Tetris Message Board older than one year ago

#fashion Or if not warm, then at least fashionable. More »

We're practically knee deep in 2012 at this point, and yet 2011 still refuses to give up the limelight, dropping financial data and sales reports on its way out the door in a desperate final attempt at relevance. So here we are, with a list of 2011's top sellers on the PlayStation Network ... and we've got two lists dominated by one game from 1985, and one from 2010.

Speaking only in terms of full games, not "paid downloads" (like DLC packs for Black Ops) and PS Minis, the list is a hodgepodge of nostalgia-fueled favorites from yesteryear (like Tetris in its curiously lofty number one spot), and digitally distributed future-classics like Castle Crashers and Limbo, which ranked in at six and seven respectively. There's on important thread tying those together: none of those games launched in 2011.

When all digital sales are taken into account, however, the list becomes an entirely different beast, and the only actual game present within the top 10 is Angry Birds, of all things (a PS Mini). In fact, the three best-selling anythings on the PlayStation Network in 2011 were Black Ops DLC packs, followed closely by a cavalcade of FIFA Soccer 12 and MLB 11 sundries. At least the DLC came out in 2011! Hop past the break for the full breakdown of both lists, care of Game Informer.

A portion of a Nintendo Life review...

There have been countless ports of this addictive puzzler made available for just about every electronic device in existence, but the Game Boy version is arguably the most well-loved. This 3DS Virtual Console might seem overpriced in terms of how much content you're getting — and there's no multiplayer, remember — but it's the Tetris you remember, and that's reason enough to give it another look.

Full review here

A portion of a Modojo review...

What's Hot: Near perfect port of the Game Boy classic, catchy music, addictive play.

What's Not: No two-player mode, doesn't compare to modern Tetris games.

Full review here

#nintendo Twas three days before Christmas and all through the Nintendo Download fresh new games both big and small tried desperately to outshine the majesty that is the original Game Boy version of Tetris. More »

Sure, you can download Tetris just about anywhere these days, but you couldn't download Game Boy Tetris. Today, the Game Boy's killer app arrives on the 3DS eShop, nostalgic music and all. It's accompanied by a much less familiar game: WayForward's brand new Mighty Switch Force. So, it's kind of an excellent day for the eShop!

Meanwhile, amateur chiptuners can try out a new music program on DSiWare designed for arranging retro-style music.

#tetris The Tetris community at Hard Drop is, as you'd expect from people joining up to a community based around the game, pretty damn good at Tetris. More »

EA has launched a new version of Tetris for iOS. The new iteration packs in new features, including a power-up laden "Galaxy Mode" and a "Marathon One Touch Mode" that has been "specially designed for touch screen gameplay." Perhaps the most interesting addition is the ability to subscribe to the "T-Club," which offers "exclusive access to new mobile challenges and content."

Users can snag a one month membership for $2.99 or, if you really, really like paying for Tetris, you can drop $30 for a full year. The actual game, incidentally, is $0.99. From the looks of things, it entirely replaces the version of Tetris that was already available on iOS.

#culture The hardest lesson taught by Tetris is that success isn't infinitely sustainable. Those blocks are going to get unmanageable at some point. More »

#videogamemusic Last week, we streamed a recording of the London Philharmonic Orchestra playing the theme from Modern Warfare 2. This track was from the orchestra's upcoming album named "The Greatest Video Game Music." Today, the album was released, and the nice folks at the London Philharmonic have allowed Kotaku to exclusively stream the entire album for a week. More »

#tetris Stop motion Tetris games are a dime a dozen. But indulge us for a moment. This one uses a fantastic amount of paper. More »

We've seen our fair share of huge Minecraft constructions in the past, and we figured that by now, our jaded hearts would have lost the ability to feel the kind of awe and amazement imbued by truly impressive builds. Thankfully, Minecraft community MinecraftA2Z is here to show us just how wrong we are, by way of their terrifically huge Game Boy reconstruction.

While the Game Boy doesn't actually function, the team did create entire screens out of blocks for use as a stop-motion animation, which to us seems even more time consuming impressive. Hop past the break for another video detailing the enormous handheld's dimensions and specs.

#minecraft The merry band behind the Bomberman mod for Minecraft have struck again, creating a colossal in-game stop-motion animation of Tetris—complete with a Game Boy surround (and startup screen!). More »

Thanks to Immewnity for the heads up!

Hello Tetris fans,

This is Alexey Pajitnov, creator of the world-famous Tetris game. In the past 27 years, Tetris has reached over 50 different platforms, is played in more than 185 countries worldwide and reached over 132 million paid mobile downloads. When I created the game in 1984, I never imagined the game would be so popular, and I’m so pleased to know that people around the world love Tetris.

The Tetris brand is more relevant today than ever before and has truly become a lifestyle to many of our fans. What better way to bring people together to celebrate the game, than a worldwide tournament for the ultimate Tetris champions?

Last year, we sponsored the first Tetris World Championship tournament at the Downtown Independent Theater in LA. We had over 400 of our fans attend to either participate or watch the best of the best compete for the title of Tetris World Champion.

I’m proud to announce that this year, Blue Planet Software, Inc. – the managing agent for the Tetris brand – along with EA and Techno Source will be sponsoring the 2nd annual Tetris World Championships on Sunday, October 16th. This year’s tournament will include a battle to determine the best one player and two-player team of PS3 Tetris gamers.

The event details are below – I hope you can attend!

At the Tetris World Championships on October 16th, we’ll be looking for the best PS3 Tetris players to come out and showcase their talent in a live competition at USC’s Bovard Auditorium in Los Angeles. Challengers can choose to participate in either head-to-head or two-on-two competitions of Tetris for PS3.

Admission to the event is $10 and it’s open to the public (participants must be U.S. residents age 18+), includes one qualifying attempt and admission to the theater for live championship rounds. Additional qualifying attempts are $3 each. Four unique Tetris champions will be crowned and will be awarded a cash prize, trophy and title of Tetris World Champion. All participants will also be entered to win various raffle prizes such as the award-winning tabletop game, Tetris Link and Tetris for PS3.

If you think you’ve got what it takes to be the next Tetris World Champion, head over to www.tetrischampionship.com for more information, and be sure to brush up on your skills with Tetris on the PlayStation Network before hitting the competition on Sunday, October 16th.

#tetris I'll kill the fun right now by saying this is a 'shop. Can you name at least one reason why it's fake? I'm sure you will. Or, just enjoy some good ole crude junior-high humor as conceived (snicker) on the Game Boy. More »

At Joystiq, we're firm believers in the idea that every human being has an instrument to which they are naturally attuned, for self expression and emotional release. In most cases, a person's instrument is a literal instrument; Steve Vai and Regina Carter come to mind as ready examples. Sometimes, however, a person's instrument can be a little more abstract.

Shuey187, for instance, is a Tetris virtuoso. As a follow-up to the 90 minute magnum opus in which he used Tetris to create a Mario sprite, Shuey187 has utilized his unique gift for geometrically aligning blocks in order to craft Mario's brother and confidant. It's a truly amazing thing to watch, especially when you consider the fact that he used nothing more than a sprite pattern and raw talent to get the job done. Seeing as the video has no soundtrack, we suggest opening a second window and listening to one of the other two phenomena we mentioned.

With more than 132 million paid downloads on mobile phones, EA Mobile gives the Tetris sales a rest and just gives it away for Android devices. It can be found in the Android Market right now. Go play. More »

#lisafoiles My proudest moments as a tap dancer are displayed in my parents' house in the form of sparkly, obnoxious trophies. More »

#speakuponkotaku Commenter St.McDuck is done downloading games for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and he'll tell us why in today's installment of Speak Up on Kotaku. More »

#lisafoiles With hairpins jabbing into my brain, an assistant director yelling "Hold the noise!" and a vegan Rice Krispie Treat sitting on the edge of my keyboard that may have actually been a prop, I'm writing this from the set of an independent film—a project that never would have found me if it hadn't been for video games. More »

#tetris Did you know that the Sega Genesis (nee Mega Drive) version of Alexey Pajitnov's Tetris is exceedingly rare? That there are reportedly only about ten copies of this cartridge in the wild? Then you're probably not in the market for a million dollar copy of Tetris. More »

#wehaveliftoff Now that the final mission of NASA's space shuttle program is underway, we thought we'd take a look at some of the games influenced by the primitive spacecraft over the years. More »

If you run to your PS3 now and fire up Tetris, you'll be presented with the option to update. Download that 75MB file and -- just like that! -- you'll be playing in 3D. Oh, also, you have to have a 3D television and be wearing your glasses. We should really have told you about that part first.

In other 3D Tetris news, right before E3 the Tetris Company announced plans to localize Hudson's Tetris Axis for 3DS this October, claiming that it "will allow fans to experience the game like never before - in 3D!" Now, by the time that comes out, fans will already have experienced it through the PS3 version, rendering that hyperbolic press release statement inaccurate.

To be fair, though, it was already inaccurate, because the Virtual Boy's V-Tetris got there first, in 1995.

Greetings, fellow TETRIS enthusiasts! I’m here to deliver some very cool news about our TETRIS game on PlayStation Network. Ever dreamed of being immersed in a multi-dimensional rain of falling Tetriminos? I know I have. Well, thanks to the wonders of 3D Television (and the EA Production Team); we can all finally live the fantasy. We just launched one of our most impressive free TETRIS updates ever. TETRIS on PSN will finally be playable in 3D. Yes, you read that right – 3D! To experience this new option, all you have to do is launch TETRIS on your PS3 and accept the update. That’s it! It’s available in North America and Europe and is only 75MB.

In addition to TETRIS on PSN boasting 5.1 Dolby Sound, 1080p HD graphics and six different play modes – you will now be able to play TETRIS on your snazzy 3D monitor. We’re really excited about this update and can’t wait to compete in PS3-exclusive multiplayer modes, with Tetriminos in our faces!

Keep your eyes on @PlayStation on Twitter today — we’ll be giving out codes you can redeem for a free copy of Tetris on PSN!

#3ds Tetris, which skyrocketed to all-time popularity on Nintendo's first handheld, will be adapted for its latest. In a statement released today The Tetris Company said Tetris for the 3DS will be shown at E3 and will arrive on shelves in October. More »

#watchthis They might look like regular people, but their gaming skills are anything but. They're superplayers. They take gaming as far as it can physically go. More »

#holeinthewall Looks like Microsoft is turning game show Hole in the Wall, the Western take on Japan's Nōkabe (aka Brain Wall or colloquially "Human Tetris"), into an Xbox 360 game. And, yes, that does seem like a very natural fit for Kinect... More »

#watchthis YouTube user blankchip18 used ten pounds of Gummy Bears to make a stop motion tribute to Tetris, Breakout, Pac-Man and more. More »