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Tetris Party Deluxe coming to Wii and DS this June

by Andrew Yoon { Feb 25th 2010 at 7:04PM }

Tetris Party is coming out again, this time in the more expensive "on disc" format. Originally a WiiWare release, Majesco and Tetris Online, Inc. are teaming up to release Tetris Party Deluxe for both Wii and DS this June. The retail release has a few enhancements over the WiiWare original, such as three new modes: Sprint, Master, and Bombliss. Unfortunately, none of these three modes are as inventive as the modes introduced in the original WiiWare game, like Field Climber, Stage Racer and Shadow.

A price has yet to be set on Tetris Party Deluxe, but it'll be difficult to justify much more than the $12 asking price the downloadable version currently sports. A retail release on the DS is a bit more palpable, promising all the content found in the Wii version while offering a key feature DSiWare cannot capitalize on: the ability to play on every DS system out there.

To see all the differences between the three versions of Tetris Party, check out a publisher-provided chart after the break.

Gallery: Tetris Party Deluxe

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Complete your pick-up line with Tetris Jewelry

by Richard Mitchell { Feb 13th 2010 at 5:00AM }

If you've been sitting around wondering how you can manage to wedge video games into your Valentine's Day plans, then 1) Tread very carefully and 2) We think we have your answer. Behold, Tetris jewelry. Sold by TetrisGems -- apparently the official provider of Tetris jewelry -- the pieces feature real gemstones or cubic zirconia set in either gold or silver.

This is real jewelry, folks, with the cheapest pieces running $130 and the most expensive capping out at $450. And honestly, what better way to say "I love you" than with the gift of an L block? Why not get multiple pieces and fit them together? Just be sure not to connect too many pieces together or they might disintegrate.

Also, never give that special someone a line piece as their first romantic gift. You really need to save that for when the time is right.

PS3 owners get ready ... for Tetris

by Justin McElroy { Feb 2nd 2010 at 1:45PM }

Artist's rendering of potential/probable title screen

Alright, PS3 owners, get ready to join the nationwide craze that's been sweeping the ... umm ... nation. It's Tetris! According to Adam Grant, the PSP European Product Manager for SCEE, "EA is currently working on a PS3 version of Tetris that will take full advantage of the capabilities of the PS3 and provide the best experience. Look for this version to be available later this year."

Though the puzzler is already on the Minis platform, it sounds like EA's thinking of a beefier, HD version of the game. Because you need that. For Tetris.

[Thanks, pat_boy2008]

Tetris hits 100 million paid mobile downloads

by Richard Mitchell { Jan 21st 2010 at 2:00AM }

That's right, Tetris, the grandfather of puzzle games, the one that absolutely everyone and their mother likes, the Slim Jim of video games, has been purchased on mobile phones a staggering 100 million times since 2005. As you may have guessed, that makes Tetris the best-selling mobile game of all time. The announcement comes by way of EA, which has had the mobile rights to the game since 2006. Granted, given how often people upgrade their phones, we're sure plenty have downloaded the game more than once. And why wouldn't they? It's Tetris.

Said Henk Rogers, CEO of Blue Planet Software, which manages Tetris licensing rights, "Tetris on mobile will never go away." Frankly, we hope he's right. If mobile Tetris did go away, we might actually have to converse with people while standing in line at the DMV.

[Tetris block font by David Martin]

First-Person Tetris will spin you right round, baby, right round

by Griffin McElroy { Jan 15th 2010 at 2:15AM }

Do you like Alexey Pajitnov's timeless puzzler Tetris as much as you like succumbing to unrelenting waves of nausea? You'll probably want to check out the new Flash-based sensation, First-Person Tetris. There's not much of a learning curve, here -- it operates pretty much exactly like the block-dropping puzzler you know and love, only with a small twist. We'll let you figure it out for yourselves -- why not give it a spin, provided you've got some free time (and a strong, strong stomach).

Mario plus Tetris equals one fun game

by David Hinkle { Jan 7th 2010 at 12:45AM }

And here we thought Tetris DS was the best blend of the Russian puzzler and Nintendo's classic platforming game Super Mario Bros., but Tuper Tario Tros. is a quite imaginative combination of the two. In fact, we haven't seen Tetris go so well with something since we were introduced to the conflict resolution capabilities of Tresling.

Already the culprit behind a sharp downturn in Joystiq productivity today, we now offer it to you. Just, uh, don't play it as much as we did. We can get away with it since, y'know, it's kinda our job.

[Via digg]

Where does the next Tetris block really come from?

by Richard Mitchell { Dec 8th 2009 at 2:00PM }

Perhaps, in the past, during a rousing round of Tetris, you may have found yourself in an existential funk. "Where does the next block come from?" you mused. Sure, it's easy enough to pin your extraordinary luck (or misfortune) on the wonders of random generation, but what if it wasn't so simple? What if the real source of your bliss and/or frustration was more ... divine?

College Humor introduces us to Tetrises, the God of Tetris. Witness his terrible glory after the break. Just remember that the next time you pray for a line piece, you actually have someone to address. And, if you're looking for some extra luck, you might consider slaughtering a lesser puzzle game to appease him.

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USK rates Tetris Party Deluxe for Wii

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 30th 2009 at 9:00AM }

Everyone's favorite -- and fun to say! -- ratings board, the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle has unveiled a new Tetris game for the Wii. Well, that might be a little generous, as the game is actually Tetris Party Deluxe, presumably a sequel to 2008's Tetris Party. The new game comes again from publisher Tetris Online, meaning it's probably not one of Majesco's recently announced Wii and DS Tetris projects. The listing doesn't make it clear whether the game is a retail title or -- like the original -- a WiiWare release.

[Via Siliconera]

Majesco bringing more Tetris to DS and Wii

by JC Fletcher { Aug 20th 2009 at 1:15PM }

Tetris is currently available on the Wii in the form of Tetris Party, and sort of available on DS (if you don't mind eBay) as Tetris DS. Today, Majesco announced that it will add to the Tetris selection with the release of new Tetris games for Nintendo platforms in spring 2010. No specific details or media have been released, so we don't know about any theme or gameplay variations that may be included -- though we can be quite certain that it won't be based on classic Nintendo characters. Tetris Online, Inc. is working with Majesco, suggesting that these are downloadable releases.

Between the release of Tetris on iPhone and announcement of a PSP mini Tetris game from EA, and these two upcoming releases from Majesco, it's suddenly a wonderful time to like Tetris. Which is just a different way of saying it's a wonderful time to be anyone on the planet Earth.

Sony introduces Minis: bite-sized downloads for PSN

by David Hinkle { Aug 18th 2009 at 1:45PM }

Sony has announced a new line of downloadable titles for the PSP and PSP Go, confirming rumors that first surfaced last week. Dubbed Minis, these titles have a 100MB size limit and are exclusive to the PSN Store. The lineup will launch on October 1st, the same day as the PSP Go. These titles will reportedly cost less to develop and, more importantly, cost less for gamers. Sony plans to have 15 snacktivities ready for the PSP Go launch, though 50 games are slated for the rest of 2009. A few titles mentioned during the company's GamesCom keynote include Tetris, Field Runners, Hero of Sparta and Minigore.

PSP finally joining the Tetris Club

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 7th 2009 at 5:45PM }

The PlayStation Portable has been on the market in some form or another for nearly five years now -- the fact that there isn't a Tetris game available on the platform is mind-boggling. Seriously, our grandmother has Tetris on her portable defibrillator. How is it not on our half-decade-old handheld gaming device?

Electronic Arts apparently asked themselves this question, then immediately sprung into action to port the popular puzzler to PSP. At least, that seems to be the case, as evidenced by a recent Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (that name is too beautiful to truncate!) listing for an EA-developed PSP version of Tetris. We've contacted EA to see if Lumines' tyrannical reign over the handheld's puzzle genre really is drawing to a close.

[Via Siliconera]

iPhone It In: Drop7

by Ben Gilbert { Jul 21st 2009 at 10:59AM }

Bonus: Joystiq is giving away Drop7 download codes! Details at the end of the review:

You know what, I'm just gonna say it: I love Drop7. I've been evangelizing the game since I downloaded the free "Lite" version two weeks ago -- and subsequently bought the full version for $2.99 -- trying desperately to explain the game's "Tetris meets Sudoku" concept to anyone who'll listen.

Forget about your Super Monkey Balls and Metal Gear Solid Touches -- Drop7 feels built from the ground up with the iPhone (at least sort of) in mind, and easily warrants the same praise that games like Rolando and Word Fu have earned. It's easy to jump into a game and play for as little (or as long) as you'd like, just the way I like my phone-based gaming.

Oh, and before you jump all over me for not playing the game earlier, I'm quite aware that the game came out all the way back in late January, which is like ten thousand internet years. It doesn't matter though, because Drop7 is timeless.

Gallery: Drop7

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Architect's Journal ranks top 10 gaming worlds

by Ben Gilbert { Jun 25th 2009 at 9:00AM }

Before you start furiously clicking through the source link to see where on the list of Architect's Journal's "Top 10" gaming worlds Second Life falls, we're just going to tell you upfront that it's number seven. That's three full spots ahead of the (apparently) FAT-inspired Super Mario World! Outrageous, we know, we know.

The list is rounded out by some rather ... interesting choices -- from Jet Set Willy's house to Halo's ring world, and everything in between, which are all discussed in highfalutin terms that we simply can't wrap our heads around. "Gemutlich?" "Miminalism" (note: not "minimalism")? We're sticking with the video games, thank you very much.

[Via Kotaku]

Interview: Alexei Pajitnov, creator of Tetris

by Kevin Kelly { Jun 10th 2009 at 7:00AM }

Alexey Pajitnov (right) with Dutch games publisher Henk Rogers, who helped place the game on every Game Boy.

With Project Natal, Uncharted 2, Metroid: Other M, Scribblenauts, and everything else going on at E3, the 25th anniversary of Tetris almost went unnoticed this past week, which is a real shame. We met up with Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of the game, and sat down with him to mark the occasion. Tetris may very well be the "remember when?" dividing line among video game generations, and it was quite an honor to meet the man behind the game that's become one of the cornerstones of the industry.

You can listen to the full audio of the interview below, and head beyond the break for probably the world's shortest documentary, entitled "The Tetris Effect." Seriously, it's only three minutes long. How you can sum up the impact of a game that's still fun to play and appears on every major and minor platform around is beyond us. Maybe one of you readers will feel inspired to do an in-depth Ken Burns style documentary on it someday.

He's one of the sweetest people we've met in the industry, and despite having invented one of the most prolific games in the world, he's very humble and down to earth. Give it a listen and try to imagine a world without Tetris.

Gallery: Tetris at 25

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Bring a friend to the latest Tetris Party tournament

by JC Fletcher { Jan 27th 2009 at 7:30PM }

Tetris Online is gearing up for a Tetris Party ... party. It's announced the second in its series of tournaments, this time featuring the WiiWare puzzler's co-op mode. Between February 1 and 15, registered teams of two will be able to compete to get the highest score and fastest time to 150 lines. The top 100 teams will receive 1200 Wii Points, just enough to get that copy of Tetris Party they clearly already have.

These tournaments finally justify all that time and effort most of us have put into Tetris. Extreme line-clearing skill always seemed like the kind of thing that should help people get ahead in life, but until these tournaments, it just hasn't.