Tetris Splash already has 14 pieces of DLC

by Justin McElroy { Oct 4th 2007 at 12:54PM }

You didn't, but lets say that despite your better judgment, you bought Tetris ... again. If you're looking for way to compliment your $10 bucks spent on Tetris Splash this week on XBLA, perhaps you'd like to throw some good money after bad and pick up one of the fourteen pieces of DLC that became available for the game yesterday.

That's right, 14 additional chunks of the game like the "Butterflyfish Bundle" and the "Angelfish Bundle" with price tags ranging from 50 to 150 points dropped on the same day as the game. It's bad enough that DLC this close to a game's release translates to just trying to bleed more cash out of players. But it's especially bad in this case when you consider that ... you know ... they didn't even have to design a game.

Tags: dlc, tetris, tetrissplash, xbla

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 4th 2007 12:58PM

Awwww, who uses nickels and dimes these days, anyway?

samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 4th 2007 1:10PM

And while we're complaining about things that suck, I'd like to take this moment to say that I'd love to the in the balls the person who invented those as where you roll over them and they expand on the screen.

FUCK those are irritation! Especially when they have sound! You can't help but get caught in them half the time!

jpn @ Oct 4th 2007 1:11PM

Wow, there's like, 3 or 4 words missing in your rant about what I can only guess are banner ads.

samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 4th 2007 1:11PM

I'd love to KICK in the balls.

Re-reading posts before submitting is for panzies.

samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 4th 2007 1:14PM

Yeah. I'm currently immersed in the sweet, sweet smell of paint fumes. Let's try that again and then I'm going to get some fresh air:

And while we're complaining about things that suck, I'd like to take this moment to say that I'd love to KICK in the balls the person who invented those ADS where you roll over them and they expand on the screen.

FUCK those are IRRITATING! Especially when they have sound! You can't help but get caught in them half the time!

I'm going to eat lunch in the park today, methinks.

jpn @ Oct 4th 2007 1:15PM

I guess topless Princess Peach makes up for it

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Oct 4th 2007 12:59PM

Who they hell they think they are,EA?

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Oct 4th 2007 1:00PM

Damn it that extra "Y" ruins what in other case would be a perfectly semi-mediocre comment.

dan stabbingworth @ Oct 4th 2007 12:59PM

Refuse to buy if you don't like it. I vote with my wallet. I won't buy stuff like this.

Besides, MS just sent me free robotron and joust! w00t!

Louis @ Oct 4th 2007 1:05PM

I totally forgot about that registration that I did for those "rewards" and I got one in my inbox as soon as I read your post.

w00t x2

jpn @ Oct 4th 2007 1:04PM

Let's explain a little further that...

9 of the 14 pieces of DLC are 50 MS points and are just fish added to the background
5 of the 14 pieces are 150 point backgrounds

I think that's pretty ridiculous. I forget the exchange rate of MS points to US dollars but...that's 1200 points of things that should just BE IN THE GAME!!!! So silly. I hope NOBODY buys these and that they somehow lose money on them. (OK, I don't know how that would be, but still.)

I haven't bought this (I've been Red Ring of Deathed for about...2 weeks....yeah right in the middle of Halo 3) but I do wonder if it has the old school Tetris rules or those new Tetris Worlds rules.

Korova @ Oct 4th 2007 1:10PM

People buy fish pets for their screen saver for $20 and then they buy additional fish and aquarium pieces for more. That's casual gaming for you. Its akin to car aftermarket where peiple buy skull shaped caps for their car wheels and decals and god knows what to trick out their car.

So yeah, there will be people who will buy a different background for their tetris cause for some people its all about atmosphere.

Norm @ Oct 4th 2007 1:58PM

I think its a tournament-worthy game. Infinite spins and hold peices are included in standard gameplay. I believe its 6 players at a time.

BPM (FDF - Hypno-Toad) @ Oct 4th 2007 3:08PM

EVERY Tetris game is mandated to have the SRS (Super Rotation System) by The Tetris Company since Worlds.

Sucks, I know. But nothing's going to change until Henk Rogers starts taking his crazy pills (or would it be STOP taking them? Are they pills that cause or cure dementia?).

Duscrom @ Oct 4th 2007 4:19PM

Only Nintendo is allowed to butcher tetris and make you overpay for the game again.

Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Oct 4th 2007 10:04PM

But Tetris DS has single-card 10 player local wireless, and many awesome new modes, making it the best Tetris ever. It also doesn't have worthless DLC.

Marty @ Oct 4th 2007 1:10PM

The things they are selling for this game are more akin to themes though, aren't they? I mean, it's not like they are selling you new Tetris blocks (Tetronimos, or whatever they are called). If it doesn't affect the gameplay (like new CARS... you know what game I'm talking about), and is just something extra. I don't see the harm in it. It's the same as selling dashboard themes and gamer pics.

jpn @ Oct 4th 2007 1:14PM

I guess....but I think that $25 for the game + all these "accessories" is a bit steep, and I would definitely like all the accessories, but I won't pay $15 for them.

Marty @ Oct 4th 2007 1:23PM

Well, like I said, if they were essential parts of the game, I would agree with you.

Remember when information on the original Gran Turismo game for PS3 came out, and it turned out they wanted to charge people about $150 in DLC to use all the cars in the game? THAT is DLC abuse.

Now, charging people for all these backgrounds is indeed silly... but since you probably won't get much more enjoyment out of the game by downloading any of this stuff, I don't see a problem with it. It's like charging someone for a car, and then for a custom paint job.

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Oct 4th 2007 2:36PM

True but who the thunder would buy fishes for Tetris anyway?, Last time I checked being distracted in a game of Tetris only leads you to your doom.

Anyway talking about Gamer Images and Dashboards themes you know pisses me off about that stuff?, that can’t see what you buy basically they blindly ask you to spend your points on something you don’t know how it looks until you have it, why there isn’t a preview anywhere? I mean in some cases like Crackdown and Dead rising you can see what Images you are buying but in some don’t and that’s BS.

Marty @ Oct 4th 2007 2:45PM

Yeah, I hate that too. In many instances you can go online to see the content before buying, but who the hell wants to do that?

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Oct 4th 2007 3:18PM

Seriously?,I didn't know those sites existed.

mietha CAG @ Oct 4th 2007 1:13PM

Honestly, that's the primary reason I've not bought the game yet, and may not ever. I'm really tired of the endless attempted milking of consumers. You could at least wait to release it and pretend it's something developed later. Not much excuse available if you offer it up front. This is clearly one of the major downsides of digital distribution. Pretty soon you're going to have to buy the next level of the game. Oh wait, that already happened (Lumines Live). MS really needs to rein in the out-of-control BS.

Marty @ Oct 4th 2007 1:16PM

Examine the nature of the content before you complain about it - this DLC has nothing to do with the gameplay, and has about as much of an affect on your game as changing the dashboard background.

ill trooper @ Oct 4th 2007 1:30PM

It seems like the idea is that you're buying a fishtank and then you decide which fish to put in it, and just like in real life, all of the fish you can choose from are available right then and there.

Other than that feeble point I just made, I do agree that this stuff can tend to feel like point-of-purchase money-grabs while they have you in front of the register, so to speak. But who's gonna notice if they release a 'Nemo Pack' for Tetris six months later?

FrankTheCrank @ Oct 4th 2007 1:16PM

Sorry guys, but nobody is putting a gun to your head and telling you to buy down loadable content.

You will like it, and you will pay...

Justin McElroy @ Oct 4th 2007 1:21PM

Sorry Frank, but nobody is putting a gun to your head and telling you to read the posts.

You will like it, and you will read...

Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Oct 4th 2007 1:37PM

Anybody who pays for this should have a gun put to their head though, amirite? HEY-OOOO.

Korova @ Oct 4th 2007 1:51PM

there are new generations of gamers entering the game force everyday. those just bought their first system. they need tetris too.

the door to gaming did not shut behind you in 198X, nearly hitting you in the

Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Oct 4th 2007 10:01PM

Korova, don't get me wrong, every time a new Tetris comes out my soul blossoms a little for my patron saint, His Holiness Alexei Pajitnov The Great. I just hate nickel and diming. I'm sure the game's awesome and worth the money, but this DLC is a joke. I welcome all new gamers, whether they play Bejeweled for 5 seconds or get balls deep into a year long WoW addiction.

ill trooper @ Oct 4th 2007 1:22PM

I am not mad that there is additional content to buy.

But this is the sort of thing that makes me think that LIVE could be, and ultimately will have to be, free...

The 'money to run the servers' thing is certainly nullified by constant weekly offereings like this, as well as movie rentals and TV shows. I'm sure no company is going to throw away several million times $50 but they'll have to consider it if Sony does things as basic as 1) add an accessible universal friends list during gameplay, 2) proper private chatting during a game, and 3) web integration like LIVE has.

It's never been valid in any fanboy arguement I've seen, but he "$50 for LIVE a year" could finally become a valid 'unnecessary cost' bullet-point against it if Sony can match the features.

Marty @ Oct 4th 2007 1:25PM

I think 'IF' is the big word here... and seeing everything they've done so far, I doubt the PSN will come close to matching the usefulness or comprehensiveness of LIVE this generation.

ill trooper @ Oct 4th 2007 1:35PM

I agree it's a tall order (I tried to write my previous post with as much respect toward LIVE as I could, it's an amazingly sound service), but I still think it's possible that Sony could add basic functionality and be right there with LIVE for what most people use it for. It might even be part of this 'Big Bang' thing that Sony is touting.

JanJan @ Oct 4th 2007 1:26PM

only 250 points for the L block and 500 for the I block!
value!!!

FrankTheCrank @ Oct 4th 2007 1:41PM

Jesus..you rock!

cos @ Oct 4th 2007 1:33PM

You don't have to buy everything in the store. Shock: most of the things in ANY store will be things you do not think are worth their price to you... Or you'd buy them all.

Do you also go into a Kmart and complain about all the prices, that there's some things you don't want to buy at the quoted price, and that you have to buy the tv stand separate from the tv, and the component cable too? Just because a store is selling it for a price you don't want it for is not news.

It really only seems to be news because until now -- no one had the option to shop from their console. That's the "new" in this "news".

ill trooper @ Oct 4th 2007 1:38PM

You're restating the obvious. Join us on the next level.

Jon @ Oct 4th 2007 5:33PM

Kmart? I didn't know they still made those.

Edge @ Oct 4th 2007 1:40PM

Ya, I'm not that happy with it either. No serious Tetris player would pick this up. Go get a Nintendo DS and Tetris DS if you are looking for some real Tetris action.

Norm @ Oct 4th 2007 1:50PM

You people have got to be kidding me, I honestly think this is the best version of tetris available for non-handheld consoles, no kidding. The extra downloadable content does not affect gameplay at all, only the screensavers. ITS JUST FISH AND TANK DECORATIONS.

PLEASE PLEASE give this a try. Tetris splash is a great Xbox live game. Its WAAAAAAAAAAAYYY better than the last tetris game for the Xbox 360. It plays fast, it doesn't glitch, and it isn't dumbed down or altered with non-effective multiplayer modes.

I hate EA as much as the next guy (well maybe not, I loved Skate. Too.) but this game is good.

Edge @ Oct 4th 2007 5:10PM

If "T-spin" and "Combo" are the best modes they can come up with, that's pretty sorry. I would call THAT ineffectual.

Why not something with powerups or hotlines? Why not something like push Tetris from Tetris DS?

Okay, you qualified it with "non-handheld". That's fine, but I have a hard time keeping the experiences separate. Tetris works better on a handheld, the same way almost every PSP game works better on a console.

Norm @ Oct 4th 2007 8:21PM

Sorry, I didn't mean that as a reply to your comment, but as an individual post. I agree with your love for nintendo tetris, and I wasn't trying to slight that. I just think its a good game.

Hoffer @ Oct 4th 2007 1:44PM

I'm not offended by this DLC. It is just extra fish to be swimming in the background. That has nothing to do with the gameplay.

Slaziman @ Oct 4th 2007 1:44PM

Oh I thought these were for new online modes or something, turns out it's just to trick out your aquarium.

Hey, more options has never hurt anyone, and really do YOU care that it's not included? It's just their way of making a quick buck on casuals that love that kind of stuff.

The real value of this Tetris edition is the online right? I mean, Tetris DS had online but... it was like playing against the CPU, so cold and impersonal.

Norm @ Oct 4th 2007 1:52PM

Yeah, I didn't think that Tetris DS had a very good online component, especially if you were trying to play multiplayer with non-local friends. I still play it lots, but I wish there was more to the matchmaking than just 'opponent found'.

Brad Lee @ Oct 4th 2007 1:52PM

The fact that it's Tetris already signaled off a warning siren in my head. That game is a cash cow.

But what I find silliest about this is the same thing I found silly about Lumines. The "core" game download is already expensive as it is, so the likelihood of a gamer spending even more for add-ons is kind of low I would think.

Another goofy aspect is that breaking the game up into pieces is supposed to appeal to more casual gamers (same as the core model for the 360), in that it's a "starter" model that costs less. But all it really does is confuse the consumer.

Which part am I supposed to buy to actually play the game?

jpn @ Oct 4th 2007 2:23PM

Bother to do some research and/or read replies to the post before you comment. The DLC is not gameplay DLC.

Brad Lee @ Oct 6th 2007 5:53PM

I did read it jackass.

Don't make an ass of yourself by making assumptions.

I was just saying that Tetris Splash, like Lumines, was already too expensive, so the likelihood of anyone actually buying the extra content is even lower.

If downloadable content is expected for extra money, then game companies should offer the game for cheaper. That way, the money people save can be used for downloadable content.

Get my drift?

rbelmont @ Oct 4th 2007 2:06PM

It would be a problem if they split the game modes like Lumines Live. But the game proper is included in the initial download, the DLC are just accessories. This is like complaining about how a new car doesn't come with pine scent fresheners, dice, seat covers or back-off! stickers.