The Next Tetris
European cover art for the Dreamcast version
Developer(s)Blue Planet Software
Animatek
Publisher(s)Hasbro (PlayStation, Nuon)
Bullet-Proof Software (Japanese Version)
Crave Entertainment (Dreamcast)
Platform(s)PlayStation, PC, Dreamcast, Nuon
ReleasePlayStation
  • NA: June 16, 1999
Dreamcast
  • EU: May 4, 2001
Nuon
  • WW: 2001
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

The Next Tetris is a puzzle video game in the Tetris series developed by Blue Planet Software. The game was originally released for the PlayStation by Hasbro Interactive on June 16, 1999.[2] In 2000 a version for the Dreamcast which included online multiplayer called The Next Tetris: On-Line Edition was published by Crave Entertainment in the United States.[3] The Dreamcast version was released in Europe the following year with online functionality removed.[4] A version was also included with Toshiba-manufactured DVD players using the interactive Nuon technology.

Gameplay

The game features two modes. "Classic Tetris" has gameplay fundamentally unchanged from the earliest in the series, and is only playable in single-player.[5]

In "The Next Tetris" mode the familiar tetromino pieces consist of different colored blocks called "multiminoes". If a block is multi-colored and placed with a gap below the piece, then the colored squares will separate and drop into the space below. This "cascading" feature allows players to drop blocks down after initially making a horizontal line disappear, allowing for larger combos.[6] The Next Tetris mode is playable in single-player, two-player, and online in the North American Dreamcast release only.[7]

Reception

The Next Tetris received a score of 6.5/10 in IGN,[8] while the Dreamcast version scored 8/10. Reviewing the latter, IGN's Anthony Chau described the new cascading gameplay as "an interesting play mechanic" and praised the "industrial-like menu presentation" and "trancy, dreamy melodies" of the soundtrack.[6] Official Dreamcast Magazine's Alex Huhtala dismissed the game as "a poorly conceived and executed version of a classic", pointing to "sluggish controls" and "gameplay tweaks [compared to the original Tetris] that make it too easy".[4] The Next Tetris mode was described as a "novel idea" by Ryan Davis of GameSpot but he argued that "instead of making players take on new strategies, it tends to encourage a barrage of sloppy bricklaying".[7]

References

  1. ↑ "The Next Tetris: Online Edition". sega.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2003. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  2. ↑ Lopez, Vincent (October 29, 1999). "The Next Tetris". IGN. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Next Tetris: On-line Edition". GameSpot. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Huhtala, Alex (June 2001). "Review: The Next Tetris". Official Dreamcast Magazine (UK). Dennis Publishing (20): 60–61.
  5. ↑ Sewart, Greg (January 2001). "Review: The Next Tetris: On-Line Edition". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 138. Ziff Davis. p. 198.
  6. 1 2 Chau, Anthony (January 26, 2001). "The Next Tetris: On-Line Edition". IGN. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Davis, Ryan. "The Next Tetris: On-Line Edition Review". GameSpot. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  8. ↑ "The Next Tetris". IGN. October 29, 1999. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
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