Hear me out. At a time when we, the gaming community, are being inundated constantly with stories of "progression" and "change" within the industry we love, it is important to remember the simple things that drive us to come back again and again. "Destructible environments" are all the rage at the moment and, at first glance, this month's topic conjured up memories of RPG mayhem on games like Black and the more recent FPS, Battlefield: Bad Company. I've also been lucky enough to have some sit-down time with Killzone 2's campaign and, I can assure you, there is plenty to talk about there too.
But these ideas became irrelevent in my mind during one of my more productive struggles through London's transport system. You see, when I thought of the most satisfaction and sense of achievement I have gained from destroying anything within the context of a video game, I thought of Tetris. I must have only been around ten years old when I was at the peak of my powers playing it but, while I don't claim to have any Youtube-worthy scores or specific moments of brilliance to mention, I can assure you that it was as exhilerating as anything else I have played since.
It may not have provided the biggest and best spectacles we have ever seen in a game and, in my experience, it only appeared on a tiny Gameboy in those gorgeous brown and black tones. However, when you slide one of those long blocks down the side of an ever-increasingly stacking wall and blast four rows into oblivion, you really know about it.
I'm talking about when you were in the car on your way to your families summer holiday (usually Clacton-On-Sea for me) and you were edging nearer and nearer to your big brother's top score, those blocks coming at you like lightning. T followed by L and then a square! "Come on you bloody thing! I have lined up an escape route down the edge here and I need a long'un!" Then one arrives and you turn it just in time so it avoids the top row and - BOOOM! - blows a hundred blocks sky high, giving you another five seconds breathing space to collect yourself. Fantastic. That's what it's all about.
You know that bleeping sound you get when you take out four rows? Of couse you do. Great isn't it?
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That aside. As far as tetris goes, Iv'e only played some old DOS version & have Tetris DS in my room. Just like Mario Kart DS though. I think The DS version could be the best version ever! - That said. I think I'll get my hands on the GB version. Because it lookes so cool, even with that once screen shot.
Also, great choice for an article!
I had the dreams too, trying to stop that wall building up to the top, half asleep in hot n cold sweats.
That score is massive, man.
@ Littlemelissa... Yes, you're right.
Where have you been? Under a rock for the past 20 years?
Nothing beats the original, eh.