The Next Tetris - PS1

Other products by Playstation

Product Features

• Challenging update of the classic arcade game
• New objects such as sticky blocks
• Marathon mode, 2-player competition, or puzzle-style levels
• As addictive as the original
• For 1 or 2 players

Product Details

• ASIN: B00001QHXZ
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,046 in Video Games (See Bestsellers in Video Games)

Product Description

Editorial Review

It seems as if the world's fascination with the Russian-created puzzle game Tetris will never end. Hasbro Interactive and Atari have introduced yet another challenging version of the shape- shifting classic Tetris. The new format follows rules similar to the classic game. However, there are now new objects (sticky blocks and cascades) to contend with. The sticky blocks add a clever twist to the action, since they connect themselves to other pieces of the same color when placed next to one another. These resulting sticky blocks are bigger and less mobile than regular blocks. As in the original Tetris, clearing a line of blocks will often result in a chain reaction that can cause other blocks to fall. At this point, the game can get quite frantic since these blocks often end up creating matches that trigger more chain reactions. It's a dizzying experience--but that's the charm of the game.

Players can choose from marathon mode (a single-player sequential game), two-player competition, or puzzle-style levels that require you to clear prepositioned blocks in a certain amount of time. The new elements make this updated game more challenging than the original, yet The Next Tetris retains all the charm of the game that started it all. Even diehard Tetris fans will have a difficult time finding fault with this game, since it includes a faithful reproduction of the original version as well. --Carrie Bell

Pros:

• Utilizes dual shock analog controller
• Sticky blocks add new dimension to gameplay

Cons:

• More expensive than the original title

GameSpot Review

Think you've mastered the game of Tetris? Know how to defeat all your friends? Know exactly where each block should go the second it touches the screen? Well, forget all that and throw it out the window. The Next Tetris is here, and you're going to have to unlearn everything you know. This is the game's most appealing feature, but also its biggest flaw.

Unlike previous incarnations of the Tetris brand, there is a definite end to each stage in The Next Tetris. The game places blocks on your screen at the start of the match and it's your objective to clear them off. This held my attention at first, but after a few minutes I was simply aching to go back to Tetris on the Game Boy Color - it just didn't feel right to only clear boards. Tetris has always been about seeing how long you can last.

Then I discovered how to make use of the new multicolored Next Tetris blocks. Now this was a game.

This is where you'll have a whole new game of Tetris to master - I played the game every single night for about a week, and I still didn't come close to figuring out exactly how to place each block. But the block placements I did come to understand really left me with a feeling of accomplishment. So it's not the old-style Tetris we've known over the years, but The Next Tetris manages to become a fun game in its own right. Kudos to Blue Planet Software for coming up with this new spice for the Tetris formula.

Where The Next Tetris - and basically any Tetris, for that matter - really excels is in its two-player game. The "first one to clear the blocks wins" formula makes for great rivalry and is quite addicting. But here's where I noticed how one really has to relearn Tetris strategies. Instead of attempting to make sure there are no gaps in your lining of blocks (as you've been trained to do from past Tetris games), in the Next Tetris it's OK to have gaps - often, they cause big chain reactions when blocks fall. Also, performing a Tetris (clearing four blocks at one time), the biggest accomplishment in past Tetris versus modes, does nothing more than shake your opponent's screen in this version. These new features definitely take some getting used to.

Tetris has never been about advanced graphics, so when I say that The Next Tetris' graphics look pretty generic it should come as no surprise. There's nothing wrong with how the game looks, but there's nothing really new or extraordinary to be found here. The blocks, which are polygonal so they can stretch and shake, are quite cool though. Aurally, the game does the job as well. The soundtrack is mostly upbeat techno that includes several remixes of past Tetris anthems. My only gripe is that I wish there were more tracks. I'm not sick of the six or so tunes yet, but give me a few more weeks of playing and I'll surely start switching over to my CD player for audio.

I'd recommend this game to anyone looking for a new Tetris fix - it's definitely different enough from the other versions to warrant a purchase. Once you discover the beauty of The Next Tetris' new block system, you'll immediately become hooked. But again, be warned - this is not the old-school Tetris you've gotten used to over the years. I suppose many people will be glad to hear that, though... It's time for something new. --Sam Kennedy
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fun with flipping, January 17, 2000

By A Customer

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

My husband and I enjoy playing this game against each other and we really enjoy flipping the puzzles to confuse one another. It is a fun and time consumming game. We catch ourselves playing for hours at a time, laughing and moving with the pieces. I would recomend this game to anyone who likes a challange.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great new version, November 16, 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 is a great reincarnation of the old Tetris game. You can play classic tetris (boring) or the New Tetris with tiles that can break apart or combine with similarly colored tiles. Lots of fun and quite addictive.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's Tetris-- what else can you say?, May 30, 2000

By A Customer

The most addictive puzzle game of all time. The "new" version borrows some touches from some of the other falling block games to good effect. It enhances game play, and adds new dimensions to the dreams that I invariably have about this game after I've played it way too much. One small gripe. Considering the miniscule amount of space that this simple little game must take up on the disc, couldn't they have thrown in an hour of quality music, or background options with every major Michaelangelo painting? I can't shake the feeling that I paid a chunk of change for a bunch of empty space. Still, it IS Tetris, and now I can play it on my Playstation. Everything else is secondary...