Wii Fanboy Review: Tetris Party

by David Hinkle { Oct 21st 2008 at 3:34PM }

Tetris Party on WiiWare is classic Tetris action. If you're expecting some kind of re-imagining or complete overhaul to the classic game, then you won't find it. What you will find is a very competent installment in the series, complete with several fun and exciting single-player modes and a very streamlined approach to playing online. If you're a fan of Tetris, then you're going to like what's here in Tetris Party.

Gallery: Tetris Party

Tetris Party has a wealth of worth in both its single player and multiplayer offerings. On the single player front, you can choose from Beginner's Tetris (a simplified version of the game with bigger blocks), Marathon (non-stop Tetris action), Computer Battle (take the CPU on head-to-head), Field Climber (help a little man climb the Tetris pieces to the top of the grid), Shadow (fill in an object using Tetris pieces) and Stage Racer (speed-based challenge where you must complete stages using Tetriminos). There's plenty here for you to sink your teeth into, ensuring that your $12 gets you plenty of gameplay. Then there's the Balance Board game, but you've already seen enough of that to know what's up. On the multiplayer side, there's just as much fun to be had.

Whether you're playing local or online multiplayer, you're going to get the great, classic Tetris action you know and love. On the local side, you and some friends can take part in classic Tetris fun face-to-face. The real bread and butter, however, is going to be the online play. It's just so streamlined and basic that getting in, playing games, and having fun is just so easy!

When you connect to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connect, you will see an area for news and tournament information. There isn't anything there now, but in the future, you'll be able to participate in tournaments and get the latest info without leaving your couch. On top of that, there's the fun of actually playing.

Once you start searching for an opponent, you'll be dropped into a lobby screen where you can enjoy some Tetris while waiting for an opponent to connect. Once they do, all that's needed is a simple press of the + button and you're off. Once complete, you can opt to stay in the room and play again or leave. It's incredibly simple and very good for those who don't have a ton of time to sit around waiting for a game to start. It ensures you spend less time waiting and more time playing.

It may just be Tetris, which is kind of "been there, done that," but Tetris Party impressed me. The price might be a bit too high compared to similar experiences on WiiWare, but, overall, the game is very deserving of your hard-earned cash. And if you decide to get the game and are looking for some folks to play, check out Game Night, where we're sure to be clearing some lines!

Final score: 8.5/10

We're always looking for new games to enjoy. We've got plenty of other WiiWare reviews, if you're into that kind of thing.. If you're so crazy that you want to go to the store and buy something when you could be playing World of Goo or Mega Man 9, we can help with that, too.

Tags: joystiqfeatures, puzzle, tetris, tetris-party

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

il_duce620 @ Oct 21st 2008 3:43PM

I'm glad it's a good game, but again, spending $12 for (essentially) the same Tetris game seems a bit steep. Don't get me wrong, Tetris is an excellent game and there isn't much to be improved upon, but...$12?

cerealauthority @ Oct 21st 2008 3:53PM

I agree. $12 is more than I need to spend on this game.
The balance board mode was urging me to buy it anyhow. But I just watched the video and I was disappointed to see that the balance board mode wasn't using the real version of Tetris (which is what I wanted).
If I need my Tetris fix, I'll play Tetris Worlds on xbox.

PacoDG @ Oct 23rd 2008 6:46AM

The six player versus mode makes it worth the price of admission alone.

The crapload of other modes just add to the worthiness of this game (Field Climber is very cool)

Marcelo @ Oct 21st 2008 3:47PM

Got it last night, played a bunch with my fiancee. Funny enough, we got more mad at each other playing co-op than head to head :)

It's a great Tetris version, well worth the 12 dollars for all the replayability you get and the online features. The new modes are stellar as are the items. My one gripe is that the controls are juuuuust a touch too sensitive, and you can't customize. I would love to swap the A and B button functions, for example.

Marcelo @ Oct 21st 2008 3:49PM

Also, to add, I like the review but I feel it's incomplete. What matters when you're reviewing something like Tetris is whether the controls are responsive, is the gameplay good, are the backgrounds and music annoying or do they help gameplay, etc. Saying "it's Tetris" doesn't tell me a lot. There are a million ways to program a Tetris game. Just look at the homebrew Tetris for an example of how not to do it.

You also didn't really get in depth with the different modes and items, you just kinda listed them. It would be nice to hear from you what you thought about balance board play or the co-op mode, etc.

David Hinkle @ Oct 21st 2008 4:06PM

Well, my thought is that sure, the gameplay can be fairly unique in each iteration of Tetris, but you won't find anything deviating from the traditional Tetris formula here. It's not entirely like some of the zanier versions that have released, but rather a traditional Tetris game with some different modes sprinkled in for good measure. For me, the most important part of the game was the online play, because, as Wii gamers, we often get cheated out of online and I had hoped for a good experience with this. I was satisfied with online and the other modes are really just icing on a delicious cake.

Thanks for the input, though! I always appreciate you all keeping me in check! :)

Garu @ Oct 21st 2008 4:10PM

I'll be downloading this soon! For $12 my buddy in Italy and I can play Tetris against each other on the Wii! And that's priceless to me!

Thanks for another great review David!

Sisyphus @ Oct 21st 2008 4:38PM

I've always loved Tetris, but I wonder if the fun has held up over the years. I've very tempted to try it out, but 1200 points is a steep price, even when I can get Wii Points on sale. I may have to put it on the back burner until I finish off some other games.

stinkbug @ Oct 21st 2008 5:19PM

god, you kids.

you'll spend $2.99 on a 20 second ringtone (that involved little effort on the carrier's part to create), yet you whine about a well-designed piece of software that's $12?

Tetris Party rocks. No, it's not SMG or RE4. But as noted in the review, everything in this version is streamlined well, there are some fun novelty modes, and well, it's Tetris.

The balance board variation doesn't use a normal layout because that would probably be troublesome for most people. It's hard enough at times rotating and quickly dropping those little pieces.

I have seen people spend $6.99+ for a *basic* version of Tetris for their cell phone. Tetris Party goes way beyond a basic tetris game. C'mon, the climber is one of the cutest Wii characters out there. So tiny in a world of large shapes. My heart goes out to him!

It's not perfect, it's doesn't have tons of bells and whistles, but it's still very much worth by $12.00.

(Is there any way to preview the background music? It seems like it doesn't play the music until you're in the game. Or was I just not listening carefully enough?)

Marcelo @ Oct 21st 2008 5:55PM

Word to this. If you were willing to pay for Tetris DS, this is definitely worth it.

Daniel @ Oct 21st 2008 7:50PM

There are some settings or option menu that you have choose and preview the music on. I think you have to push either + or -.

Feba @ Oct 21st 2008 8:41PM

on the other hand, there are some of us who got custom ringtones and tetris clones for free. $12 for Tetris is a lot to some people, especially on a home console, and ESPECIALLY when you can access the internet on that home console and play versions of Tetris on that.

Personally, I just have no interest in getting it on a home console, period. I want Tetris DS, dammit.

Sisyphus @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:08AM

I would never waste money downloading ringtones. Why would I care what my cell phone sounds like when it rings?

TheOverlord#2 @ Oct 21st 2008 6:09PM

That online waiting room sounds awesome. SSBB did it first, but it probably works a lot better with Tetris.
I'll be sure to pay the 1200 pts. when I get the money.(I also hear Mr. Hinkle is good at Tetris. I'm a little rusty, but I look forward to playing in Game Night. :P)

Carlos @ Oct 21st 2008 7:24PM

GOTY

Garu @ Oct 22nd 2008 10:12AM

Yes! Another member of the Dwight Army of Champions!

That's what she said!

envisionboy @ Oct 21st 2008 11:52PM

Ecch... i couldnt wait for this game... I loved Tetris, but am now sorry I downloaded this... dont like it at all

Garu @ Oct 22nd 2008 10:16AM

What don't you like about it? Tell us more please! I'd like to hear your thoughts!

envisionboy @ Oct 22nd 2008 10:37AM

I dunno... i just didnt feel right to me. I really dont like the hold feature where u can hold a piece for later use... i think that's pretty cheap! Most of the fun is waiting for that long piece. When the pieces initially drop, it takes a while to even see them on the screen and i dont like the ghosting feature either. Just doesnt feel like classic Tetris i grew up with

stinkbug @ Oct 22nd 2008 4:03AM

btw, even though I strongly recommend the game (if you have any interest in tetris), it's not a perfectly designed game.

for example, at the bottom of menu screens it has "... (2) Confirm (1) Back" - whereas when you're holding the controller the order of the buttons are (1) and then (2). This may seem like a minor interface annoyance, but I'm annoyed by little things like that.

There are other interface aspects that give it a look of a wiiware game instead of a full-fledged title. For example, when looking at personal records you can't easily jump from one record set to another (i.e. via the arrows). You have to go back a screen and then into a new screen. It's just all very clicky.

botol @ Oct 23rd 2008 10:02AM

As much as I love Tetris, and as much as I was looking forward to this, I highly doubt I'll be getting it now, for the reasons envisionboy states... That hold feature is some serious BS, I've always hated ghosting, and I don't even like seeing the next piece (here you get to see the next -5-?!)

Melao @ Oct 23rd 2008 4:26PM

I would really like if this game would have online matches against the DS counter part. This is the perfect game for Nintendo to promote DS vs Wii online gaming. I have the DS and I will buy this one.

Big George @ Oct 25th 2008 2:45PM

Two brilliant modes I really like from previous Tetris games is the Sticky mode (GBA Tetris Worlds) and Push (from Tetris DS.) I don't know why they don't include these modes in the new version.

Online Multiplayer in this one is VERY thin considering it's only ONE mode (standard game). Some more options would have been nice...

Wolfcoyote @ Oct 28th 2008 6:58PM

I can't believe that a decent game promising weeks of online multiplayer fun as well as extra content and even balance board functionality can be disputed so much. Look, the U.S. economy IS in a downturn, but you people complain about spending $12.00 US? If this was a Gamecube title than you would have been charged $40-50 with no online functionality and most of you would be angry about that.

My point: stop raining on people's parade. My mother can't wait for the two-player co-op, and we've haven't played two-player Dr. Mario or Tetris in several years. This is the first Tetris game where I can HELP her clear lines instead of giving myself a handicap or tweaking the settings so I don't accidently destroy her. Online multiplayer is the icing on the cake for me, and field climber reminds me of playing Tetris Plus on my original Game Boy.

Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion, but there ARE people who have been waiting for this game for a while. If you people plan to purchase it, then see you online. If not, then go somewhere else and let the rest of us have our fun.

Duke @ Oct 30th 2008 12:34AM

I'd love to download it but I'm all out of room. I had to delete a couple of VC games just to make room for Bomberman Blast (which was a big letdown by the way).