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  REVIEWS - Tetris Attack ::

The hot action in... action.
Game Info.
Genre
Puzzle
Publisher/Developer
Nintendo/Intelligent Systems, Nintendo
Peripherals
  • Game Link Cable
    • Release
    8/96
    Media
    (none)

    Tetris Attack
    An intelligent, highly addictive puzzle game.
    Reviewed by Sam - February 2nd, 2001

    But first, some history. Okay, Nintendo releases an intense and very different kind of puzzle game, Panel de Pon. It's successful, but due to an ultra Japan-pop girly vibe, likely not to suceed in America. So Nintendo replaces the fairies and wood elves with Yoshi and Poochie. Simple enough. And since, pretty much the same has been done to create the Pokemon Puzzle games (N64's "League", and GBC's "Challenge"). What a series, if you can even call it that.
    This is, without a doubt, the most challenging, the most addictive, and the most super-charged magnar-fun puzzle game I've ever played, and yes, my absolute favorite. Why was it overlooked? The name; Tetris Attack; oh yeah, that game sounds SUPER interesting to me (or not). Oh well, look past the name; it's no Tetris clone. With all matters of popularity aside, this is truly the best puzzle game around, and one of the best video games ever, so says I.
    Tetris Attack was released in two versions, one for the GB and one on SNES. I've enjoyed and played both, so this review really covers both, and since they're so similar, I'll only be giving one score in the end.

    Gameplay
    Game mechanics go as follows: a ton of different-colored blocks rise from the bottom of your screen, and you have to match 3 or more blocks of one color together so that they explode, and everything above them falls down. Simple, you say? Well, it is! That's how puzzle games go. I have no idea why, but addiction can be a beautiful thing, can't it? And when you're addicted to Tetris Attack, not even cold turkey will work. Believe me, you need something stronger, like good coke or something. I've got references, call me up sometime.
    On Super NES, Tetris Attack is suh-mooth to the biznatch, like butter. Every time you make a cool combo or hit above 3 blocks, a little timer man pops out and counts out the free seconds you get where the stack does not rise. A lot of puzzle games don't give you that kind of break. Controls are sickly simple, and for good reason; there's a lot of thinking to do, and to be distracted is to suffer. This is where The New Tetris fails; game controls are incredibly difficult as far as puzzle games go, and using the shifty N64 d-pad is an impossibility! The SNES TA rules in this factor of gameplay.
    The Game Boy version plays well, too, but not in the same way. There's no real computer opponent, just a crappy hit-point tally. But this barely matters; the major flaw is the lack of saving. The high scores don't even save! Agh, brain... quivering, twitching! You've gotta' have a pen and paper if you want to save anything; passwords dominate, and I HATE passwords. *_* Although, the game does go portable, and I LOVE portable puzzlers.
    9/10

    Graphics
    Most puzzle games have boring sprite graphics with equally boring backdrops. But in Tetris Attack, the characters move and the backgrounds look beautiful on Super Nintendo. Really nice, especially for a puzzler.
    Now, the Game Boy edition just doesn't cut it here. Sure the characters look nice, but the backgrounds are plain white. I guess one can't expect much, but still, it's only "pretty good" at best.
    8/10

    Sound
    Oh yeah. The music in this game is great. Totally! It's just fantastic. The better quality in the available instruments stands out in the SNES version, but the GB's songs hold out on their own, and can sometimes seem to be a little more fast-paced or something, which is good.
    Sound effects are okay, and the sweet Yoshi sounds and voices are always adorable. Unfortunately, nothing REALLY stands out here.
    8/10

    Replay Value
    Well, like I said before, T-Attack pulls addiction to the max. My oh my, I'm glued to this game. While it's kind of expected from a puzzler, it seems to really get you here.
    On SNES, the high scores are saved, and passwords only serve you if you quit in the middle of story mode. Whereas on the Game Boy, passwords become a way of life, and once again, I hate it. Carrying this baby around all day is amazing, though, so you'll see no point deductions from me!
    9/10

    Overall
    If you get into this game, you may never stop, and you may never want to stop! Tetris Attack is a day-waster with an attitude, and it's a ton of fun at that. I would reccomend the Super Nintendo version, but then you're cheated out of portability. I would reccomend the Game Boy version, but then you're cheated out of exceptional graphics and the great AI opponents. Just get 'em both like I did, and you'll be a happy human. ^_^

    FINAL SCORE: 9/10
    =Amazing=

    Send feedback to: sam@ngeb.net