Game Of The Week: Tetris Party Deluxe (DS)

The classic arcade game of the 1980's is back for another round on the Nintendo DS. For those of you who might not be familiar with the game - is that even possible??? - Tetris requires players to strategically place different coloured blocks of various shapes and sizes in rows to create several straight lines. Every successful line of blocks earns points and the speed of the falling blocks increases with each level. It might sound easy but anyone who has actually tried this game for themselves will tell you that it is both difficult and very addictive.

Tetris on the NES

Tetris was created by Russian computer engineer, Alexey Leonidovich Pajitnov in 1984 and has been reincarnated in many forms during its twenty-six year history and was previously released on the Nintendo DS in 2006 under the name of Tetris DS and went on to sell 2.5 million copies worldwide before going out of circulation. However the original DS version remains a very sought-after item and can often reach up to £35 per time in online gaming auctions.

Tetris on the latest iPod system

The latest incarnation of the Tetris series is adapted from a downloadableWiiWare title, and promises to be even more successful than its predecessor.

Screenshot from Tetris Party Deluxe

With over twenty different modes of play, Tetris Party Deluxe is definitely worth a try. Some of the more interesting modes include Bombliss, which challenges players to create lines with pieces which contain animated bombs. The bombs then create chain reactions of Tetris points.

Sprint is a standard time-challenge mode. Players must try to clear forty lines of blocks in the shortest time possible.

Master is one of the most difficult modes in the game and should only be attempted by hardcore Tetris fans. In this mode, the game starts on the fastest speed and the highest level, which means that blocks merely appear at the bottom of the screen and players only have a few seconds to sort the blocks into lines.

Tetris Party Deluxe (DS) features several game modes

 The game also features different multiplayer modes for up to eight players on a single game cartridge. Furthermore, DS players who are connected to the internet can also communicate with other players via the DS microphone in the new Tetris Battle Lobby.

Tetris Party Deluxe Trailer

At its heart, this puzzle title is still the same old Tetris repackaged for the next generation of gamers, that said, this DS title may yet prove to be the biggest and best collection of Tetris games ever produced. Old and new fans  of the series are bound to enjoy hours of fun with this game. Overall rating: 8/10

HAVE YOUR SAY...

Have you bought the new Tetris game? What do you think of the new game modes? Is Tetris still as appealing as it used to be?

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