Tetris Evolution dev drops Tetris XBLA hint

by Richard Mitchell { Mar 15th 2007 at 5:45PM }

During an interview with Gaming Target, the developers of the upcoming Tetris Evolution outlined some of the game's key features that differentiate it from other Tetris titles. Included in the game are two new modes, "Eraser" and "Go Low." "Eraser" is fairly simple, just erase a few predetermined lines. See, easy. "Go Low" asks players to make the highest block drop as far as possible when clearing away lines. Of course, most gamers know that the extra modes don't matter too much in Tetris, so long as the game plays properly.

The game promises high definition still and video backgrounds, customizable skins and player icons for your board, and 4 player Live multiplayer. 40 achievements are lined up for the game, with most of them awarded for achieving high scores in various modes. Hardcore players will be glad to hear that multiplayer matches do not allow "infinite spin," where players can constantly spin a piece, forcing it to stay in play. Single player games, however, allow you to toggle between infinite, extended, and classic spin settings. Another happy note, the game has been priced at $29.99.

Finally, when questioned about the reasoning behind making Tetris Evolution a retail title instead of an XBLA title, a developer responded, "I can't really speak for the Xbox Live Arcade version. We've known for some time it was being developed, but we don't really have any visibility as to its feature set." So there you have it, a Tetris developer says an XBLA Tetris is in the works. The developers do elaborate, however, that the amount of features in Tetris Evolution -- in particular the full motion backgrounds -- would exceed the XBLA size limit.

Would you bother with a retail Tetris if you knew a version was coming to Xbox Live Arcade?

[Thanks, John]

Update: Gave credit to our tipster.

Tags: arcade, live arcade, LiveArcade, mass media, MassMedia, tetris, tetris evolution, TetrisEvolution, thq, xbla, xbox live arcade, XboxLiveArcade

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

DeadPlasmaCell @ Mar 15th 2007 6:05PM

$29 ay?? niiice.

Toph @ Mar 15th 2007 6:11PM

I love Tetris...and I'd check the see what the XBLA price is compared to the 30 for retail, and if the degradation in content for it is acceptable.

savvydoc @ Mar 15th 2007 7:09PM

It'd be nice if one or both versions utilized the Live Camera.

Ciaran Gallagher @ Mar 15th 2007 7:47PM

I would actually consider buying this. Xbox Live 4 player sounds good... and background videos whilst playing Tetris? sweet.

Tony Bowman @ Mar 15th 2007 8:24PM

interoperability is my only question on this. can the full retail people play against Arcade peopel and vice versa?

Tim @ Mar 15th 2007 9:21PM

Tony -
Not same developer. Probably.

mamardilla69 @ Mar 15th 2007 10:11PM

WHATS TETRIS AGAINST FINDING A CURE FOR CANCER http://playstation.joystiq.com/2007/03/15/cure-diseases-using-the-ps3-march-23rd/ I DONT WANNA HEAR STUPID FANBOYISM "I RATHER PLAY TETRIS THAN CONTRIBUTING TO FIND A CURE FOR CANCER" THIS IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD SUPPORT AND CHEER. THX SONY ITS A SHAME THIS WAS TO LATE FOR MY GRAMPS :)

ExTester @ Mar 15th 2007 11:06PM

@ mamardilla69.. Get a f*ing clue. If its not cancer there will be a new problem that will plague human kind. Its just the way it is. If you buy into the idea that they will have a cure for cancer in the next 10 years.. Your f*ing high as a kite. And to think that the "Cure for Cancer" will amount to something more than selling PS3's, you should have taken your Grandpa's place, as mother nature truely screwed up.
If Sony would actually donate some money to finding a cure.. that would be something broadcast on blog where the majority of people could care less.

mamardilla69 @ Mar 15th 2007 11:54PM

i think its more useful than a tetris

Tony @ Mar 16th 2007 12:06AM

What's your point, though? Of course finding a cure for cancer is more important than Tetris. I don't recall that being something contested in the site's post.

Beyond which, this program also runs on computers. Sony didn't invent it.

AoE @ Mar 16th 2007 12:19AM

@mamardilla69,

Sure it may be useful, but... it's also not a game, which honestly, I dropped the dough on the 360 to play games, not run folding@home. You may not realize it, but there's a folding@home client for just about every OS out there (sorry dude, Sony didn't invent distributed processing); I run it on every pc I own in fact... so while you're running it on your PS3 and busy NOT playing games, I'll be running 4 instances of it, and playing Tetris on my 360.

Outinthedark @ Mar 16th 2007 12:21AM

I'm kinda confused...this game was released in Japan as Tetris Master Ace or something along the lines of that a while ago...I highly doubt they would release the same game at both retail and then XBLA later on as a new title...

Carnie @ Mar 16th 2007 12:36AM

@mamardilla69,

Dude I know you love your PS3 but like eveyone else has stated...it's nothing new. If you did a little research you would find that this is been going on for a while.

We buy game systems to play games and our media...not cure cancer.

RoboJoel @ Mar 16th 2007 2:50AM

And we care about HD-FMV in the background, because?

I'd take a worthy addition to the Tetris Family distributed over Live Arcade... than a 30 dollar retail version with unnecessary FMV as it's selling point. I mean, it's not like they'll give us Tetris DS (best. tetris. ever.) or incorporate any awesome Tetrisphereness, or even some Tetris Plus... No, It's Tetris Worlds HD.

Pass... 5 / 10 dollar Live Arcade download, sure, as long as it isn't complete Ass to play (...much like 99.9% of every other Tetris - Tetris Zone for Mac, is Ass BTW)

DjDATZ @ Mar 16th 2007 10:02AM

mamardilla69, I've had a similar program running on all of the computers in my house for over 3 years now... just on that alone...i've banked more than 15 years of research for it. I think i've done my share...yet i still run these and theres no reason that i would make my 360, a gaming console do this...let alone BUY a POS3 to run this piece of ass...i'd rather donate $700 CAD to cancer research...if i had the money to spare.

mamardilla69 @ Mar 16th 2007 10:53AM

hey dont get me wrong its not about uh oh I love sony its just that theyre using the free core to run folding@home im not debating about games or consoles as a matter of a fact, PC get about 18 seconds per calculated frame on a E6600 Core2Duo running at 2.5Ghz per core in Windows.

The PS3 is getting .08 seconds per frame.

I Think this added to people already running it on their pcs will help a lot more