Tetris Worlds (GameCube)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 2.5 stars OK
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 5.1 (2.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Ryan Davis
• Reviewed on: 07/11/2002
• Updated on: 07/25/2002
• Released on: 06/23/2002
• Originally published on GameSpot: Tetris Worlds (GameCube) Review

One of the key draws of Tetris has always been its elegant simplicity--a simplicity that allows for open interpretation, which is attested to by the countless forms it has taken on consoles, the PC, cell phones, calculators, and various Web-based platforms over the years. Now, Radical Entertainment and THQ, the current holder of the Tetris license, have brought six different variations on the Tetris formula together for Tetris Worlds on the GameCube. With its wealth of gameplay modes and slick presentation, Tetris Worlds offers several solid interpretations of the classic Russian mindbender, though there's little here that hasn't been seen before.

Graphics and sound have never been make-or-break categories for Tetris games, though this didn't stop Radical Entertainment from making Tetris Worlds one of the flashier versions of the game to date. Each mode has its own themed backdrop, where you'll see barren deserts, erupting volcanoes, an icy tundra, and more exotic and fanciful landscapes. Tetris Worlds shows off a little flair from time to time with particle and lighting effects, though you'll probably be too focused on the game at hand to give notice. The music is made up of noodley ambient techno and industrial tracks, all of which are completely forgettable.

As previously mentioned, Tetris Worlds is composed of six different flavors of Tetris: square Tetris, cascade Tetris, sticky Tetris, hot-line Tetris, fusion Tetris, and plain old white-bread Tetris. Any of these modes can be played solo or against up to three other players. By tweaking the existing rules of Tetris or adding entirely new rules, each mode requires you to come at block management and block placement with a slightly different strategy. Fans of Tetris will appreciate the variety, though the differences aren't enough to really seduce you all over again.

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