Electronic Arts has been touting its new version of Tetris for iPhone and iPod Touch, which launched Dec. 1. Although this Tetris looks visually better than the previous EA Tetris for iDevices, many of the features in this incarnation do nothing more than ruin the classic 1980s game.
My first annoyance with Tetris is that it’s not an update to its predecessor, which cost a hefty $4.99. Nope, users of that app don’t get this 99-center for free, and can expect no further updates to that app.
Second, Tetris is beloved for its simplicity: Drop blocks, make lines, and don’t let them stack up. This version of Tetris does offer a normal style of gameplay, in which you move your pieces by swiping, flicking and tapping — but this was available in the previous version, too. Instead, most of the hype for this Tetris is for its “one-touch revolution.” In one-touch, the pieces don’t fall. Instead, you’re shown available slots for the piece to go. Tap to select your space, and the piece goes there. Automatically. No frantic tapping to slot a piece underneath another. No frantic tapping to keep the blocks from stacking up. There is a timer, and if it runs out, the block will drop straight down, but, wow, did one-touch suck the fun out of Tetris for me.
EA also wants money, and lots of it. The company has added a subscription service to Tetris, inviting players to join the T-Club for $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. T-Club offers bonus lines and extra coins — coins will unlock power-ups and challenges. Of course, no app is complete these days without a social aspect, and Tetris is no exception, asking users to round up their friends in Origin for match-ups.
Again, this is Tetris, and paying $2.99 per month for all its features is just silly. Not to mention, purists will be turned off by EA’s needless complications to this classic.
