There's an old saying: the more things change, the more they stay the same. I couldn't think of a better way to describe Tetris Evolution. Originally available only on Xbox Live, THQ decided to release the latest version of the highly addictive, classic puzzle game on Xbox 360. The name Tetris Evolution suggests improvement, but not to the point of unrecognition. Indeed, the game boasts several modes of play and customizable features, not to mention multiplayer capabilities with three other players or through Xbox Live. However, underneath is the same old Russian Tetris game that's been around since 1985. Yes, the original theme is even included, though jazzed up a bit. Hearing it brought back fond memories, I tell ya.
I won't go into the main objectives of the game because if you don't know how to play Tetris, then you should just turn in your gamer badge right now and hang your head in shame. Seriously. Everyone and their mother has played this.
There are eight modes of play, which are available for both single and multiplayer modes. The objectives are slightly different for multiplayer. For example, Marathon is your standard, old school Tetris game, but when played with others, the winner is the person who lasts the longest. Ultra provides a timed game (1, 3, or 5 minutes), and the winner is determined in multiplayer by the highest score when the clock runs out. In Race and Score mode, the objectives are respectively, to clear a predetermined number of lines or reach a designated score as quickly as possible. In multiplayer, the winner is the first person to acheive the goal.
Within multiplayer mode, there are three styles of play. Versus is the competitive mode. What's cool is that when you play Versus-Marathon mode, players can send their opponent rows of blocks. I like puzzle games where you can sabotage your opponent, like Puzzle Fighter. Hotseat is the co-op mode, which allows players to take turns controlling a tetrimino (so that's what they're called!) drop. Independent mode allows players to play the same mode, but not compete with each other.
Article comments
1 - Sean P
So, can you play xbox live multiplayer with multiple players on the console, or just one player per console against whoever's online? Crappy menu if you can do it, i cant find it anywhere
2 - Kaonashi
Sean- I haven't played the game since writing the review, but if I recall, you can only have one or the other. So you either play against three people in real life, or three people online.