News Articles
Thursday19th Nov 2015
News Rush Hour Director Lining Up Hollywood Drama Based On Tetris Creator Alexey Pajitnov
It's all falling into place
While we've had movies based on video games in the past, there seems to be a current trend for films which are about gaming rather than taking a property like Street Fighter or Super Mario Bros. and using the plot as a basis for a popcorn-based entertainment. The acclaimed documentary King of Kong arguably paved the way,...
Friday14th Aug 2015
News Short Bursts Of Tetris Can Help To Control Certain Cravings, Claims Science
Games are good for you
A three minute block-busting blast on Tetris can curb the desire for food, alcohol and cigarettes, a team of researchers is claiming. A team of psychologists from Plymouth University and Queensland University of Technology conducted an experiment to monitor the impact of playing Tetris on a group of 31 participants aged...
Thursday4th Jun 2015
News Super Mario Bros. Inducted Into the World Video Game Hall of Fame
Along with Tetris and four other games
Not too long ago we told you about the World Video Game Hall of Fame, an initiative launched by the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. A committee of games writers, academics and industry veterans was formed to deliberate over what games would be admitted into the list, with an initial...
Monday11th May 2015
Weirdness When Tetris Invades The Real World, Hilarity Inevitably Ensues
Rémi Gaillard causes block-busting chaos
Rémi Gaillard is a French prankster who has taken on Mario Karting and blue hedgehogs in the past, and in his latest video he has focused his attention on the most famous Russian video game ever: Tetris. In this new clip, Gaillard - along with his co-conspirators - causes al
Friday6th Feb 2015
Weirdness Tetris Designers Believe That It Should Become an Olympic Sport
Well, eSports are on the rise…
At the annual DICE summit that happened this week in Las Vegas, Alexey Pajitnov and Henk Rogers - the duo responsible for the worldwide hit, Tetris - made an appearance and held a Q&A session. Discussing everything from the finer points of the initial negotiation process for Tetris to giving advice to young...
News One Of The Brains Behind Tetris Explains How Their Relationship With Nintendo Began
Russian creator also offers some sound advice
Tetris has been a staple of Nintendo gaming since it was released on the Game Boy in 1989. Since then, the tile-matching puzzle game has enjoyed unrivalled success courtesy of its timeless formula. Considered by many as the greatest game of all-time as a result of this, it is always interesting to hear...
Friday2nd Jan 2015
News Two Tetris Titles Pulled From the 3DS eShop in North America
Just like in Europe, but without the warning
In late November Nintendo posted a notification on the 3DS eShop to advise that the Game Boy Virtual Console version of Tetris and the retail game of the same name would be withdrawn at the end of 2014. No reason was given, but we'd bet it's down to licensing rights, as this coincidentally happened...
Friday28th Nov 2014
News Two Tetris Downloads to be Removed from the 3DS eShop in Europe
Blocks dropped
Occasionally we see some enjoyable titles disappear from Nintendo's download stores, often retro titles and likely the result of a licensing issue. We're a little surprised by the latest victims, however, which are set to disappear from the European 3DS eShop after 31st December. Following that date the store will lose the Game Boy...
Friday6th Jun 2014
News Russian Phenomenon Tetris Celebrates Its 30th Birthday Today
Now we feel old
Thirty years ago today, Russian programmer Alexey Pajitnov released Tetris on the Elektronika 60. The puzzle title caused quite a stir and was ported to multiple formats, but it was the 1989 Game Boy edition which propelled it to international fame. Without it, the Game Boy would arguably have been less successful, and without the...
Friday30th May 2014
News The Lost Worlds of Power: Volume 0 is Available
Bad writing for a good cause
If you'll remember, way back in October we covered the news that Worlds of Power, the legendarily awful series of video game novelisations, was being given new life. By...uh...me. The idea was to assemble a motley collection of writers and have them each produce their own terrible, unfaithful, barely recognisable...
Monday24th Mar 2014
Weirdness Tetris Multitool Changes Lives, Opens Bottles
Swiss army knife? Nay, this is a Soviet army knife!
Amazon is full of useful and culturally relevant knick-knacks, from banana slicers to books on How to Avoid Huge Ships. The pioneering team over at Tiny Cartridge
Thursday16th Jan 2014
News Quest Begins To Find The Best Game Boy Tetris Player In The United Kingdom
Block buster
Since the release of the excellent King of Kong, it's fair to say that the world of video game high-score chasing has become a little more respectable. The documentary showed that the people who post these amazing scores are necessarily locking themselves away in rooms for weeks at a time; they're normal people with families and jobs...
Tuesday16th Apr 2013
News Pocket Pikachu Evolves to Smartwatch Form On Pebble
Tetris, of course, is also available
Were you ever playing with your Pocket Pikachu (aka Pokémon Pikachu) in the late ‘90s and thought, “Gee, I wish I was able to wear this on my wrist?” Well honestly, you probably could’ve found some way to attach a band to the thing. But now, thanks to 21st Century technology, you can wear a digitized...
Friday12th Apr 2013
News Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Talks Tetris And Giving Game Boys To World Leaders
He's rocking an awesome Limited Edition Astro Boy Game Boy Light, too
It's no secret that Apple co-founder Steve "Woz" Wozniak is something of a legend at Game Boy Tetris, but seeing the man in action is something else. Game Informer managed to infiltrate Woz's hotel room recently, and recorded some footage of him dominating at
Wednesday29th Aug 2012
News New Documentry Celebrates The World's Unsung Tetris Masters
Block buster
Everyone loves Tetris, right? Everyone from your grandma to Steve Wozniak, in fact! But for some people, the most famous video game ever to emerge from Russia is much more than just a way to waste a few minutes while waiting for the bus - it's a way of life, a challenge which defines and shapes their existence. Tetris lover Robin...
Friday20th Jul 2012
News Apple Co-Founder is a Tetris Master
Those other gamers can't deny
Tetris is a brand that will forever be in the history of handheld gaming in particular, as it's credited by many as being the key title to launching the Game Boy to popularity. It had appeared on various consoles before Nintendo's handheld, but found its home on the system and became a phenomenon. The second part of...
Thursday22nd Dec 2011
Nintendo Download 22nd December 2011 (North America)
Swapnote is here!
It's the Christmas edition of the Nintendo Download, as we deck the halls with digital delights and wonder if we've been good enough boys and girls to get what we've asked Santa for. 3DS Download Software: Swapnote (Nintendo, free) — It wasn't on the website or press release but open your eShop and you'll find Swapnote waiting...
Tuesday20th Dec 2011
Nintendo Download 22nd December 2011 (Europe)
Droppin' blocks and mailin' letters
It's a bumper download for Europe this week — though no, there's no Wii Virtual Console present. Here's what Nintendo's digital departments has to offer this Christmas week. Nintendo 3DS Download Software: Nintendo Letter Box (Nintendo, free) — The 3DS finally gets its messaging application with Nintendo...
Thursday11th Nov 2010
News Dropping Tetrominoes Might Help with Post Traumatic Stress
Stacking blocks good for you
Anyone who's played Tetris – i.e. everyone ever – can attest to its soothing qualities as they stack block after block aiming to create those lovely lines. Now a new study suggests that playing the game isn't just good for fun, it may help to reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Scientific journal...
Thursday22nd Jul 2010
News Get Immortalised in a Tetris Tournament Documentary
If you're good with blocks, that is
Tetris is as iconic and highly-regarded now as at any time during its twenty-year lifespan, and a new World Championship and related documentary is set to keep the classic lines-and-blocks title fresh in the mind. If you want to put your money where your blocks are, the Classic Tetris World Championship will take...