Wetrix+

by Sega

Product Features

• An Amazing New 3D Puzzler!
• XIAT Interactive

Product Details

• ASIN: B00003JATP
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 4.8 x 0.4 inches ; 1 pounds
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,048 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

GameSpot Review

It's very difficult to make a new, exciting puzzle game these days. The most addictive games are usually variants of the "blocks dropping into a well" theme. Wetrix+, at its core, has a lot of block-dropping going on, but the game hides it well enough to make it feel totally different. However, there's one fatal flaw that really keeps the game from reaching that Tetris-like plateau. You start the game with a flat 3D surface, and then the blocks begin to fall. The object is to build large, enclosed areas because after several large blocks fall, water will begin to drop onto your playfield. You want as little water to fall off your platform as possible, so you'll have to build a collection of lakes to store the water. Fireballs will allow you to dry up a lake, and bombs will blow a large hole in your playfield, which you'll have to repair quickly to keep the water from draining. Later, ice cubes will cause your lakes to freeze. This all sounds fine and good, and the game is indeed fun, but there's one more facet of the game, which manages to really mess things up. That something is the earthquake meter. As you build your walls higher and higher to store more water, this earthquake meter builds. If your walls get too high, the earthquake hits, destroying your carefully built reservoir and, unless you're quick and lucky, ending your game. While the need for something to balance the game is obvious (otherwise you could just build up huge walls around the edges of your playfield and play the game forever), the earthquake simply isn't it. The graphics get the job done, and the water effects are really pretty. The soundtrack is filled with peppy techno numbers that fit the action pretty well, and the electronic voice that reports information like how many lakes you currently have is cool. There are a few different camera angles, but none of them are particularly more or less useful than the default view. If it weren't for that silly earthquake thing, Wetrix+ could have been a great puzzle game. It has different modes, including multiplayer options, and all the bells and whistles you could ever want in a puzzle game. But the earthquake really prevents the game from reaching its full potential. Still, considering the Dreamcast's lack of domestic puzzle games, Wetrix+ fills a gap, and puzzle fans should at least check it out.--Jeff Gerstmann--Copyright © 1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Addictive, Strategic Experience, July 30, 2000

By 

Anthony Pegram - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Wetrix+ (Video Game)

Recent reviews of this game have not given it the proper credit it deserves. You may first believe this game is dull, but it grows more and more complex as you play. The gameplay takes a few attempts to understand, but eventual mastery of the game takes hours, if not days. I love Tetris, and this game is a lot like Tetris in the fact that the biggest challenge is beating yourself. And with that, the higher you raise the bar, the more entertaining and challenging the game can be. And I believe the Amazon.com price for this is now .... How can you go wrong with that?

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creative fun and a lot of strategy, December 23, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Wetrix+ (Video Game)

As with the other reviews i have only got experience with the n64 version of the game and if nothing has changed although im sure there are lil changes here and there, it is a very fun addictive game that is fun alone or multi-player.. Your job is to build walls and mountains around an area so that when rain hits the area it will not overflow and flood. Sounds simple and boring huh? In reality though the fun factor is amazing and the game gets difficult and fast paced very quickly. Other elements are included such as bombs (that blow away your "mountains" and make holes for the water to flood into) that really make this game challenging and anything but boring. The only real way to know what this game is about is to give it a try, but beware you will be hooked instantly =) .

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wetrix for N64 was fun..., December 4, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Wetrix+ (Video Game)

I played Wetrix for the N64, so perhaps that is relevant to the Dreamcast version.

Wetrix is a fun puzzle game where wall sections (kinda like tetris pieces) fall from the sky onto a square playing field. For people that remember Rampart, it's like that with water. You're trying to build dikes to hold water from all running out. Occasionally you get a bomb instead of a wall section, which is where things get interesting because you have to figure out where you can detonate the bomb without losing all your water.

I rather enjoyed it, but it's not as easy to get into as Tetris, for example.

How will it be on the Dreamcast? Well, it's not axactly a high-speed special-effects game, but I suppose the water could look really great...