounge mode will be perfect. It is also a good mode just to see what other players strategies are. The other two modes are the more competitive modes where you will be really playing against people either just trying to stay alive the longest or being the first one to complete the box. Basically the one thing that keeps the game from totally becoming a waste of time is the Live mode. The Live mode does give the game some new needed breath of fresh air but there just isn’t anything in there that is going to keep you coming back for more.
Graphics
There is one area of Tetris that is really becoming in need of a serious face lift. The game has looked the same since the very beginning and it just seems like they could do more to the game to make it look a lot more interesting then it does.
Besides the blocks in the game which look like blocks, there are backgrounds that change with the different game modes. These backgrounds are just kind of there instead of being anything interesting they were just kind of thrown in there to give the game a different look.
Overall I was quite disappointed there just wasn’t anything good to say about the graphics. The game looks and is Tetris and therefore it’s hard to complain that much. The one thing I would like to say is true full 3D backgrounds is a necessity for the next version of Tetris Worlds.
Fun Factor
This is the one section in which Tetris will fair the best. Basically because I like the game of Tetris (like so many of us do) it’s just a fun game. No matter how frustrating it can be, it is Tetris and when you get on a roll there is just nothing like that. With the Live features in the game you can show off your skills to the world and there can be some really fun games. Tetris Worlds is a fun game if you let it, it’s just a shame that there weren’t any more game modes to choose from.
Overall
Tetris Worlds is a game that really struggles to stay interesting. The Live mode is the only thing keeping the game from crumbling underneath itself, and even that doesn’t stay interesting for very long. Tetris Worlds Live is a game made for the hardcore Tetris fans that have to play Tetris online, on their Xbox. Otherwise the rest of us can stick with our free online Tetris, and save our twenty bucks for other things.
- Gameplay
5.0 - Graphics
4.0 - Fun Factor
6.0 - Overall
5.0
