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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.

Gallery: Tetris Party

DS Daily: Old reliable

by David Hinkle { Jan 13th 2009 at 9:00AM }

For us, there are a few select games that never leave the immediate vicinity of our DS. Tetris DS and Space Invaders Extreme can be immediate sources of instant bliss, so we're never without them when out and about in the real world, where the danger of not being able to game can be very real and present. What about you all?

What are those few games that get constant rotation in the cartridge slot of your DS? What game (or games) do you constantly come back to for amusement?

In small doses: Tetris is a PTSD 'vaccine,' prevents flashbacks, study finds

by James Ransom-Wiley { Jan 7th 2009 at 4:59PM }

Believe it or not, the image above is not some ten-year-old's 5th grade collage. It's real science, by the fine chaps in the department of psychiatry at the University of Oxford. The study sat individuals in front of a 12-minute clip of "traumatic scenes of injury and death" (we're not talking Mario falling into a pit here), gave them a 30-minute break, and then split them into two groups. One group was asked to sit in silence. The other played Tetris for ten minutes.

The study found that those who played Tetris had significantly fewer flashbacks of the gruesome video in the days that followed, according to mandatory diaries kept by the participants. The results suggest that Tetris acts as a "cognitive vaccine" against the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which correlates with contemporary treatments that call for the use of visual "distractions" to treat reoccurring mental trauma. But much like Heroin before it, Tetris may end up being the cure that needs to be cured. In other words: Use only as directed.

[Via guardian.co.uk]

Playing Tetris helps with trauma, study says

by David Hinkle { Jan 7th 2009 at 4:26PM }

We've always been big fans of Tetris, to tell the truth, and now it would seem the game has real health benefits. According to a study done in the UK, the game can help those with post-traumatic stress disorder. The study exposed volunteers to disturbing imagery and, for some, allowed them to play the game after. For those that played the game, stress levels reduced and they suffered from fewer flashbacks of the disturbing imagery.

So, make more time in your busy life to play some games. It's good for you!

Gallery: Tetris Party

[Via /.]

Tetris theme gets retrofitted with lyrics

by Justin McElroy { Dec 15th 2008 at 1:10PM }

A lot of girls love Tetris.

See, that right there is why we're bloggers and not songwriters: An idea that we can only drum up seven syllables on is enough for YouTube's brentalfloss to write a complete set of lyrics to the soundtrack permanently etched in all our psyches: "Korobeiniki."

Be forewarned: This isn't for kids nor the workplace, and some may find it a touch offensive. But we're almost certain he's got his tongue planted firmly in his cheek. Almost. ... His tongue's in his cheek, right?

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EA releases Tetris for Android, Bejeweled and Monopoly to follow

by Randy Nelson { Oct 29th 2008 at 4:15PM }

Electronic Arts has answered the call for more games on Google's Android mobile device platform – i.e. the T-Mobile G1 – with a version of Tetris now available for download from the EA Mobile site. The game is selling for $7.99. It will be followed next month by Bejeweled and Monopoly: Here & Now Edition.

In an official release, EA Mobile America and Asia publishing veep Adam Sussman calls Android an "exciting new platform" and says that the division has "more games in development" beyond the three revealed today. Looking at its catalog of iPhone / iPod Touch games, it's probably safe to expect some variation of Spore and Scrabble to be in the bunch.

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

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Retail and download releases for the week of October 20th

by David Hinkle { Oct 20th 2008 at 12:48PM }

It's a pretty big week for releases. On top of plenty of games available at retail, there's a couple of imports available on the Virtual Console, as well as one awaited WiiWare release (can you guess what it is?). Head past the break and start thinking about cracking open that piggy bank.