Tetris Party (Video Game Review)

Video Game Review
Tetris Party
Nintendo Wii (WiiWare)
2009
Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Tetris Online

It’s hard to screw up a Tetris game but Hudson and Tetris Online have managed to do just that. Tetris Party for WiiWare is a less challenging version of Tetris that has graced previous Nintendo consoles. Aside from a weaker version of the standard puzzle game, the online component is horribly executed. Overall, the game is a letdown.

The concept of the game is simple to pick up but hard to master. Puzzle pieces fall from the top of the screen down to the bottom. The idea is to fit the pieces together as they fall so that they make complete lines across the playing screen. Once a series of complete lines are made, they disappear from the playing field. Once a piece has fallen from the top to the bottom, it is stuck there until it is cleared by forming a complete line. The game ends when there are so many pieces in the playing area that there is no room for a piece to fall from the top or the player has satisfied the conditions of the level (i.e., lines cleared, etc.).

Graphically there isn’t much to say; there isn’t much to Tetris because you can only do so much with the graphics. The game doesn’t look anything different from some of the versions that were on the Nintendo 64 or original Playstation. The music is just reworkings of the same type of music that has been in Tetris for years. This isn’t a bad thing since the music helps fill the atmosphere of the game. In fact, had they tried to do something different like replace the soundtrack of the game with something out of Dance Dance Revolution, it would have been a train wreck.

The traditional game can be played offline and online. Offline, players can compete against themselves to try for the best scores or they can play against three other players at the same time. The selection of choices for multiplayer options are plentiful but aside from the traditional game, they begin to feel lame after a few tries. Online, six players can compete against each other in one game although there are some serious problems with playing the game online that make the package feel broken at times. There is also an online leaderboard function which has many different types of statistics and makes the game more motivating than versions without any online functionality.

For the most part, the regular offline mode of Tetris is adequate but could have

been better. Control feels a bit sloppy at times but it isn’t unplayable. Ever since the NES days, it seems that the controls have become looser with each iteration. There’s a reason though that the NES, Game Boy, and arcade versions are all considered superior and have made more money than most of the recent versions; the controls were stiffer and felt more normal. Sure, it’s fun to do a t-spin and make blocks fit when physics say it’s impossible but it takes some of the innocent simplicity out of the game. It also has been made a bit easier than older versions of the game with the ability to hold pieces aside for use later on (or to prevent an unwanted piece from screwing up your strategy). Thankfully, if you prefer a more traditional game of Tetris, these features can be either turned off or ignored unless you’re playing online against someone. They can still use these features to their advantage and if you prefer the old-school rules, you’re stuck.

The online features of the game are great when they work. The problem is that few games won’t have any issues. Lag is a headache which, with a intense game like Tetris, is a serious annoyance. This can make games unplayable and result in some cheap wins (for you or your opponent). There are also issues getting into games where the computer will set you up with an opponent but the system hangs and the two of you are stuck sitting in limbo for several minutes. Other problems that have occurred during playthroughs are blocks randomly disappearing and no blocks falling at all for one or both players. The communication interface is awkward because there is no chat option (it was released before Wii Speak shipped). Instead, you can send and receive pre-programmed phrases to and from your opponent. At least it helps break the language barrier as there are many Japanese players who don’t speak any English. The game does the translation for everyone but it restricts the games to only a few simple phrases like “good game” or “hello”. But, if you’re lucky enough to have a game without any of these issues, you’ll enjoy yourself. However, there are too many bugs in the experience that will prevent that from this happening on a regular occurrence.

Outside of the main game and the online mode, there are plenty of gimmick features. The most notable is the one where you play a regular game of Tetris with the Balance Board. It’s interesting at first but loses its appeal very quickly and doesn’t handle all that great once the game gets more stressful. There are other features that use the elements of Tetris and create different types of puzzle experiences. Some of them, like Stage Racer which has the player navigating a puzzle piece through narrow corridors as fast as possible, are throwaway additions that add nothing of merit to the package. Then you get stuff like Shadow which requires the player to move blocks into the shape of a silhouette without any of the pieces sticking out beyond the perimeter. The only problem with Shadow is that there aren’t that many puzzles available for this mode so you’ll run through all the levels quickly. When it comes down to it, the meat-and-potatoes of the package are going to be the traditional game and the multiplayer; both online and offline.

Hudson and Tetris Online dropped the ball. Tetris Party is a disappointing failure. It would have been amazing to have a cheap Tetris game on the Wii that offered strong online play. They got the cheap part right but even at the low price, it still isn’t worth your money.

☆☆