Saturday, June 12, 2010

Video game number one hundred and fifty eight; Tetris Party

Video game review number one hundred and fifty eight in my 365 Games in 365 Days project is"Tetris Party".

If someone invited me to a Tetris Party, I'm not sure I would RSVP in the affirmative. A Halo party? Definitely. New Years Eve party? Sure. I'd go to a slumber party, a movie party, or even join a search party...but I'm not sure I'd want to go to a Tetris Party. "Tetris" sounds like about as much of a "party" as solitaire does, but I rented this game anyway.

So what is Tetris Party for the Wii? Well..it's four player Tetris, something I've had on a console since the original Xbox about 9 years ago. I played against both of my nephews and their father, and we had a good time. I wouldn't call it a "party", but it was pretty fun. Had they been visiting Seattle, I might have asked them if they wanted to play "Tetris Party", but we'd have to take turns after I remembered I only have two Wiimotes.

They've been remaking Tetris since the 80's and this one is no different. You have your basic tetris, which they have you turn the Wiimote on it's side to play (I liked that). They've added some new battle modes, which I played against the computer. None of them were particularly exciting, and they all featured the sort of gameplay you'd expect (add lines to your opponent's screen every time you do well).

There are some special items including one "Wii-specific" sort of thing that I thought was pretty fun. If your opponent uses the ice power up, your screen will become frozen, and fog up. You need to shake the Wiimote to reveal your blocks again. This was one of the few "Wiimote motion additions" I actually enjoyed in a classic game.

Overall score? 6/10. Tetris (any Tetris) is going to be a great game. If I were reviewing Tetris for the first time ever, I'd give it a ten, but this is just the 11,000th version of Tetris I've played...and it's not even the best. Currently, I'd have to say my favorite version of Tetris resides on my Nintendo DS, followed closely by the version of Xbox Live Arcade. All time? I think my favorite is still the original Nintendo one. This new Wii version is not something I'll buy, because there's nothing new enough to warrant a purchase. It's just...good.

If you don't own any other Tetris game, and you ONLY have the Wii...this is the game for you. There's nothing wrong with this version, it's just that there are better versions out there...including the handful I just mentioned above. Go get one of those instead.

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