Tetris DS, did i miss something?

[Niku-Sama]

whys this game so freakin spendy?
the guide says it was released in 06, so this game is about 3 years old yet it still costs roughly $45 used at a game stop, i think it goes with out saying that its no longer in print but whats with the price?

i havent been able to check local stores, i am acually in el paso texas right now and i dont know my way arround or what all is here other than a ton of game stops and game crazys, i dont know about privatly owned places.
my fiance got her hands on a DS and that murder case files game. shes almost done with it already (bought it last night) and she isnt much of a gamer but i am trying to find something to fill the gap, she likes tetris and i thought that would be cool but it looks like i'll have to go GBA version.

[Jorpho]

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=111301

Full Stop.


it looks like i'll have to go GBA version.You mean Tetris Worlds? Apparently it lacks a true "Marathon" mode, making it rather disappointing.

[ShinobiMan]

High demand on that title because of how good it is. Quality is a huge determining factor with this one.

1. Classic franchise.
2. Quality game.
3. Out Of Print.

A recipe for high prices.

I'd try garage sales or flea markets. The people selling it might not know the going price at retail.

[Aussie2B]

Well, it's not the first time a Tetris game pulled in some money. Besides the obvious Tengen Tetris, The New Tetris on N64 is kind of pricey as far as N64 games go, and even the original Game Boy Tetris often sells for more than the typical Game Boy game, despite that it's the most common Game Boy game in existence.

[Vigilante]

I agree, it was hard to find once it was out of print.... luckily I found a copy at the DP store in Clifton....

To be honest with you, I didn't think it was all that good. I mean, yeah it's Tetris, with a few different twists, but nothing to write home about... not that my mom knows anything about Tetris....

[NayusDante]

I'll agree that it's not that amazing in itself, but it was rather different for me. I never really cared for Tetris until I played it on DS, and probably wouldn't have bought it had my friends not told me about it. The idea of multiplayer ad-hoc tetris, with a strong Nintendo theme is just awesome. If you can find it for less than $45, it's worth having.

[exit]

I picked this game up the day it came out back when I actually put my DS to good use and it kind of surprises me that they let it go out of print considering there is a demand for the game.

[The 1 2 P]

This is another one that has gone underneath my radar. I'll have to put it on my track down list.

[Jorpho]

I have never had much difficulty finding this game in Canada, except maybe recently. I'm just about to trade another copy away, actually. (The Canadian version has French text on the box but is otherwise identical.)

It's a fairly impressive package, to be sure, but I kind of feel like they stopped short of where they could have gone. There's no reward for defeating the CPU in a vs match on the highest level, for instance, and even finishing the Puzzle mode just gets you a single, boring "Congratulations" screen. The rocket ships and dancers in the original Tetris were perfectly satisfying little rewards; why couldn't they have put in something similar? If nothing else, a way to practice dealing with the item attacks you can get in multiplayer would have been cool.

(Also, I found that after endlessly trying to beat the CPU on the highest level and occasionally succeeding, I was quite ruined for the slow pace of online multiplayer.)

If you can play homebrew, reportedly Lockjaw is a very nice alternative.

[kupomogli]

Everyone also seems to leave out one reason. The game was released by Nintendo. Nintendo never drops prices of any games they develop and if it doesn't sell well they stop printing it. So instead of dropping price for those people who would like to play the game but don't have the money, Nintendo decides to let it get overpriced at places such as Ebay etc.

The only time you'll see a Nintendo game drop price is if it's got about a couple million sold they finally put it to their player's choice titles after about 3+ years.

Just search Mario on Gamestop and every Nintendo released title that is still new you'll see that it's still full price on when it's been released. Super Mario 64 DS(2004) 29.99. Mario Kart DS(2005) and New Super Mario Bros.(2006) 34.99. Super Mario Galaxy(2007) 49.99. 2-5 years old and still hasn't had a price drop.

Unlike Microsoft and Sony, which you'll see price drops on their games within a year or two, regardless if it's a top seller or not.

This brings to the point that a system like the Wii is infact more expensive than the 360 and PS3(aside from the fact that it already is more expensive for what you get.) Buy the Wii for 250, you'll be paying out the ass for some games you may want that are first party if you happen not to want to buy them full price. Because guaranteed it'll stop print if it doesn't sell well and you'll be forced to pay overpriced rates on Ebay/Amazon/other places.


The idea of multiplayer ad-hoc tetris, with a strong Nintendo theme is just awesome. If you can find it for less than $45, it's worth having.

Tetris DS is infrastructure wifi, not ad-hoc. So you can play with anyone that has the game and a router.

[c0ldb33r]

I LOVE this game. The multiplayer battles are a blast. They remind me of the old tetrinet PC client.

[ProgrammingAce]

The real reason it's so hard to come by is because nintendo released it just before their license ran out on Tetris. They only got one print run out before they lost the license.

They *can't* make more because the license reverted to The Tetris Company

[NayusDante]

Tetris DS is infrastructure wifi, not ad-hoc. So you can play with anyone that has the game and a router.

There's that too. I was referring to how me and my friends spent our lunch hour every day of junior year.

Online is fun, but playing at the same table is great.

[boatofcar]

The real reason it's so hard to come by is because nintendo released it just before their license ran out on Tetris. They only got one print run out before they lost the license.

They *can't* make more because the license reverted to The Tetris Company

Link?

[ProgrammingAce]

Link?

I'm not sure the licensing agreement is public, but here's an interview with the tetris company on how nintendo licensed the game: http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/specialArt.cfm?artid=11267

[boatofcar]

I'm not sure the licensing agreement is public, but here's an interview with the tetris company on how nintendo licensed the game: http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/specialArt.cfm?artid=11267

Quite informative, thanks! I wouldn't be surprised if Tetris made it out as some kind of DSiWare title at some point...

[ProgrammingAce]

Oh, knowing tetris i'm sure it will.

I'm sure if the demand spikes enough, nintendo will grab the license back and print up more copys of Tetris DS. I'm guessing it's not cost effective yet.

[kaedesdisciple]

This is what I don't understand. There are more and more people buying a DS/DSi every day. Arguably one of the most universally recognized and wanted games for any portable system, especially those popular with casuals, is Tetris. You can ask practically anyone that has come into contact with any game system since the mid-late 80's, ask them about Tetris or Mario and they go "oh yea, I love that game!" Combine the two? Pure gold.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Everyone also seems to leave out one reason. The game was released by Nintendo. Nintendo never drops prices of any games they develop and if it doesn't sell well they stop printing it. So instead of dropping price for those people who would like to play the game but don't have the money, Nintendo decides to let it get overpriced at places such as Ebay etc.

Everyone leaves it out because, in this case, nothing here is an actual reason for it's cost. :eek 2:

Oh, and don't believe the florist when he tells you that the roses are free. LOL

[sav127]

my wife got a coral pink DS lite and Tetris DS for Christmas from her parents in 2006.

within 2.5 years Both are now OOP and worth more now than then... i find that interesting.

[PapaStu]

Oh, knowing tetris i'm sure it will.

I'm sure if the demand spikes enough, nintendo will grab the license back and print up more copys of Tetris DS. I'm guessing it's not cost effective yet.


If they reprinted Hotel Dusk and Clubhouse Games as Touch G (in its newest incarnation) titles recently, this will get that same treatment. I'm thinking that its a licensing demand thats holding things up. It fits perfectly into their on the go random games that the new Touch G represents.

It's not that Nintendo doesn't drop prices, they do, just not on the A list stuff like Zelda, Pokemon, Mario. I can remember distinctly seeing Clubhouse Games, Konductra and others drop down quite low before they fell off the face of the earth.

[darkhades]

I have never had much difficulty finding this game in Canada, except maybe recently. I'm just about to trade another copy away, actually. (The Canadian version has French text on the box but is otherwise identical.)

I see this game just about everywhere here in Canada as well. They still have about a dozen of these at my local Loblaws Superstore, and about the same amount at two Zellers stores near me.

[Zing]

I think the real reason is that this game is just plain fucking awesome. It has great single player modes. It has wifi and local wireless multiplayer. It has Nintendo characters. All of these add up to the best version of Tetris, ever.

[TheRedEye]

Super Mario 64 DS(2004) 29.99. Mario Kart DS(2005) and New Super Mario Bros.(2006) 34.99. Super Mario Galaxy(2007) 49.99. 2-5 years old and still hasn't had a price drop.

With the possible exception of Super Mario 64 DS, every game you just listed is STILL in the top 20-ish range for their respective consoles every month. No reason to cut those prices.

[Jorpho]

With the possible exception of Super Mario 64 DS, every game you just listed is STILL in the top 20-ish range for their respective consoles every month. No reason to cut those prices.Super Princess Peach, $45 (CDN). Insanity.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

I see a lot of major gaming stores overpricing their DS games. It may be that the "casual" audience that the DS is attracting is less likely to research pricing and don't realize they are overpriced. The Tetis DS's on E-bay sell for a little less.

[Jorpho]

The Tetis DS's on E-bay sell for a little less.They're probably bootlegs from Hong Kong.

[Diosoth]

I agree, it was hard to find once it was out of print.... luckily I found a copy at the DP store in Clifton....

To be honest with you, I didn't think it was all that good. I mean, yeah it's Tetris, with a few different twists, but nothing to write home about... not that my mom knows anything about Tetris....

My mother loved Tetris. Probably more than she ever paid attention to me... not joking. No wonder dad left her.

I could never get into the game for very long. Though thinking about how the game's creator didn't make a DIME while companies such as Nintendo raped him on contracts and such... he's still made no money off HIS GAME!

[Zing]

Yeah, here in Canada the price on games like Metroid Prime Hunters, Super Mario Bros, Princess Peach, Yoshi Island, etc are all $45. I have yet to pay more than $30 for a new DS game (Professor Layton) and that was one exception. Every other game was $20 or less.

[Sonicwolf]

Here is a good question. Why would they pull a game that is still in demand enough to command high prices out of print?

[darkslime]

It is a great game that is in demand and out of print.

[Sonicwolf]

It is a great game that is in demand and out of print.

I know that but why is it out of print? I dont understand why it is unless the company that made it went bankrupt or something like that.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Did you read this thread even? I think not.


I could never get into the game for very long. Though thinking about how the game's creator didn't make a DIME while companies such as Nintendo raped him on contracts and such... he's still made no money off HIS GAME!

Eat communism is the key to this riddle.

[Jorpho]

Metroid Prime HuntersActually, if you can find it, that's $10 at Radio Shack/The Source by Circuit City (which is pretty much the only place I know of in Canada where you can get brand-new, non-shovelware DS games at a deep discount).