| Tetris | |
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| Developer(s) | Nintendo R&D1[1] Bullet-Proof Software[2] |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy |
| Release date(s) | Game Boy: JP June 14, 1989 |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Tetris was a pack-in title included with the Game Boy at the handheld's release in 1989. It is a portable version of Alexey Pajitnov's Tetris. It was the first game compatible with the Game Boy Game Link Cable, a pack-in accessory that allowed two Game Boys to link together for multiplayer purposes. A colorized remake of the game was released on the Game Boy Color entitled Tetris DX.
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Gameplay
The Game Boy version of Tetris plays identically to versions of Tetris released on other platforms. A pseudorandom sequence of "tetrominos" - shapes composed of four square blocks each - fall down the playing field. The object of the game is to manipulate these tetrads, by moving each one sideways and rotating it by 90 degree units, with the aim of creating a horizontal line of blocks without gaps. When one or more such lines are created, they disappear, and the blocks above (if any) move down by the number of lines cleared. As the game progresses, the tetrominos fall faster, and the game ends when at least part of a tetromino extends beyond the top of the playfield when set in place. The player can normally see which block will appear next in a window off to the side of the playing field, but this feature can be toggled during the game.[4]
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Unlike some versions of Tetris, in this version, blocks do not automatically fall into open gaps when lines are cleared. Points are awarded based on the current level and the number of lines cleared, and the level increases each time the player clears ten lines.[4] The player may also select the starting level at the beginning of the game, and may also adjust the difficulty by selecting the height of a stack of randomly-placed blocks. The game ends when the stack of blocks extends past the top of the playfield.
This version of Tetris includes a two-player mode, in which each player's objective is to stay alive longer than his or her opponent. Each player plays on their own Game Boy, with the two Game Boy consoles connected via the Game Link Cable. During gameplay, when a player scores a Double, Triple or Tetris, one or more incomplete rows of blocks are added to the bottom of their opponent's stack, causing the stack to rise.
Development
In 1984, Soviet Academy of Sciences researcher Alexey Pajitnov alongside Dmitry Pavlovsky and Vadim Gerasimov developed Tetris out of a desire to create a two-player puzzle game,[5] and the game spread commercially amongst computers. In 1988 computer game publisher Henk Rogers noticed the game at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show in a Spectrum HoloByte booth. Finding himself hooked to the game, he pursued the rights for the game, and knowing Nintendo planned to release the Game Boy approached Nintendo of America head Minoru Arakawa with the suggestion that Tetris was the perfect title to be packaged with the handheld. Arakawa questioned the idea, noting they planned to package Super Mario Land with it instead, but Rogers countered by stating that while a Mario title would sell the Game Boy to young boys, Tetris would sell it to everyone.[6] Rogers was told to pursue the rights, and secured them from both Spectrum HoloByte and Atari-spinoff company Tengen, who had also secured a license at the time, to license Tetris in Japan. He additionally approached Robert Stein, who had secured permission for both companies to distribute Tetris through company Mirrorsoft, to seek rights for it to be distributed with the Game Boy.[7]
However, after several months passed Stein had not produced the rights for the Game Boy, and Rogers learned that another person had approached Nintendo with the idea of a Game Boy Tetris. Requesting more time from Arakawa, he traveled to Moscow to speak with the USSR's Ministry of Software and Hardware Export and Pajitnov. During this time, Nintendo approached Spectrum HoloByte on the prospect of a Game Boy Tetris, causing Mirrorsoft to send a representative, Kevin Maxwell, to Moscow to secure rights for the Game Boy version.[7] Meanwhile, Rogers negotiated for the rights for Tetris on the Game Boy, noting in a later interview with IGN that the government officials did not understand the concept of intellectual property, and were looking for greater payment than Rogers or Nintendo could afford.[6] However it was revealed that the Tetris property had not actually been licensed to anyone: Stein had secured the rights from Pajitnov directly and not from the Russian authorities.[8] Russia sent a fax to Maxwell in England with 48 hours to respond, but due to being in Russia at the time Maxwell did not receive the fax, and the rights were given to Rogers. Nintendo granted Rogers publishing rights to Tetris, sued Tengen, and in March 1989, Rogers, Arakawa, and Nintendo vice president Howard Lincoln signed a contract securing rights for console and handheld distribution of Tetris.[7] However, Tetris's production was delayed due to the ongoing legal battle with Tengen, and the game was released in Japan two months after the Game Boy's release there.[9]
In an interview with IGN, Alexey Pajitnov noted the Game Boy version of Tetris as his favorite, describing it as very close to his original version.[6]
Music
The player can select any of three songs to be played during the game, or could select "music off" leaving only the sound effects to be heard. The sources of each song is as follows:
- A-type (v1.0): Unknown
- A-type (v1.1): Korobeiniki by Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov
- B-type (both): Katyusha by Matvey Blanter
- C-type (both): French Suite No. 3 in B-Minor, BWV 814: Menuet by Johann Sebastian Bach
After coming out of pause mode (achieved by pressing the "Start" button), the background music will continue with an added bassline which stops when the next phrase of the song begins. Why this occurs is unknown.
The A-type and B-type music can be unlocked for use on the Luigi's Mansion stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii.
Tetris DX
Tetris DX (1998) is a Game Boy Color game that is backwardly compatible with the original Game Boy. It features battery-saved high scores and three player profiles. DX also has a new single-player mode, which is against the CPU. DX also features two new modes of play. In "Ultra Mode," players must accumulate as many points as possible within a three-minute time period. In "40 Lines," players are timed on how quickly they can clear 40 lines of play.
Reception
As of June 2009, the Game Boy version of Tetris has sold over 35 million copies.[10] Official Nintendo Magazine ranked Tetris fifth on their list of the "100 Best Nintendo Games".[11]
References
- ^ Calderon, Anthony. The Nintendo Development Structure N-Sider Retrieved on 2008-03-13
- ^ The Tetris Saga tsr's NES archive. Retrieved on 2008-03-13
- ^ White, Dave (July 1989). "Gameboy Club". Electronic Gaming Monthly (3): 68.
- ^ a b "'Tetris'". NinDB. http://www.nindb.net/tetris.html. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
- ^ Gerasimov, Vadim. Original Tetris: Story and Download. Retrieved June 10, 2007.
- ^ a b c Staff (2009-06-13). "Alexey Pajitnov Stars Interview - Video Interview: Alexey Pajitnov Pt. 1". IGN. http://stars.ign.com/dor/objects/919431/Alexey-Pajitnov/videos/tetris_spc_e3_01.html. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
- ^ a b c DeMaria, Rusel; Johnny L. Wilson (2003). High Score! The Illustrated History of Electronic Video Games (2 ed.). McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 0072231726.
- ^ Evans, David Sparks; Andrei Hagiu, Richard Schmalensee (2006). Invisible Engines: How Software Platforms Drive Innovation and Transform Industries (Illustrated ed.). MIT Press. ISBN 0262050854.
- ^ Sheff, David; Andy Eddy (1993). Game Over: How Nintendo Conquered the World. Random House, Inc. (New York). ISBN 0-679-40469-4.
- ^ Saltzman, Marc (2009-06-12). "'Tetris' by the numbers". USA Today. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2009/06/68024593/1. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
- ^ East, Tom (2009-03-02). Feature: 100 Best Nintendo Games. Official Nintendo Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-03-18
External links
- Official Nintendo Japan website
- Tetris at NinDB
- Game Boy version online
- Tetris (Game Boy) at MobyGames
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