Friday, February 18, 2005

gadgetryblog: Tetris Tower 3D takes puzzle gaming to the next dimension

gadgetryblog: Tetris Tower 3D takes puzzle gaming to the next dimension: Play Tetris on a table. Crazy!

Radica Games product page

tetristower3d
Da, comrades, despite its association with British, American and Japanese gaming giants, the global phenomenon that is Tetris was actually invented at the Moscow Academy of Science by Soviet boffin Alexey Pajitnov. Since its very first appearance in 1985, this excruciatingly addictive block-based game has, in some form or another, featured on practically every gaming platform going. Video gaming platform, that is.

Games giant Radica have now brought Tetris from behind the screen and converted it into a tangible tabletop game that promises to be just as fist-bitingly absorbing as its pixellated partner in fun. Tetris Tower 3D (�24.95), just like the videogame, involves manipulating falling blocks to create a solid row. The difference is you get to play head-to-head with a friend and physically drop the blocks into the playing area - with your hands no less. How retro!

Basically, the next piece to be dropped in is indicated by a light on the side of the tower. Players must pick the corresponding piece out of a pile, manipulate it into the position they want and then drop it into the game. Once you let go, the piece is guided down into the game by rails - a bit like dropping pieces into Connect 4. Once a line has formed you flick a switch on the side of the tower to indicate if it's your line or your opponents. To help keep the little one's attention span for just a little longer, the brain-draining process is accompanied by a 'tension-building' barrage of light and sound.

No comments: