System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Title: Tetris
Publisher: Nintendo
Circa: 1989
Overall Rating:




Intro
This is perhaps one of the most renowned games of all time. This game is known just as widely as Pong and Pac-man. Tetris has seen more releases and re-iterations than most other game on the market. This was one of my early games, easily among the first. Still, it’s a game I’ve sought ought in most of its iterations and for good reason. This game is a well known classic and everyone who lays claim to Gamer should have played this treasure extensively.

Story
There really isn’t one, this is a simple puzzle game.

Gameplay
The game is incredibly simple it a great number of ways. Still, it’s a game that takes time and patience to enjoy. The goal is simple, as you play through, you aim to fill each line without gaps to move onto the next level. As you progress through the game, the speed increases, making it harder to properly maneuver pieces. Tetris only gets more strategic as you play through the game and press into the more difficult areas with the speeds becoming insane.
This is a game that you need plenty of time to play through. It just grows on you and time simply slips by on those really good sessions.
In this version of Tetris, there are two modes of play, A and B. A is the standard game without a real limit, at least, not one that I ever personally reached. You choose a starting “level” to determine the speed of the pieces. In Mode B, where you are trying to get 25 lines, you get one more option: Height. Height determines how many lines are filled with randomly placed pieces that you need to work through. This is a great mode for beginners and people working at trying to improve their skills at particular speed levels. The height option allows people to work at getting into the mind set of working with their mistakes and seeing the opportunities that it can present.



Multiplayer
None. This hurts the game, as virtually EVERY other version of the game has multiplayer.

Controls
D-pad to move things around and navigate the window. A and B is used to spin the pieces in clockwise and counter-clockwise respectively.

Graphics
Seriously, while an 8-bit system, the display is actually really good. I personally feel this game has spectacular graphics.

Sound Effects & Music
The sound effects are comprised entirely of what’s done for rotating the pieces. The music is very simple as well and easy to deal with. There are 3 tracks you can choose from. It’s a good option to have in this game. This of course includes the tune that Tetris is renowned for.

Obscurity
It’d be impossible to call this game obscure seriously. It’s incredibly renowned.

Summary/Author’s Take
While this is overall a great game, the Official Nintendo version was missing something on the NES that was present is virtually every other version of the game, the multiplayer. That all the other versions had this and it was something Nintendo included in their Gameboy version but not the console is baffling. It’s the one big qualm I always had this game. While a classic game, it’s one that would have benefitted a lot from a multiplayer, as shown with virtually every other Tetris game.

Story	N/A	It doesn't need a story!
Gameplay		2 minutes to explain, a lifetime to play.
Multiplayer	N/A	N/A
Controls		Very easy.
Graphics		Impressive.
SFX and Music		Choice! And good stuff.
Obscurity		Many know/play it.
Overall		A grand classic, but no multiplayer.