How to make a bad Tetris game! I give you Magical Tetris Challenge
Written: Oct 18 '01 (Updated Sep 07 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: All new pieces and a unique Disney storyline.
Cons: "No save feature!" Gosh!
The Bottom Line: I recommend you avoid this crappy Tetris at all costs!
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| StarSoldier1's Full Review: Magical Tetris Challenge for Nintendo 64 |
MAGICAL TETRIS CHALLENGE (Capcom, January 1999)
I had really high hopes for the game because this was actually Capcom's first ever N64 title and they have been well known for their great games in the past like thee unforgettable Mega Man and Resident Evil titles. "So how good is Magical Tetris Challenge?" Well, not only is this another Tetris game we don't need (the New Tetris was released later in that year on the N64 by the way and it was far better than this) but you can tell that Capcom really didn't place a lot of effort in this one despite the huge Disney and Tetris licenses.
Where to begin?
The game has three different modes: Story, Endless, and Versus. The story mode lets you pick from Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Minnie Mouse on a 6 level adventure. Endless is the old fashion 'play til you lose' type of game for a high score but it's just sad getting the high score in this game because there is no way you can save it (not even to a GamePak). The Versus game can be fun your fighting somebody as good as yourself but it's only a two player game so the rest of your friends have to sit out.
MTC (Magical Tetris Challenge) adds something new to the classic game, now there are several new pieces that fall from the top of the screen. The new piece range from huge 5x5 blocks to new triangle shapes which are cool at first because now you can now get rid of five lines (Pentris) instead of only four (Tetris). It's not all good though because the new pieces can also get in the way if you're not careful and create a lot of annoying gaps.
The 2D graphics are fairly lackluster and it looks like something from the Super Nintendo and not the usual N64 game (not a single polygon or special effect to be found) but in the story scenes the game does have some nice backgrounds and the character animation is fairly well done (it's a Disney game so it better be). Hardly groundbreaking and poor use of the N64's advanced hardware overall.
One thing a noticed right off the bat is that the characters DON'T have their trademark voices and catch phases like Goofy's 'Gosh' or Mickey's 'Oh Boy!' which makes me wonder if Capcom either didn't have enough money to buy the right to use them or they just got lazy. The music was good for the cute look of the game but it's still quite forgettable.
Bottomline: Where's the rat poison?
Maybe this game is good as a quick rental for kids or anybody else whose curious but since there's no battery save or gamepak options, what's the point of playing if you can't keep your high scores!? Magical Tetris Challenge may have been passable 10 years ago but in this day and age we need more than just cute graphics and novelty game play. Tetrisphere and The New Tetris are better choices for your money.
Magical Tetris Challenge Overall rating: 30/100
For 1 or 2 players
Rated (E) for Everyone and it's also rated 'E' by me too!
graphics: 4/10
sound: 2/10
gameplay: 4/10
StarSoldier1
http://www.videogames101.com
Recommended:
No
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