Tetris DS

[THATinkjar]

The long blue bar. The yellow block. And those darn zigzag things whose images stay on your brain. These familiar Tetris shapes started a generation of video game fans. Now Nintendo is putting a new spin on the classic with Tetris® DS, available March 20 exclusively for Nintendo DS™, which incorporates the use of Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo's wireless gaming service.

Hard-core and casual gamers alike became obsessed with the original. Tetris DS builds on that emotional attachment by combining the original game with new types of game play that could only be possible on Nintendo DS.

Each of the six modes of play features a theme based on a classic Nintendo game, such as Super Mario Bros.®, The Legend of Zelda® or Metroid®. The traditional Tetriminos (falling blocks) and line-clearing strategy remain the staples of the game, but the touch screen adds a new element of interactivity.

Some modes give players special Tetris puzzles to solve. Others feature head-to-head action between two players, or massive wireless battles between 10 DS users, even if only one player has a game card. Players also can log onto Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to compete in two- or four-player battles. Tetris DS even includes a point-based rating system based on players' battle results. Opponents can see one another's ratings, which indicate their skill levels.

Every gamer, whether competitive or casual, will find a way to reconnect with one of the most popular puzzle games in history.

You can read the above here (http://press.nintendo.com/articles.jsp?id=8743).

Did anyone see this coming? Because I sure as hell didn't. I'm just amazed, and we've only got three months to wait, too! And, best of all, this doesn't sound like another lazy attempt to cash-in - not that Nintendo ever do that anyway, mind you.

Anyone else feeling the love for this? :D

-------------------------

European Release: 20 Feb, 06 (courtesy of British Gaming Blog)
US Release: 20 Mar, 06 (confirmed)
Japan: Unknown

Box Art (courtesy of GameSpot)
http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/2003/all/boxshots2/930648_71297.jpg

Screenshots (courtesy of British Gaming Blog)
http://www.britishgaming.co.uk/wp-content/tetrisds1.png http://www.britishgaming.co.uk/wp-content/tetrisds2.png

[GrandAmChandler]

And on the 8th day, God made tetris.

I hope to see some nifty stylus usage out of this one. Or maybe a stat bar graph, a la Tengen Tetris.

Word. Busting heads on-line in tetris. Who needs a gun, when you have a L-block?

[djbeatmongrel]

this is pretty cool. now all they need to do is a wi fi meteos and i'll be happy

[heybtbm]

It looks like Nintendo is taking back control after the horrible THQ versions of Tetris Worlds.

[segagamer4life]

good deal, I look forward to this on the DS... sweeeet.

[davidbrit2]

It looks like Nintendo is taking back control after the horrible THQ versions of Tetris Worlds.

Thank god. There was actually a THQ Tetris for DS announced quite some time ago, but it never came to pass, luckily.

[NE146]

WIFI Tetris eh.. Perkar's gonna blow a load LOL

[WiseSalesman]

me = excited

[JWKobayashi]

Does anyone have a list of the thus far announced Wi-Fi compatible games?

As far as US releases go, all I know of are:

Mario Kart DS
Tony Hawk's American Sk8land
Animal Crossing DS
Metroid Prime Hunters

and now Tetris DS

Have any more been announced yet either in the US or worldwide?

[McBacon]

My site has scored screenies :)

http://www.britishgaming.co.uk/?p=340

[THATinkjar]

Have any more been announced yet either in the US or worldwide?

I think the TV ad for Contact had the NiFi logo in the top-left at the end... I don't know if anyone else can confirm this?

[GrandAmChandler]

My site has scored screenies :)

http://www.britishgaming.co.uk/?p=340

http://www.britishgaming.co.uk/wp-content/tetrisds2.png

WOW They are gonna do an awesome job with this one!

[McBacon]

Yep, Contact is online. There are tonnes announced.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nintendo_DS_WiFi_games

[THATinkjar]

My site has scored screenies :)

http://www.britishgaming.co.uk/?p=340

Funny, I found screenshots over here (http://www.ga-forum.com/showpost.php?s=b044bf3846c231c90eab2458e72a9165&p=2565952&postcount=130). But we'll just pretend you scored an exclusive, shall we? x_x

[McBacon]

My site has scored screenies :)

http://www.britishgaming.co.uk/?p=340

Funny, I found screenshots over here (http://www.ga-forum.com/showpost.php?s=b044bf3846c231c90eab2458e72a9165&p=2565952&postcount=130). But we'll just pretend you scored an exclusive, shall we? x_x

Nah, not an exclusive, got them from the Ninty Press Site, but I like pluggin my site :)

[keiblerfan69]

It looks like Nintendo is taking back control after the horrible THQ versions of Tetris Worlds.

Lets hope so.

[unwinddesign]

Umm...cool, it's Tetris.

I know I'm going against the majority when I say that, but in all seriousness, I do not see the allure behind Tetris. It is boring and has been rehashed 2000 times already. The graphical and aural aspects have been surpassed by numerous puzzler titles.

I simply don't understand why Wi-Fi is gonna make Tetris any different. Playing Tetris against other people was never any fun, so I don't know why online would all of a sudden be a blast.

[neuropolitique]

/me puts unwinddesign on the list

[NE146]

Playing Tetris against other people was never any fun, so I don't know why online would all of a sudden be a blast.

Nah, playing Tetris against multiple people does indeed up the fun factor of it umpteenth percent if at least for the simple competitive factor much the same way Puyo Puyo and Tetris Attack are more fun when challenging others :) I mean, look at the continuing popularity of Tetrinet!(although I kind of stopped playing after being whooped by Perkar more than a couple dozen times LOL).

I do hope however they take a cue from Tetrinet and add some cool power ups and strategy to the game rather than just straight up Tetris battles. :)

[blissfulnoise]

WIFI Tetris eh.. Perkar's gonna blow a load LOL

I can throw down with the best of em' but he's got real skills.

Maybe we can duel via DS for bragging rights?

[exit]

Tetris? Wifi? I'm there.

[Perkar]

WIFI Tetris eh.. Perkar's gonna blow a load LOL

I can throw down with the best of em' but he's got real skills.

Maybe we can duel via DS for bragging rights?

OH MAN TETRIS DS @*(&$#(

/me splooges


but... unfortunately my only option for going online with the DS is at mcdonalds at the moment, which really sucks. i love having tetris bragging rights, and i might not be able to for the DS version. sad day

;)

[THATinkjar]

Hey, McBacon: Tetris DS will be arriving in Europe a month before the US? That. Is. Totally. Unreal!

I've updated the original post with the two screenshots and the box art.

[WizDawg]

Awesome news. Tetris is still one of my top 5 games of all time. Can't wait to play online with other Tetris freaks!

ps. Metroid Hunters and Tetris being released about the same time. I wonder if the Nintendo Wifi site will crash??

[Ulticron]

Definately a MUST HAVE on my list!

[zerohero]

I think it's an excellent idea. My mom will only play games like tetris so I guess this will have her hogging my DS for a while. Now if only they would make Super Mario 3 WiFi....

[cyberfluxor]

I love the tetris games and to see a version with so many players is an awesome sight to see. I don't know how they plan on making the themes work out but it'll be interesting for sure, even if it does distract you. But yes, I am also currious about the stylist gameplay as well. Great idea though for multiplayer puzzle environments!

[THATinkjar]

Apparently it isn't coming to Europe until May the 6th :( Boo! Will have to import this.

[swlovinist]

Tetris is portable CRACK. Nintendo is really making good decisions about the DS and remakes that everyone remembers. Tetris is a great choice, due to the sheer volumes of people that bought a Game Boy for one. Now that the portable crack is going to be online Wi Fi, count me in. Nintendo, you are a remaking money hoar, and I am a John! LOL

[THATinkjar]

Movies at Nintendo (http://www.nintendo.com/gameminiav?gameid=SHMfI4-pd_DDhbjpYkb631-LunYD1UhC) :D

[stuffedmonkey]

Ooh. Yeah I'll buy that.

[Joker T]

It's looking fantastic, this will and Age of the Empires are my next 2 games :)

[GrandAmChandler]

Who's got it!? I want to hear reviews of this game!

-Chris

[toddst]

I have only played it a bit, but for a lack of a better description, it is Tetris. There are a few modes available like regular, push, and puzzle, but the main draw is wifi. I played a few games online last night and it was great.

This morning on the bus to work, I started to play a single player game, but decided that I would rather play Princess Peach. So, for me, it is all about the wifi tetris.

[JWKobayashi]

Alrighty, here we go...

I picked this game up last night at Target after a friend of mine told me that he found it there. Said friend and I exchanged friend codes and played about 10 matches over Wi-fi. The experience was lag free and completely smooth. Quite awesome.

After my friend quit on me I played 12 games over Wi-fi using the "Worldwide" option. These games were also lag free for me. It keeps your wins ranking and scores you based on your wins/losses. I'm currently at 11/12 wins. There are three play modes online - 2 player stanard, 4 player w/ items, and push mode. The only one that I've played thus far was the 2 player standard. I didn't even try for 4 players, cause at times it took a while for the service to locate one player to play against. All in all I think that will improve as more people get the game.

As for single player, there are several modes to choose from and I'll detail the ones that I tried.

In the standard game of Tetris, I played Marathon mode. In this mode, you try to "stay alive" in order to clear 200 lines. This actually gets pretty tough once you pass 100 lines. The blocks began to drop alot faster than I thought they would.

There is a Challenge mode in which you are given a certain task and must try to complete it as quickly as possible. Some of the tasks that I saw included clearing two lines with a T block, clearing two lines without using the l block, etc. A pretty fun diversion.

The last mode that I tried out so far is a Puzzle mode (I think that is what it was called...). This gives you a set up game space and a few blocks to choose from to clear the puzzle. I tried the first 5 or so out of a list of 200. Another pretty good diversion.

All in all Wi-fi is the big draw for me, but the whole package is still pretty good.

[eggwolio]

I've only played through the marathon mode and some online games, but I'll definitely say that the last 10 lines of those 200 you have to get is possibly the awesomest thing about the whole game. Every ten lines, the level changes, along with the background and the music, and that one...yeah...awesome. :)

[stuffedmonkey]

Picked it up at EB games on my lunch break - will post full review later :)

[SEGA-SAMMY]

I'm on my way later today to pick this one up and man am I looking forward to it. :D :D

[FireMillen]

why does my best buy say they won't get it until Mar 30 ??? and I looked on their website and it also says Mar 30.

Believe me Best Buy is about the LAST place I'd like to shop, but I've got a gift card I need to spend :)

[stuffedmonkey]

I'm really liking it so far. I haven't gotten a chance to play each and every mode, but this is the most polished Tetris version I've ever played, and enought to make me forget ever dealing with those horrible Tetris Worlds ones...

So what can you unlock with more Tetris Points?

[Jasoco]

I might buy this tomorrow. Might. We'll see.

I'm most looking forward to the regular Tetris and the new Metroid themed Catch mode.

[THATinkjar]

So what can you unlock with more Tetris Points?

From what I have read, not a lot. Basically you can unlock some music, one piece is the classic Tetris theme tune. Other than that, I don't think there is anything else.

Which is a real shame.

[JWKobayashi]

So far I've unlocked two things:

1) Endless Mode
To get this you have to complete marathon mode. After you clear 200 lines you have the option to do endless mode, which is basically marathon mode without the 200 line limit.

2) Classic Tetris Theme
If you get Endless mode, you also get this. At 190 lines into the marathon mode you hear this song play and unlock it.

[exit]

I played with it for a bit and I love the different modes. I played with the puzzle mode for about 30 minutes until I finally got stuck.

I'll try out the on-line mode when I get home later tonight.

[Daniel Thomas]

I actually picked this instead of the new Metroid, which probably means I've got rocks in my head. After all, it's still just Tetris. But then, I still think this is the best game ever made, and it turns out to really be an excellent version. I'm waiting to see how online play works out; probably not as intense as some of the later puzzlers like Puzzle Fighter 2 or Meteos, but I'm not sure if those games are possible online just now.

One gripe - the price. What happened to Nintendo selling Tetris DS for $20? That idea sure lasted long. Jerks.

At least I finally have something to lodge Animal Crossing out of the cartridge slot for a day.

[THATinkjar]

One gripe - the price. What happened to Nintendo selling Tetris DS for $20? That idea sure lasted long. Jerks.

I was quite excited about the prospect of a budget-priced Tetris, too. Not that Europe would have seen this price reduction, anyway. They probably had every intention of selling it at a lower price... until they saw people drooling all over the previews, etc.

And you can probably blame retail for the price hike as well.

[Cmtz]

I love the touch mode. I've been playing it for a day now and all I can say is, it's Tetris. I like the WiFi score. It just gives you the percentage of games won and how many games you have won so it doesn't show your losses. But if you know math you can figure that out too. LOL

[blissfulnoise]

This game is quite excellent online. I've got about 63 wins right now with a score that's fluxing between 5900 - 6100. I'm getting more and more in tune with the play mechanics to be successful.

Highly recommended to all Tetris fans. If you're a pretty serious Tetris player and would like to bout for a few rounds, feel free to PM me and we'll swap friend codes.

And if you run into "blissful" online, that's me.

[warswift]

game is great

[Jasoco]

I just picked this up tonight and I must say, I will say, it is EXACTLY what I've been waiting for in a genuine portable Tetris game since the original. After the bad taste of Tetris Worlds (Though I do miss all those variations as well.) this is bliss.

The Original mode is awesome with the Type A and Type B from the original as well as CPU mode. The Catch mode is awesome. And I played the Push mode which was awesome as well. Haven't tried the other three yet.

One thing I noticed is people were disappointed at the lack of the original Russian music. Well, I'm happy to say at least the "Score Entry" song from the Gameboy version is still in there! It's under the "Records" section. (There also appears to be other unlockable music. I wonder if the original music is one of them.)

My biggest fear, and this will sound trivial, is that they had removed a score board. But I am happy to say it is not gone. It's right there. I AM HAPPY! :D

[JWKobayashi]

Anyone want to discuss strategies?

I think that I'm pretty decent at Tetris, and I'm currently ranked with a score online of about 6400 (about 120 wins). However, there have been several people that I just can't seem to beat. What are some good strategies to try out other than the old "get a tetris as quick as possible" strategy?

[Edit]

Also, I can NOT beat the AI on normal mode at level 5. Every time that I think I'm doing well, the CPU just unloads on me. Crazyness.

[THATinkjar]

Man, I love Tetris DS! Firstly, I like ALL of the modes - something I didn't think I would. They are all fun, though Push is brilliant - and I can't wait to try that in Multiplayer.

The music is spot-on, and it has a fun attractive look to it. I'm just finding this game quite tough at the moment... I haven't been able to even clear 100 Lines in the Standard mode yet... me thinks I need to practice.

And getting Tetris Thumb doesn't help!

[JWKobayashi]

The music is spot-on, and it has a fun attractive look to it. I'm just finding this game quite tough at the moment... I haven't been able to even clear 100 Lines in the Standard mode yet... me thinks I need to practice.

Infinate rotation is your friend in the later levels of marathon mode. :)

[THATinkjar]

The music is spot-on, and it has a fun attractive look to it. I'm just finding this game quite tough at the moment... I haven't been able to even clear 100 Lines in the Standard mode yet... me thinks I need to practice.

Infinate rotation is your friend in the later levels of marathon mode. :)

Oh well, yes. I found myself using it to buy myself some thinking time, looking at the blocks coming up.

I hope I can train myself not to use it though...

Great game!

[Daniel Thomas]

I don't know yet what to think of Infinite Rotation. I can understand Nintendo trying to address what they saw as the main "flaw" of Tetris - the fact that the game eventually becomes too fast to play. Eventually, you're going to die, and there's not much you can do about it. Personally, I never had a problem with this; it's something of a nice lesson for life, and the game emphasises what we can do in the here-and-now. Not to get too theological. After all, it's just a game. I'm just fine with playing Tetris while knowing each game was finite.

So IR changes the situation somewhat. Now, as long as you keep spinning the pieces, everything comes to a screeching halt. This enables you to plan out a strategy and continue to clear rows, long after the drops surpass your reflexes. Now you can play Tetris forever...or at least until you get bored and quit. I've already seen this happen in online videos at YouTube.

The problem with allowing IR is that is removes, to a great extent, the tension of the game. That tension comes from having fewer and fewer seconds in which to drop your current piece, plan for the next one, and think of your overall strategy. Filling the playfield halfway is far more stressful at, say, level 8, than at level 1. It's being like a chain smoker for 30 years. Suddenly you're staring down heart disease, and your options are shrinking ever smaller.

Perhaps, again, this is just too much thinking over something as trivial as a video game. I don't think that's why God put my on His green earth in the first place. And, thankfully, online play is unaffected, and that's probably the best feature of Tetris DS. Still, I'd like to fire up a solitary game every now and then, and IR changes its very fundamental nature. Tetris is no longer a test of skill and wits, but of mere patience.

There's no point in staring down the barrel of a shotgun if you know the thing's not loaded.

[THATinkjar]

Yay. I didn't think I'd ever do it, but I cleared 200 lines! Woot. I envy you people who are clearing hundreds more on top of that... your can't have anything of your thumbs left!

[Jasoco]

Holy crap! Best game of Tetris I ever did!

Not as good as you though. I got 141 or so lines. Got up to level 15 and got a score of 142,848.

Best part! When you pass level 8, the games start changing to other themes. First it changed to Zelda on level 9, then to Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and Metroid. So awesome! I was on Metroid when I lost.

I have to hand it to them, even though it's debatable, infinite rotation is the best thing to happen to Tetris IMHO. It lets poor players be better.

[THATinkjar]

Not as good as you though. I got 141 or so lines. Got up to level 15 and got a score of 142,848.

Keep going! When you finally accept that you just have to keep rotating late on... you'll make it. Multiplayer Push mode is probably where this game shines now, for me, so I'll have to get back online sooner rather than later!


Best part! When you pass level 8, the games start changing to other themes. First it changed to Zelda on level 9, then to Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and Metroid. So awesome! I was on Metroid when I lost.

The annoying thing, though, is that you can't spend time looking at the lovely details in the themes because it gets so frantic late on. Shame. And when you pick a Level to start on before playing, it doesn't pick the relevant theme. Shame.


I have to hand it to them, even though it's debatable, infinite rotation is the best thing to happen to Tetris IMHO. It lets poor players be better.

I disagree. It merely lets players - both good and bad - play for longer. You're still bad if you use it, but you play for longer. You're still good if you use it, but you play for longer.

[exit]

I was able to get 200 lines after my second try yesterday. I barely got away with it, if anything the infinite rotation caused a few of the problems I had, but I'm glad I was able to do it.

[NintendoMan]

There's no point in staring down the barrel of a shotgun if you know the thing's not loaded.

That's kinda demented.
LOL

[Daniel Thomas]

It's not my fault. I watched The Wild Bunch last week. The only thing that came to mind was that suicidal shootout at the end.

[c0ldb33r]

I totally want this game :D

I'll probably pick it up this week. I'm not sure if it'll replace my favorite tetris game (n4 tetrisphere - highly underrated), but from what I hear, there's a good chance it will!

I've been wanting an online tetris game with powerup attacks since I used to play Tetrinet. I used to be addicted to it (it sucks nowadays).

[JPeeples]

It felt so good to get to 200 lines last night, and I'm hooked on Wi-Fi. I haven't played Mission mode yet, but just about every other mode has been addictive.

[THATinkjar]

I'll be back on Nintendo's WiFi service as soon as my dongle arrives (hopefully Wednesday). I look forward to letting you all trash me in due course.

[Daniel Thomas]

I've just been getting hammered online. I never realized there were kids who were so fast with Tetris. Currently, I've played 65 online games (all 2P), and won only 25.

My only advice for strategy involves a) saving a straight piece so you can drop two Tetrises in a row, or more likely, b) swearing out loud at all those damn 'S' and 'Z' blocks. Can I get a piece I can actually use, thank you very much?!

I'd really like to know why the only online options are 2P with no items, 4P with items, and Push. Shouldn't you have the choice of using items (or not using them) for both modes?

I really wish the other DS puzzlers were wifi ready. Bust a Move, Meteos, Zoo Keeper. Wifi should be required for most multiplayer games.

[THATinkjar]

I'd really like to know why the only online options are 2P with no items, 4P with items, and Push. Shouldn't you have the choice of using items (or not using them) for both modes?

I would imagine 2P with items wouldn't be all that balanced. 4P with items has a certain randomness which you can allow for, perhaps.


I really wish the other DS puzzlers were wifi ready. Bust a Move, Meteos, Zoo Keeper. Wifi should be required for most multiplayer games.

I think we can expect a number of sequels/re-releases for games such as Meteos and Bomberman, which will no doubt take us online. Fingers crossed, E3 is going to have a lot of new DS games announced!

[THATinkjar]

Oh, if anyone is looking to import Tetris DS in the UK - I would recommend my ebayer, Gamesfocus (aka Adam). He has Tetris DS for just 22 quid, which is a bargain! I can vouch for him, as I have had my copy since Saturday. You can view the auction here (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TETRIS-DS-IN-STOCK-NOW-UK-SELLER-NINTENDO-DS-NDS_W0QQitemZ8271312386QQcategoryZ91510QQtcZphotoQ QcmdZViewItem).

That is just a great price, people!

[poloplayr]

Will definitely pick this up as soon as I have time one day after work. Damn shops closing early.

Really stupid question but when you go online and play versus other opponents can you actually see their playing field and as they're playing?

[n8littlefield]

Will definitely pick this up as soon as I have time one day after work. Damn shops closing early.

Really stupid question but when you go online and play versus other opponents can you actually see their playing field and as they're playing?

Yes you can. The bottom screen shows you, the top shows them (at least that's how the 4 player works, haven't tried 2 player yet). 4 player online is incredibly fun. I bought Metroid and Tetris the same day and have hardly touched Metroid!

[poloplayr]

Damn...I've said this a hundred times the last 6 months but there's just too many Grade A titles coming out for the DS! Wallet taking a hurting!

[blissfulnoise]

I've just been getting hammered online. I never realized there were kids who were so fast with Tetris. Currently, I've played 65 online games (all 2P), and won only 25.

My only advice for strategy involves a) saving a straight piece so you can drop two Tetrises in a row, or more likely, b) swearing out loud at all those damn 'S' and 'Z' blocks. Can I get a piece I can actually use, thank you very much?!

I'd really like to know why the only online options are 2P with no items, 4P with items, and Push. Shouldn't you have the choice of using items (or not using them) for both modes?

I really wish the other DS puzzlers were wifi ready. Bust a Move, Meteos, Zoo Keeper. Wifi should be required for most multiplayer games.

Most of the time, I can build out a tetris in about 8 - 10 seconds. And yeah, it's pretty smart to bank a straight piece to drop two in a row. But another good strategy is to wait for your opponent to drop a tetris on you, and then immediately counter with one in the grey brick area.

Whenever you clear out a triple or, better, a tetris on the grey lines, you'll send them back to your opponent scrambled. This should buy you some extra time to quickly build up some lines and bury them.

Personally, I don't even go by that advice. I'm normally building tetrisi so fast I can push them to the top very quickly. However, because I play very fast, I'm prone to mistakes every now and then so keeping some room clear to break some grey lines makes a big difference.

I haven't been against an opponent yet that I haven't at least won more than 50% of my games against. They're out there, I just need to get matched up with them.

[Rabid Peanut-Butter]

I totally want this game :D

I'll probably pick it up this week. I'm not sure if it'll replace my favorite tetris game (n4 tetrisphere - highly underrated), but from what I hear, there's a good chance it will!

I've been wanting an online tetris game with powerup attacks since I used to play Tetrinet. I used to be addicted to it (it sucks nowadays).

Oh hells yes. They NEED to port Tetrisphere to DS. That would be awesome. Wetrix too!

Anyway, back on topic. I'm really surprised with Tetris DS. I'm not that big of a Tetris fan, but picked this one up because of the Nintendo themes. I think I've played more of this than Hunters and absolutely adore Push mode (though I can't even beat CPU level 3). Great job Nintendo!

[JWKobayashi]

Argh. I'm having trouble finding people to play online with in the 4 player mode. Every time I try to play it, the matching service can't find enough people. Oh well, 2 player still kicks ass.

Playing endless I got up to about 350 lines. At that point, making a mistake is pretty much fatal cause they're just so hard to correct.

I've played about 250 games online, of which I've won about 175 or so. What sucks is that I keep getting up to around 6500 points and then losing to someone that is ranked below me. Right now I'm about at 5800. Maybe I'll try the whole "wait until they make Tetrises" strategy.

[c0ldb33r]

Oh hells yes. They NEED to port Tetrisphere to DS. That would be awesome. Wetrix too!

Tetrisphere DS would be awesome. I don't think it sold well enough for anyone to care about it though :(

Random bit of trivia: DID YOU KNOW that Tetrisphere was initally planned for the Jaguar? It was brought to the n64 because the jaguar died (thank God - I couldn't imagine this game being trapped on the Jag)

Getting to the point of this thread though ;)

I got Tetris DS tonight. I love it.

I really love the standard mode. The action going on the top screen is fun, although you don't have time to watch, and the music is really killer! Push mode is ingenious. It's exciting and addictive! Puzzle mode and touch mode are fun too.

I really don't care for catch mode. At first I thought I didn't understand it. Well, it turns out I DO understand it - I just don't like it :( I'm not sure if it's a neat idea that's just not well developed, or just a bad idea. In any event, this really is the game's weakest point.

The strongest point? Definately the wifi battles. They're great. I've only played 3 battles online (I just got it tonight), and I've won all 3, so now I'm scared to go online because I don't want a loss ;)

[Jasoco]

When you hit level 11, the speed gets so fast the blocks don't even get a chance to drop. If there were no Infinite Spin, there is absolutely no way anyone would be able to win. That's why the originals only went to level 9 (0-9). But now thanks to IS, you have a chance to keep going.

I got to level 17 last night. A score of 185,178. My god, once you get to 16, the music changes to something new and new games are added to the theme. Level 16 was ExciteBike and 17 is a game I do not recognize. Anyone know? I'm sure someone recognizes it.

The music for level 20 is apparently a new one. I wonder what it is. I have to be in my groove to be able to keep going.

I only have two pieces of music to unlock. 20 and 21. Anyone wanna spoil them for me? When does 21 get unlocked?

So far Standard is my favorite mode. It just is pure Tetris. And IMHO, this game is the best Tetris I have ever played.

But, I have never played Tetrisphere. Nor have I played New Tetris. The last Tetris I played was Worlds, and before that it was the original NES Tetris.

Someone explain Tetrisphere to me. I played a PC 3D Tetris a long time ago. Is 'Sphere like that?

[MrRoboto19XX]

I think the game featured on level 17 might be Devil World, if it is, then this is the first time it has appeared (in any form) in the united states.

For those of you who don't know, Devil World is a Pac Man like game created by Miyamoto for the Famicom (or maybe FDS). The game involved spinning crosses and such, and we all know how nintendo was about crosses, just ask any doctor in Eagleland about their hospital...

And in case that wasn't Devil World, theres something to read.

And in case my information was incorrect, theres some more misinformation to spread about the internet.

[c0ldb33r]

Someone explain Tetrisphere to me. I played a PC 3D Tetris a long time ago. Is 'Sphere like that?

I can't explain it any better than the author of the wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrisphere) (see the Gameplay mechanics section). It's addictive as hell.

Like Tetris DS, Tetrisphere has many play modes, standard mode, puzzle mode, versus, and various mini games. I haven't played it in awhile, but I know there's enough play modes to keep you going. There's also power ups and attacks. this is seeming more and more like tetris DS. The music and graphics are pretty sharp.

If you can track it down, you should totally pick it up. I've purchased it twice over the years, like $10 each time.

EDIT: I just got 200 lines in standard mode - I got it on my 3rd play through in standard mode. I unlocked all the music and endless mode. Is that it? Is there anything else that can be unlocked?

[THATinkjar]

I really don't care for catch mode. At first I thought I didn't understand it. Well, it turns out I DO understand it - I just don't like it :( I'm not sure if it's a neat idea that's just not well developed, or just a bad idea. In any event, this really is the game's weakest point.

While I think it is an interesting mode (and certainly some people seem to like it), it just isn't all that fun. It's nicely themed (but sparse), but the action is just too slow and dull. Maybe people who have given it a good shot can tell us what we're missing out on?

[JWKobayashi]

If you can track it down, you should totally pick it up. I've purchased it twice over the years, like $10 each time.

EDIT: I just got 200 lines in standard mode - I got it on my 3rd play through in standard mode. I unlocked all the music and endless mode. Is that it? Is there anything else that can be unlocked?

Oh man, I totally forgot about Tetrisphere. I think I'm going to have to pick it up. The trippy atmosphere in that game rocks.

So far, I haven't found anything else to unlock. That's kind of a bummer, but at least it has a lot of reply value in the wifi modes. :)

[c0ldb33r]

I got 801 lines in standard mode, and nothing else unlocked anywhere. It took me FOREVER!!! By the time I died, I was a little relieved.

I included a "screen shot". Please excuse how crappy the screen looks. I put on a screen protector when I got Meteos. It's just a crappy palm brand protector, but it does the job. It doesn't look this scratchy/dirty when you're playing. Just when you're all zoomed in and have a flash on ;)

http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/i66f8/images/tetrisds.jpg

[JWKobayashi]

I got 801 lines in standard mode, and nothing else unlocked anywhere. It took me FOREVER!!! By the time I died, I was a little relieved.

Nice job. Does it keep getting harder / faster? (That just sounds wrong...) I would imagine that after a certain level the speed would just peak.

[Jasoco]

I got 801 lines in standard mode, and nothing else unlocked anywhere. It took me FOREVER!!! By the time I died, I was a little relieved.

Nice job. Does it keep getting harder / faster? (That just sounds wrong...) I would imagine that after a certain level the speed would just peak.I already mentioned that at level 11 the speed is so fast it doesn't even drop. It falls so fast the block just appears on the bottom of the screen. At that point it becomes a game of luck and "How long can you continue to spin the damn block to maneuver it into place before it locks in". Which is what makes it fun.

In other words, it can't get any faster than level 11. I wonder if at that point the delay between the player not pressing a button and the moment a block locks in place gets shorter and shorter. That's the only thing they can really do, isn't it? At that point the levels are just there for atmosphere.

[THATinkjar]

Congrats, c0ldb33r! I don't think I would ever want to play that far, but I might give it a go sometime. The fun sure would get sucked out of the game at the stage, I would think. But kudos, anyway. I've seen a photo of someone hitting 999 lines, that looked real enough.

Loving the Mario Kart DS as well, man. I want that!

[MarkMan]

I can only manage to get up to level 15, only played a few times though. I must conquer 20 levels!

Has anyone here done it yet? (Sorry didn't read through the whole thread!)

[Jasoco]

Don't read the whole thread, but at least read this page. (In other words, scroll up about 4 posts or so. Level 20? Nah. Level 81??

Edit: Holy awesomeness! Literally right after I posted this, I sat in bed and started a game. Got to level 20. Was at 199 lines, got three more lines, the game stops, "Congratulations!" and goes into the credits! Yay! Now I can do Endless and have all the music available.

Duck Hunt! Ha!

High Score: 284,376.

My best yet. Now to see how high I can really go! :D

Best fucking Tetris ever!

[c0ldb33r]

Does it keep getting harder / faster? (That just sounds wrong...) I would imagine that after a certain level the speed would just peak.

Like Jasoco said, the speed peaks, and it just becomes a game of endurance. However, I seemed to me that I would try to keep spinning the piece, looking for somewhere to put it, and it just plunk itself down. In fact, that's what killed me. I wonder if as the levels increase past the maximum speed, is there a cap on how long you can keep spinning your piece. Or maybe you have to hit the button faster as the levels increase to keep it spinning, i.e. you can still spin it forever, but you have to press the spin button damn fast.

The secret to getting to level 20 (or past) is to make sure to make good use of the hold function. Always keep a piece in reserve, preferably the middle finger piece (see the piece here (http://www.arkmay.com/tetris/pieces.html)). That way, when a piece comes down that you can't use without creating an air-hole, use the middle finger piece. In most cases between the falling piece and the reserve piece, you'll be airhole free.

Also, to beat level 20 you have to keep your piece spinning like there's no tomorrow. That's obvious enough, but don't forget that you can spin in both directions. If you're trying to get a piece to spin over a hurdle (a piece of a block sticking up), and you can't get over it spinning in one direction, spin it the other, and hopefully it'll make it over. This works and I use it all the time :D

edit: For more tips, check out Murphy's Law of Tetris (http://www.arkmay.com/tetris/murphy.html) and the rest of that site (http://www.arkmay.com/tetris/choices.html) entirely.

[THATinkjar]

My Wi-Fi USB dongle arrived today, and I played half an hour of Push mode online. What an absolute blast! Exciting, always finely balanced, just brilliant.

[krylon]

Hi everybody!
Off topic:
It's my first post on DP! I love reading the DP Forum!

On topic:
I only got Tetris DS 2 days ago and am loving it! It's as addictive as the GB version and i can't wait to try it online. I do have one concern though, and i was wondering what you, veterans, think: My right thumb hurts! It's killing me! And i've only been playing for 2 days!!! I think it's due to the design of the DS itself because i used to play Tetris on my GBA SP everyday and never had any problems. Now i'm a bit 'scared' to play any further since i dont want permanent damge. Have any of you experienced this problem (i remember one poster who wrote that his thumb was hurting as well)? Did you just ignore the pain and went on playing any way? I love to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you!

ps: it might very well be the case that i'm just a cry-baby ;)

[Rabid Peanut-Butter]

Oh hells yes. They NEED to port Tetrisphere to DS. That would be awesome. Wetrix too!

Tetrisphere DS would be awesome. I don't think it sold well enough for anyone to care about it though :(

Random bit of trivia: DID YOU KNOW that Tetrisphere was initally planned for the Jaguar? It was brought to the n64 because the jaguar died (thank God - I couldn't imagine this game being trapped on the Jag)


Interesting, I did not know that. Sure glad it landed on Nintendo's console instead.

[THATinkjar]

Just played 27 matches of Push with one guy. Came out on top, 17-10. What. A. Blast. Hands are numb, eyes are raw, but I'll do it all again tomorrow evening.

Just finished up playing 27 matches of Push with one guy named Fubar. Came out on top, 17-10. It was terrific! And my hands are now numb and my eyes are raw, but I'll be back on the wagon tomorrow evening!


Hi everybody!
Off topic:
It's my first post on DP! I love reading the DP Forum!

Ahoy!


I do have one concern though, and i was wondering what you, veterans, think: My right thumb hurts! It's killing me! And i've only been playing for 2 days!!! I think it's due to the design of the DS itself because i used to play Tetris on my GBA SP everyday and never had any problems.

For me, the GBAP SP is worse than the DS design-wise and for cramped hands, and such. On Tetris DS, though, my hands go "fuzzy" after an hour or so. During my quest to Level 20 in single player, Infinite Spin killed my right thumb. As for serious damage... if you're not playing 24/7, and if you do take regular breaks, I don't think you have any reason to worry.

And if you are worried, pick yourself up a Lite when they launch :)

Will you be playing online, krylon?

[JPeeples]

You know, I expected to be hooked on this when I bought it, but never to this degree. I think I've clocked in around 15 hours in just a few days. Touch mode rules, catch mode is okay, puzzle mode is an interesting way to increase your efficiency in the main game, push mode is frustrating (but very satisfying), and mission mode is a riot. 4-Player Wi-Fi is where it's at for me.

[Jasoco]

edit: For more tips, check out Murphy's Law of Tetris (http://www.arkmay.com/tetris/murphy.html) and the rest of that site (http://www.arkmay.com/tetris/choices.html) entirely.Murphy's Law doesn't apply to newer ones now since you can "save" a piece for later. Fuck up and block a tetris ready hole? Save the four-bar until Mario's done unclogging the drain.

When it gets to the whole endurance test, I find myself spinning in place just to check out and plan my next moves. Except for some reason, and I don't know if it's the game or the DS, the piece stops spinning even though I'm hitting the button repeatedly and ends up settling in a bad place.

I also find myself making a single mistake so far into the game and realizing "Oh, so this is where it starts." For some reason, even with the ghost, I let a piece drop in place when it's a tile off so it falls in the wrong place totally screwing the game up. It only happened early on though it ends up setting my fate right then and there.

[krylon]

Will you be playing online, krylon?

I got my usb connector today. I will try to install later in the day. Cheers!

[THATinkjar]

Will you be playing online, krylon?

I got my usb connector today. I will try to install later in the day. Cheers!

Awesome! It is really easy to use. Just pop the CD in and follow the on-screen instructions. A little way through, you'll be prompted to connect the USB dongle. From then on, its automatic and takes about five minutes.

Remember, the dongle only works on Windows XP.

Once installed, just run the software and then run a NiFi game on your DS. Head to the Nintendo Wi-Fi setup screen on the game, and tap the "Connect to USB dongle" (or whatever it is called) button at the bottom. Then follow the on-screen instructions (granting permission in the software on the PC when it says).

And you're set!

It was so easy. One thing to note, though, Metroid Prime Hunters (if you have it, or plan on getting it) actually requires more ports open than the other games, it would seem. Read into that if need be.

[c0ldb33r]

Awesome! It is really easy to use. Just pop the CD in and follow the on-screen instructions. A little way through, you'll be prompted to connect the USB dongle. From then on, its automatic and takes about five minutes.

If this doesn't work, try plugging in the dongle first. I know it sounds weird, but it wouldn't work for me otherwise. Use Thatinkjar's method first though.

Hopefully all will be well :D

[THATinkjar]

Awesome! It is really easy to use. Just pop the CD in and follow the on-screen instructions. A little way through, you'll be prompted to connect the USB dongle. From then on, its automatic and takes about five minutes.

If this doesn't work, try plugging in the dongle first. I know it sounds weird, but it wouldn't work for me otherwise. Use Thatinkjar's method first though.

Hopefully all will be well :D

When do we start work for Nintendo's support team, c0ldb33r? LOL

More to the point, when can we arrange to do battle over a game of Tetris? The time difference isn't going to help, I guess.

[Mayhem]

Awesome! It is really easy to use.

Real easy to use if you're not on AOL. Mmm fun. Still I got it to work eventually through it...

[THATinkjar]

Awesome! It is really easy to use.

Real easy to use if you're not on AOL. Mmm fun. Still I got it to work eventually through it...

But then, AOL has *never* been suitable for *any* online gaming.

[JWKobayashi]

More to the point, when can we arrange to do battle over a game of Tetris? The time difference isn't going to help, I guess.

I'd love to get in and play some people in a 4 player match. I still have not been able to connect in a 4 player game over the WFC. Maybe we can get something going for this weekend? :D

[THATinkjar]

More to the point, when can we arrange to do battle over a game of Tetris? The time difference isn't going to help, I guess.

I'd love to get in and play some people in a 4 player match. I still have not been able to connect in a 4 player game over the WFC. Maybe we can get something going for this weekend? :D

Totally up for this! Tetris DS and Metroid Prime Hunters 4 players (apparently) require more ports open (I've done a little bit of reading). Which may be why some are having troubles getting a 4 player game up and running.

PM your code, buddy, and I'll hit you back.

[c0ldb33r]

DID YOU KNOW that Tetrisphere was initally planned for the Jaguar?

Interesting, I did not know that. Sure glad it landed on Nintendo's console instead.

Yeah it was called Phear. Apparently h2o (the company that made it) was displaying it at the 1995 CES at the atari booth. Nintendo saw the game and offered them quite a sum to bring it to the n64 instead. It was probably a good move for everyone, except Atari. You can see the Phear brochure here (http://nfggames.com/neography/pivot/entry.php?id=197)

And here's an image of Phear running on the Jaguary next to a screengrab of Tetrisphere on the n64 - do they look similar?

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2359/phearsmall3ak.jpg (http://imageshack.us) http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/6333/tetrisphere6ui.th.jpg (http://img234.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tetrisphere6ui.jpg)

The phear shot is from a partial scan of the 1995 CES atari poster. Sorry for the small image size, but its not my fault. That's the best the internet has to offer :D

[MrRoboto19XX]

Perhaps Im totally mad, but he jaguar version's background appears to have an egg and sperm in it at first glance.

[c0ldb33r]

Perhaps Im totally mad, but he jaguar version's background appears to have an egg and sperm in it at first glance.
I was wondering about that squiggle looking thing myself ;)

[Julio III]

Tetris DS finally arrived today. I pre-ordered it but after reading ThatInkJar's posts was beginning to think I should have just gone the eBay route. The reason for the delay was that 1 letter in the middle of my post code was wrong on the front and for some reason the postal service thought it would be good to try and send it to London, then realised I live in Manchester, as it says on the address.

Anyway, the game is here now and I've given each of the different games a go. Basically think I'm going to stick to standard mode which is still very very good. The addition of a hold piece adds something but i dont think i've really sussed that out yet. The rotation is very wierd but it doesn't really extend my game that much over normal tetris so far. The music is excellent. Would love to try wi-fi but I've not got a wireless connection. When i take the train down to London i may give it a go at the hotspots which should be in the train stations

[Julio III]

Well, managed 200 lines! A while ago I hit 197 and it was really annoying but on this go I was actually working down the stack so if it was on endless might have got quite a bit further though without the incentive of "completing" it on reaching 200 who knows if I can get that far. And yes, my wrists do ache a bit from playing.

[neuropolitique]

Like Jasoco said, the speed peaks, and it just becomes a game of endurance. However, I seemed to me that I would try to keep spinning the piece, looking for somewhere to put it, and it just plunk itself down. In fact, that's what killed me. I wonder if as the levels increase past the maximum speed, is there a cap on how long you can keep spinning your piece. Or maybe you have to hit the button faster as the levels increase to keep it spinning, i.e. you can still spin it forever, but you have to press the spin button damn fast.


I just completed about 1660 lines, and can say that there is no cap to how long you can spin a piece. I was able to spin some almost indefinately, deciding where/how to put it. That being said, you do have to press the buttons very quickly to keep it spinning.

The lines stop counting at 999, but it will still count levels. So you can still tell within 10 lines how many you have.

[THATinkjar]

Well, managed 200 lines! A while ago I hit 197 and it was really annoying but on this go I was actually working down the stack so if it was on endless might have got quite a bit further though without the incentive of "completing" it on reaching 200 who knows if I can get that far. And yes, my wrists do ache a bit from playing.

Congrats on both scoring a copy of the game and completing it. You mentioned in your previous post that you didn't have a wireless connection... are you planning to pick up the dongle?

[Julio III]

Congrats on both scoring a copy of the game and completing it. You mentioned in your previous post that you didn't have a wireless connection... are you planning to pick up the dongle?

Well, not at the moment. I want some kind of device that lets me do everything - wifi me so i can flash my ds, play wifi games, run wireless homebrew like the VNC thing, linux, and the use your DS and a PC controller.

[THATinkjar]

Congrats on both scoring a copy of the game and completing it. You mentioned in your previous post that you didn't have a wireless connection... are you planning to pick up the dongle?

Well, not at the moment. I want some kind of device that lets me do everything - wifi me so i can flash my ds, play wifi games, run wireless homebrew like the VNC thing, linux, and the use your DS and a PC controller.

Oh. The Datel WiFi Max seems popular (though I would never sit here and recommend it to you, personally). I hope you can get online in time (the dongle is the easiest means, in my opinion), and we can clear some lines together.

[goatdan]

I got it, played it for probably a good 15 hours and feel really done with it now and have already sold it. I did over 2800 lines yesterday, and while it was fun, I have no reason to want to play it again. I also took all the other modes pretty much to the limit.

I liked the original one where you couldn't spin it for an unending period of time. This just seemed to be a lesson in button mashing. I honestly feel that I lost not due to me screwing up, but due to me becoming fatigued from hitting the buttons.

Nice game overall though.

[THATinkjar]

Well, if you've exhausted the single player... isn't it time to head online, goatdan? I can't see myself taking out Tetris for a long time to come, not when the multiplayer is as addictive as it is.

[c0ldb33r]

Well, not at the moment. I want some kind of device that lets me do everything - wifi me so i can flash my ds, play wifi games, run wireless homebrew like the VNC thing, linux, and the use your DS and a PC controller.

Oh. The Datel WiFi Max seems popular (though I would never sit here and recommend it to you, personally). I hope you can get online in time (the dongle is the easiest means, in my opinion), and we can clear some lines together.

You can use the Datel for wifime?

[chrisbid]

i like the mission mode personally, that and original are good, the other stuff is so-so


but this is the best tetris game in years.

[2Dskillz]

Does anyone know why the line counter stops at 999?

I was just a little disappointed when I saw it stop, at least the score continues.

So far I have hit level 121 in endless standard

[ShinobiMan]

This game is a work of sheer brilliance. The gears are turning at Nintendo and they know what sells. All of my gaming time has been devoted to this little fella for the past week.

High score for me is 49,364 in regular mode. I know, not that impressive for some, but I'm getting better.

[Playcosm]

oooh without a doubt. Tetris DS is a gem, it's how nintendo got their heads on it and created a true nintendo tetris instead of those russian citadels. Excellent stuff, the online thingy is even more brilliant, those free online tetris games on PC were also great, going portable is the best next step i can think of. Go Nintendo!


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