Multiplayer Tetris across the globe
What do you get when you combine a classic game concept with a Macintosh and a modem? A fun, networkable diversion that brings back memories! And that's exactly what the guys at Global Games did with the old favorite, Tetris.
Tetris - Now it's personal... For those of you who don't know what Tetris is, or who may have forgotten, here's a brief rundown: the player must manipulate falling blocks in such a way that one or more complete horizontal rows will be created. These rows are then eliminated, and points are awarded based on the number of rows you eliminated simultaneously. When the blocks fill the screen to the top, you lose; so creating rows is the key to the game.
Playing multiplayer game is a whole new challenge.
Instead of just trying to complete rows, you have to compete against
another player who is trying to do the same. Only when you succeed
in creating more than two rows, these rows move over to your
opponent's side with one block missing. This
would obviously make them easy to remove, but it 
is made more
difficult because they are placed at the bottom of the screen,
beneath your growing stack of blocks.
Netris vs. Tetris Although for the most part Netris is unchanged from Tetris, the two major gameplay changes are negative ones. You can only rotate pieces in one direction, counter-clockwise. In the original Nintendo game, you could rotate both clockwise and counter-clockwise. This is necessary for those tight situations where you accidentally rotate the piece too far and you don't have time to rotate it all of the way around again. This can be very costly in an internet game, as it can be a long time before you are back in a position to elimintate multiple rows. The other major change is that the drop key sends your game piece directly to the top of the stack, rather than only speeding it's descent for the time you have the drop key held in. This is not a major problem, but it can slow you down in a network game if you are trying to squeeze a piece into a tight spot. For instance, take the example. It is very annoying when you start off with a piece like the purple piece shown, because no matter how you position it, you will always have an open space blocked from the top so it is difficult to fill. But, if you let the brown piece fall until it is adjacent to the purple piece, then hold down the right button, it will land and slide right in there, eliminating that annoying space. Unfortunately, this means you have to wait for it to fall on its own, because in Netris you can't make it drop a short distance then go back to its original speed, and those extra seconds you spend waiting can be very damagine in a fast-paced network game.
What's up, Doc? Not much, apparently. Netris offers you no documentation except what you find in the menus. No, I don't mean you choose "help" from a menu, I mean the actual "manual" is written in the menus. And even this is very sparse - it only gives you the credits and controls. And the controls can't be changed, a big no-no in the gaming world. Worst of all, unless you have an extended keyboard, you almost have to use your left hand for the main controls.
Improved classic or cheap immitation? When it comes to playing multiplayer Tetris, you're limited to people who are in close proximity to you. This severely limits your choice of challengers, which may prevent you from fulfilling your life-long dream of being world Tetris champion and raking in millions from endorsements. Netris does not hinder you in this way - it allows you to choose from millions of Internet-connected players of all skill levels. I think slight changes in gameplay are worth that multi-million dollar endorsement deal, don't you?
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