Tetris DS

[MrRoboto19XX]

I think the game featured on level 17 might be Devil World, if it is, then this is the first time it has appeared (in any form) in the united states.

For those of you who don't know, Devil World is a Pac Man like game created by Miyamoto for the Famicom (or maybe FDS). The game involved spinning crosses and such, and we all know how nintendo was about crosses, just ask any doctor in Eagleland about their hospital...

And in case that wasn't Devil World, theres something to read.

And in case my information was incorrect, theres some more misinformation to spread about the internet.

[c0ldb33r]

Someone explain Tetrisphere to me. I played a PC 3D Tetris a long time ago. Is 'Sphere like that?

I can't explain it any better than the author of the wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrisphere) (see the Gameplay mechanics section). It's addictive as hell.

Like Tetris DS, Tetrisphere has many play modes, standard mode, puzzle mode, versus, and various mini games. I haven't played it in awhile, but I know there's enough play modes to keep you going. There's also power ups and attacks. this is seeming more and more like tetris DS. The music and graphics are pretty sharp.

If you can track it down, you should totally pick it up. I've purchased it twice over the years, like $10 each time.

EDIT: I just got 200 lines in standard mode - I got it on my 3rd play through in standard mode. I unlocked all the music and endless mode. Is that it? Is there anything else that can be unlocked?

[THATinkjar]

I really don't care for catch mode. At first I thought I didn't understand it. Well, it turns out I DO understand it - I just don't like it :( I'm not sure if it's a neat idea that's just not well developed, or just a bad idea. In any event, this really is the game's weakest point.

While I think it is an interesting mode (and certainly some people seem to like it), it just isn't all that fun. It's nicely themed (but sparse), but the action is just too slow and dull. Maybe people who have given it a good shot can tell us what we're missing out on?

[JWKobayashi]

If you can track it down, you should totally pick it up. I've purchased it twice over the years, like $10 each time.

EDIT: I just got 200 lines in standard mode - I got it on my 3rd play through in standard mode. I unlocked all the music and endless mode. Is that it? Is there anything else that can be unlocked?

Oh man, I totally forgot about Tetrisphere. I think I'm going to have to pick it up. The trippy atmosphere in that game rocks.

So far, I haven't found anything else to unlock. That's kind of a bummer, but at least it has a lot of reply value in the wifi modes. :)

[c0ldb33r]

I got 801 lines in standard mode, and nothing else unlocked anywhere. It took me FOREVER!!! By the time I died, I was a little relieved.

I included a "screen shot". Please excuse how crappy the screen looks. I put on a screen protector when I got Meteos. It's just a crappy palm brand protector, but it does the job. It doesn't look this scratchy/dirty when you're playing. Just when you're all zoomed in and have a flash on ;)

http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/i66f8/images/tetrisds.jpg

[JWKobayashi]

I got 801 lines in standard mode, and nothing else unlocked anywhere. It took me FOREVER!!! By the time I died, I was a little relieved.

Nice job. Does it keep getting harder / faster? (That just sounds wrong...) I would imagine that after a certain level the speed would just peak.

[Jasoco]

I got 801 lines in standard mode, and nothing else unlocked anywhere. It took me FOREVER!!! By the time I died, I was a little relieved.

Nice job. Does it keep getting harder / faster? (That just sounds wrong...) I would imagine that after a certain level the speed would just peak.I already mentioned that at level 11 the speed is so fast it doesn't even drop. It falls so fast the block just appears on the bottom of the screen. At that point it becomes a game of luck and "How long can you continue to spin the damn block to maneuver it into place before it locks in". Which is what makes it fun.

In other words, it can't get any faster than level 11. I wonder if at that point the delay between the player not pressing a button and the moment a block locks in place gets shorter and shorter. That's the only thing they can really do, isn't it? At that point the levels are just there for atmosphere.

[THATinkjar]

Congrats, c0ldb33r! I don't think I would ever want to play that far, but I might give it a go sometime. The fun sure would get sucked out of the game at the stage, I would think. But kudos, anyway. I've seen a photo of someone hitting 999 lines, that looked real enough.

Loving the Mario Kart DS as well, man. I want that!

[MarkMan]

I can only manage to get up to level 15, only played a few times though. I must conquer 20 levels!

Has anyone here done it yet? (Sorry didn't read through the whole thread!)

[Jasoco]

Don't read the whole thread, but at least read this page. (In other words, scroll up about 4 posts or so. Level 20? Nah. Level 81??

Edit: Holy awesomeness! Literally right after I posted this, I sat in bed and started a game. Got to level 20. Was at 199 lines, got three more lines, the game stops, "Congratulations!" and goes into the credits! Yay! Now I can do Endless and have all the music available.

Duck Hunt! Ha!

High Score: 284,376.

My best yet. Now to see how high I can really go! :D

Best fucking Tetris ever!

[c0ldb33r]

Does it keep getting harder / faster? (That just sounds wrong...) I would imagine that after a certain level the speed would just peak.

Like Jasoco said, the speed peaks, and it just becomes a game of endurance. However, I seemed to me that I would try to keep spinning the piece, looking for somewhere to put it, and it just plunk itself down. In fact, that's what killed me. I wonder if as the levels increase past the maximum speed, is there a cap on how long you can keep spinning your piece. Or maybe you have to hit the button faster as the levels increase to keep it spinning, i.e. you can still spin it forever, but you have to press the spin button damn fast.

The secret to getting to level 20 (or past) is to make sure to make good use of the hold function. Always keep a piece in reserve, preferably the middle finger piece (see the piece here (http://www.arkmay.com/tetris/pieces.html)). That way, when a piece comes down that you can't use without creating an air-hole, use the middle finger piece. In most cases between the falling piece and the reserve piece, you'll be airhole free.

Also, to beat level 20 you have to keep your piece spinning like there's no tomorrow. That's obvious enough, but don't forget that you can spin in both directions. If you're trying to get a piece to spin over a hurdle (a piece of a block sticking up), and you can't get over it spinning in one direction, spin it the other, and hopefully it'll make it over. This works and I use it all the time :D

edit: For more tips, check out Murphy's Law of Tetris (http://www.arkmay.com/tetris/murphy.html) and the rest of that site (http://www.arkmay.com/tetris/choices.html) entirely.

[THATinkjar]

My Wi-Fi USB dongle arrived today, and I played half an hour of Push mode online. What an absolute blast! Exciting, always finely balanced, just brilliant.

[krylon]

Hi everybody!
Off topic:
It's my first post on DP! I love reading the DP Forum!

On topic:
I only got Tetris DS 2 days ago and am loving it! It's as addictive as the GB version and i can't wait to try it online. I do have one concern though, and i was wondering what you, veterans, think: My right thumb hurts! It's killing me! And i've only been playing for 2 days!!! I think it's due to the design of the DS itself because i used to play Tetris on my GBA SP everyday and never had any problems. Now i'm a bit 'scared' to play any further since i dont want permanent damge. Have any of you experienced this problem (i remember one poster who wrote that his thumb was hurting as well)? Did you just ignore the pain and went on playing any way? I love to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you!

ps: it might very well be the case that i'm just a cry-baby ;)

[Rabid Peanut-Butter]

Oh hells yes. They NEED to port Tetrisphere to DS. That would be awesome. Wetrix too!

Tetrisphere DS would be awesome. I don't think it sold well enough for anyone to care about it though :(

Random bit of trivia: DID YOU KNOW that Tetrisphere was initally planned for the Jaguar? It was brought to the n64 because the jaguar died (thank God - I couldn't imagine this game being trapped on the Jag)


Interesting, I did not know that. Sure glad it landed on Nintendo's console instead.

[THATinkjar]

Just played 27 matches of Push with one guy. Came out on top, 17-10. What. A. Blast. Hands are numb, eyes are raw, but I'll do it all again tomorrow evening.

Just finished up playing 27 matches of Push with one guy named Fubar. Came out on top, 17-10. It was terrific! And my hands are now numb and my eyes are raw, but I'll be back on the wagon tomorrow evening!


Hi everybody!
Off topic:
It's my first post on DP! I love reading the DP Forum!

Ahoy!


I do have one concern though, and i was wondering what you, veterans, think: My right thumb hurts! It's killing me! And i've only been playing for 2 days!!! I think it's due to the design of the DS itself because i used to play Tetris on my GBA SP everyday and never had any problems.

For me, the GBAP SP is worse than the DS design-wise and for cramped hands, and such. On Tetris DS, though, my hands go "fuzzy" after an hour or so. During my quest to Level 20 in single player, Infinite Spin killed my right thumb. As for serious damage... if you're not playing 24/7, and if you do take regular breaks, I don't think you have any reason to worry.

And if you are worried, pick yourself up a Lite when they launch :)

Will you be playing online, krylon?

[JPeeples]

You know, I expected to be hooked on this when I bought it, but never to this degree. I think I've clocked in around 15 hours in just a few days. Touch mode rules, catch mode is okay, puzzle mode is an interesting way to increase your efficiency in the main game, push mode is frustrating (but very satisfying), and mission mode is a riot. 4-Player Wi-Fi is where it's at for me.

[Jasoco]

edit: For more tips, check out Murphy's Law of Tetris (http://www.arkmay.com/tetris/murphy.html) and the rest of that site (http://www.arkmay.com/tetris/choices.html) entirely.Murphy's Law doesn't apply to newer ones now since you can "save" a piece for later. Fuck up and block a tetris ready hole? Save the four-bar until Mario's done unclogging the drain.

When it gets to the whole endurance test, I find myself spinning in place just to check out and plan my next moves. Except for some reason, and I don't know if it's the game or the DS, the piece stops spinning even though I'm hitting the button repeatedly and ends up settling in a bad place.

I also find myself making a single mistake so far into the game and realizing "Oh, so this is where it starts." For some reason, even with the ghost, I let a piece drop in place when it's a tile off so it falls in the wrong place totally screwing the game up. It only happened early on though it ends up setting my fate right then and there.

[krylon]

Will you be playing online, krylon?

I got my usb connector today. I will try to install later in the day. Cheers!

[THATinkjar]

Will you be playing online, krylon?

I got my usb connector today. I will try to install later in the day. Cheers!

Awesome! It is really easy to use. Just pop the CD in and follow the on-screen instructions. A little way through, you'll be prompted to connect the USB dongle. From then on, its automatic and takes about five minutes.

Remember, the dongle only works on Windows XP.

Once installed, just run the software and then run a NiFi game on your DS. Head to the Nintendo Wi-Fi setup screen on the game, and tap the "Connect to USB dongle" (or whatever it is called) button at the bottom. Then follow the on-screen instructions (granting permission in the software on the PC when it says).

And you're set!

It was so easy. One thing to note, though, Metroid Prime Hunters (if you have it, or plan on getting it) actually requires more ports open than the other games, it would seem. Read into that if need be.

[c0ldb33r]

Awesome! It is really easy to use. Just pop the CD in and follow the on-screen instructions. A little way through, you'll be prompted to connect the USB dongle. From then on, its automatic and takes about five minutes.

If this doesn't work, try plugging in the dongle first. I know it sounds weird, but it wouldn't work for me otherwise. Use Thatinkjar's method first though.

Hopefully all will be well :D

[THATinkjar]

Awesome! It is really easy to use. Just pop the CD in and follow the on-screen instructions. A little way through, you'll be prompted to connect the USB dongle. From then on, its automatic and takes about five minutes.

If this doesn't work, try plugging in the dongle first. I know it sounds weird, but it wouldn't work for me otherwise. Use Thatinkjar's method first though.

Hopefully all will be well :D

When do we start work for Nintendo's support team, c0ldb33r? LOL

More to the point, when can we arrange to do battle over a game of Tetris? The time difference isn't going to help, I guess.

[Mayhem]

Awesome! It is really easy to use.

Real easy to use if you're not on AOL. Mmm fun. Still I got it to work eventually through it...

[THATinkjar]

Awesome! It is really easy to use.

Real easy to use if you're not on AOL. Mmm fun. Still I got it to work eventually through it...

But then, AOL has *never* been suitable for *any* online gaming.

[JWKobayashi]

More to the point, when can we arrange to do battle over a game of Tetris? The time difference isn't going to help, I guess.

I'd love to get in and play some people in a 4 player match. I still have not been able to connect in a 4 player game over the WFC. Maybe we can get something going for this weekend? :D

[THATinkjar]

More to the point, when can we arrange to do battle over a game of Tetris? The time difference isn't going to help, I guess.

I'd love to get in and play some people in a 4 player match. I still have not been able to connect in a 4 player game over the WFC. Maybe we can get something going for this weekend? :D

Totally up for this! Tetris DS and Metroid Prime Hunters 4 players (apparently) require more ports open (I've done a little bit of reading). Which may be why some are having troubles getting a 4 player game up and running.

PM your code, buddy, and I'll hit you back.

[c0ldb33r]

DID YOU KNOW that Tetrisphere was initally planned for the Jaguar?

Interesting, I did not know that. Sure glad it landed on Nintendo's console instead.

Yeah it was called Phear. Apparently h2o (the company that made it) was displaying it at the 1995 CES at the atari booth. Nintendo saw the game and offered them quite a sum to bring it to the n64 instead. It was probably a good move for everyone, except Atari. You can see the Phear brochure here (http://nfggames.com/neography/pivot/entry.php?id=197)

And here's an image of Phear running on the Jaguary next to a screengrab of Tetrisphere on the n64 - do they look similar?

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2359/phearsmall3ak.jpg (http://imageshack.us) http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/6333/tetrisphere6ui.th.jpg (http://img234.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tetrisphere6ui.jpg)

The phear shot is from a partial scan of the 1995 CES atari poster. Sorry for the small image size, but its not my fault. That's the best the internet has to offer :D

[MrRoboto19XX]

Perhaps Im totally mad, but he jaguar version's background appears to have an egg and sperm in it at first glance.

[c0ldb33r]

Perhaps Im totally mad, but he jaguar version's background appears to have an egg and sperm in it at first glance.
I was wondering about that squiggle looking thing myself ;)

[Julio III]

Tetris DS finally arrived today. I pre-ordered it but after reading ThatInkJar's posts was beginning to think I should have just gone the eBay route. The reason for the delay was that 1 letter in the middle of my post code was wrong on the front and for some reason the postal service thought it would be good to try and send it to London, then realised I live in Manchester, as it says on the address.

Anyway, the game is here now and I've given each of the different games a go. Basically think I'm going to stick to standard mode which is still very very good. The addition of a hold piece adds something but i dont think i've really sussed that out yet. The rotation is very wierd but it doesn't really extend my game that much over normal tetris so far. The music is excellent. Would love to try wi-fi but I've not got a wireless connection. When i take the train down to London i may give it a go at the hotspots which should be in the train stations

[Julio III]

Well, managed 200 lines! A while ago I hit 197 and it was really annoying but on this go I was actually working down the stack so if it was on endless might have got quite a bit further though without the incentive of "completing" it on reaching 200 who knows if I can get that far. And yes, my wrists do ache a bit from playing.

[neuropolitique]

Like Jasoco said, the speed peaks, and it just becomes a game of endurance. However, I seemed to me that I would try to keep spinning the piece, looking for somewhere to put it, and it just plunk itself down. In fact, that's what killed me. I wonder if as the levels increase past the maximum speed, is there a cap on how long you can keep spinning your piece. Or maybe you have to hit the button faster as the levels increase to keep it spinning, i.e. you can still spin it forever, but you have to press the spin button damn fast.


I just completed about 1660 lines, and can say that there is no cap to how long you can spin a piece. I was able to spin some almost indefinately, deciding where/how to put it. That being said, you do have to press the buttons very quickly to keep it spinning.

The lines stop counting at 999, but it will still count levels. So you can still tell within 10 lines how many you have.

[THATinkjar]

Well, managed 200 lines! A while ago I hit 197 and it was really annoying but on this go I was actually working down the stack so if it was on endless might have got quite a bit further though without the incentive of "completing" it on reaching 200 who knows if I can get that far. And yes, my wrists do ache a bit from playing.

Congrats on both scoring a copy of the game and completing it. You mentioned in your previous post that you didn't have a wireless connection... are you planning to pick up the dongle?

[Julio III]

Congrats on both scoring a copy of the game and completing it. You mentioned in your previous post that you didn't have a wireless connection... are you planning to pick up the dongle?

Well, not at the moment. I want some kind of device that lets me do everything - wifi me so i can flash my ds, play wifi games, run wireless homebrew like the VNC thing, linux, and the use your DS and a PC controller.

[THATinkjar]

Congrats on both scoring a copy of the game and completing it. You mentioned in your previous post that you didn't have a wireless connection... are you planning to pick up the dongle?

Well, not at the moment. I want some kind of device that lets me do everything - wifi me so i can flash my ds, play wifi games, run wireless homebrew like the VNC thing, linux, and the use your DS and a PC controller.

Oh. The Datel WiFi Max seems popular (though I would never sit here and recommend it to you, personally). I hope you can get online in time (the dongle is the easiest means, in my opinion), and we can clear some lines together.

[goatdan]

I got it, played it for probably a good 15 hours and feel really done with it now and have already sold it. I did over 2800 lines yesterday, and while it was fun, I have no reason to want to play it again. I also took all the other modes pretty much to the limit.

I liked the original one where you couldn't spin it for an unending period of time. This just seemed to be a lesson in button mashing. I honestly feel that I lost not due to me screwing up, but due to me becoming fatigued from hitting the buttons.

Nice game overall though.

[THATinkjar]

Well, if you've exhausted the single player... isn't it time to head online, goatdan? I can't see myself taking out Tetris for a long time to come, not when the multiplayer is as addictive as it is.

[c0ldb33r]

Well, not at the moment. I want some kind of device that lets me do everything - wifi me so i can flash my ds, play wifi games, run wireless homebrew like the VNC thing, linux, and the use your DS and a PC controller.

Oh. The Datel WiFi Max seems popular (though I would never sit here and recommend it to you, personally). I hope you can get online in time (the dongle is the easiest means, in my opinion), and we can clear some lines together.

You can use the Datel for wifime?

[chrisbid]

i like the mission mode personally, that and original are good, the other stuff is so-so


but this is the best tetris game in years.

[2Dskillz]

Does anyone know why the line counter stops at 999?

I was just a little disappointed when I saw it stop, at least the score continues.

So far I have hit level 121 in endless standard

[ShinobiMan]

This game is a work of sheer brilliance. The gears are turning at Nintendo and they know what sells. All of my gaming time has been devoted to this little fella for the past week.

High score for me is 49,364 in regular mode. I know, not that impressive for some, but I'm getting better.

[Playcosm]

oooh without a doubt. Tetris DS is a gem, it's how nintendo got their heads on it and created a true nintendo tetris instead of those russian citadels. Excellent stuff, the online thingy is even more brilliant, those free online tetris games on PC were also great, going portable is the best next step i can think of. Go Nintendo!


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