A new addition - the ghost block!
Customisation options range from setting yourself a target score to selecting the number of lines that you wish to begin with, to choosing different background art and music. Despite there being 8 different single player modes to choose from, they all feel fairly similar and involve the same pattern of gameplay that we've become accustom to in Tetris. What was I expecting? Well, I'm not really sure, but for the price of £20.00 I did expect to see some form of new inspiration injected into the franchise. Don't get me wrong, fans of the franchise will still enjoy Tetris Evolution, but not because of any new experiences.
Among the choices in single player mode are the classic 'Marathon' version, as well as 'Race' in which you need to clear the target number of lines as quickly as possible. In 'Hotline' you earn a high score by clearing specific lines on the matrix and 'Ultra' will see you racing against the clock on a timed version of the standard game. Altogether there are 8 single player modes, all of which add a slightly different twist on the standard game of Tetris, but all which boil down to the same block shifting puzzle. In fact, the only notable addition to the series is the ghost block.
Click for larger imageThe ghost block is a bit of a cheat really as it allows you to see an outline of the tetrimino near the existing pieces, which you then use to determine the best place to set it down. It's hardly an innovative addition, but it does make the placing of blocks easier for those who may not be familiar with Tetris (like who?).
Click for larger imageHey, but what about achievement points? Surely you'll be able to wrack up some easy points? Well, I'm pushed to think of a game where these points are harder to achieve. Whenever I receive an Xbox 360 game to review I try and bump my gamer score up but, despite specifically aiming to unlock just a few of the achievements, I found it nigh on impossible; in fact I only managed to pick up a measly 30 points from beating someone in an Xbox live match. I don't confess to being a Tetris professional, but I don't think I'm the worse player in the world either; I couldn't get anywhere near achieving the majority of bamboozling achievements, which left me feeling very frustrated.
