Tetris Evolution (Xbox 360)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.6 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Ryan Davis
• Reviewed on: 03/26/2007
• Released on: 03/19/2007
• Originally published on GameSpot: Tetris Evolution (Xbox 360) Review

Do you like Tetris? Would you be willing to pay $30 to play Tetris on the Xbox 360? This is pretty much the sole consideration when deciding if Tetris Evolution is right for you. The single-player and multiplayer options are solid yet predictable, and the game's got all the personality of a screensaver. If 22 years of Tetris have left you tired of the formula, Tetris Evolution will do very little to reignite your passion for this classic Russian mind-bender. It's not a bad package, but it's hard to get excited about. For better or for worse, it's still Tetris.

Tetris Evolution features all the trimmings that have become standard for Tetris games over the past five or six years. There are eight different modes to choose from--marathon, ultra, cascade, race, score, hotline, go low, and eraser--and they can all be played alone or with up to four players, either locally or over Xbox Live. There are no real surprises here with the different gameplay modes--most of them just stack scoring or timing rules on top of the Tetris rules. The biggest perk in Tetris Evolution's gameplay is that it addresses the infinite spin feature that has crept into Tetris canon over the years. It still happens by default, but when you're setting up a game you now have a lockdown option that you can adjust to determine how long a shape can be spun after it has touched down. It's a small but important feature that makes Tetris Evolution far more playable than any other THQ-published Tetris game.

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