Gaming Target - Xbox: Tetris Worlds Online

Written by Matt Swider on September 10, 2003

Full Review: Expect to go through many online games because marathon isn't part of Tetris Worlds again.

Xbox owners have seen a lot of original games and newly formed franchises go online including MechAssault, MotoGP 2, and Whacked! However, few Xbox Live-enabled classics have come to the console in the past year. Sure, both Unreal Championship and Midtown Madness 3 belong to a long-standing series, but neither game can compare to an age-old classic such as Tetris. That's why THQ has revived the puzzle-genre powerhouse complete with online matches for its second coming on Xbox. With up to four Xbox Live users involved in this budget value version of Tetris Worlds, there's just as much garbage to be sent through the headset as there is across the screen. But even as addictive as online multiplayer madness can be, there's still enough garbage plaguing the Tetris Worlds gameplay to cause the entire game to feel one block short of a complete Tetris.

Essentially, Tetris Worlds Online hasn't changed since THQ put out its offline counterpart for Xbox in 2002. The same is often said about the entire evolution of the Tetris series, but this time the one and only upgrade comes with the inclusion of an online mode. This means that the six varying game types (Tetris, Square, Cascade, Sticky, Hot-line, and Fusion) return and the same widespread opinion regarding the gameplay is carried over with the almost as many complaints.

Upon playing my first Tetris game in Tetris Worlds, I was interrupted with a message proclaiming: УYou Won!Ф While reading these two words together usually spells a good thing, it has the opposite effect when it comes to Tetris. It's almost as bad as receiving the same words in giant flashing letters in dozens of SPAM emails because, you see, Tetris is really about playing an endless game. This is a point that the original Tetris made clear by counting the number of lines you have successfully completed, moving you up a level for every ten lines, and tallying your score all the way through. Tetris Worlds doesn't take the endless approach to heart as it sets up a goal amount of lines to count down from and either restarts the process each time a new level is reached or lets you continue from the very same level if you stack the Matrix to the brim.

To novice players, the new goal-oriented gameplay and limited 15-level approach doesn't make much of a difference. These same people will also be oblivious to the new functions found in Tetris Worlds that aid them, yet alienate Tetris veterans. The most obvious sign of hand-holding is present as soon as the first piece drops into the Tetris Matrix and a ghost shape appears along the bottom. This is used to help players guide falling pieces in the same way that the first levels of the Bust-A-Move puzzle series use a dotted line to point out where the bubble will end up. But unlike Bust-A-Move games, the coaching here doesn't stop when the second level starts. It will only disappear when the option is turned off in the game's menu. Likewise, the second nuisance in Tetris Worlds, the ability to spin a piece without having it fall into place right away, can be turned off as well. But, chances are, many players will end up playing the watered-down way without knowing the options are available.

The hold option allows players to place a piece in reserve, and though it can also be turned off, this function can be somewhat resourceful when attempting a Tetris. The concept dates back to The New Tetris on Nintendo 64, so it's not as radical and definitely not detrimental to the way the game flows. Something like the hard drop is damaging at times simply because of its placement on the controller. Pressing up on the directional pad or analog stick sends a piece straight down to the bottom without further movement. It can be very useful when racing against other players online, but is a heavy causality when performed by accident. Three of the odd additions that Tetris Worlds brings to the puzzle franchise can be turned off while one, hard drop, wasn't an optional setting in the offline version and still isn't more than a year later. Since Game Boy Advance and PlayStation 2 saw none of these options, it's a step in the right direction.

Not straying too far from the wrong direction, Tetris Worlds, for whatever reason, attempts to convey a story with square aliens as its theme. Where this left field idea came from I don't know, but I can say that the result is beyond pathetic and rather laughable. The plot never really sinks in since the storyline isn't in the forefront and has no chance to connect with the Tetris gameplay. This is why puzzle games shouldn't have a plot, unless, of course, it involves attempting to build and launch a rocket with the help of your Tetris skills.

Instead of messing with a hopeless story for Tetris, the developer should have made the Marathon game type a priority the first time and the second time this Tetris Worlds came to Xbox. The single aspect that was worked on for Tetris Words Online, Xbox Live support, did turn out to be impressive. Four voice-chatting players can take part in any of the six game types and a spot can always be filled with a guest player plugged into the second controller port. This novelty for online game is something I wish more developers would follow through with since it's rather hard for anyone but your lone self to be impressed by gaming on Xbox Live. And with a game like Tetris, even if there are more than a couple setbacks with the Tetris Worlds gameplay, the time spent is very satisfying for guest players, especially when they realize the online game has preoccupied them for hours on end.

Though Xbox is the most powerful console on the market, there is only so much it can do to present a graphically limited game like Tetris and improve audio in a series that is exclusive to techno beats. However, the glossy presentation, wonderfully animated backdrops, and custom soundtracks do this game justice for the first times. Once, I wanted to swat at what seemed to be a bug hovering about the television, but I soon found out it was actually a small butterfly floating around the Tetris Matrix. While the visuals appeal and music presentation don't compare to most games in the Xbox lineup, Tetris Worlds Online is definitely the best modern looking Tetris game to date.