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SonicBlue's Bricks
(Eric Schneider)
vvvvvvvvvv
"The classic Czar of puzzle games goes full force
for QB"
For nearly two decades,
hardcore video gamers from around the world have been playing version upon
version of the world's most addictive and immortal puzzle game, Tetris!
And because of the game's charming combination of simplicity and depth,
Tetris definitely has a home among the list of cloned classics in QuickBasic.
Manipulate your terrain
and form multiple Tetris with the many classic puzzle pieces you've grown
to love. Or, turn on the "Crazy Block" mode for shockingly difficult pieces
that break all tradition! Make sure you also try Special Blocks, which
give you control over columns for a whole new way to play Tetris!
Graphics (n.)
The use of animation and visual effects to stimulate the senses |
vvv
(Good) |
The game's high point. SonicBlue's Bricks
opens up with a very beautiful Title Screen (shown at the top of this review.)
There were also some nice effects in the game's opening. The biggest surprise
for me was the rotating blue block used as the game's selector. The selector's
highly detailed and gives SB Brick's an almost Playstation look.
What the game did lack though was some
more animation during the game. While you get to play Tetris in the middle
of a very well-rendered background, there isn't really a lot of movement
taking place during the game. At first it might seem that I'm asking too
much out of a Tetris game, but this Eric Schneider uses graphics as his
strength, so there should at least be some snappy special effects when
you form a Tetris or something. |
Sound/Music (n.)
The smooth blend of atmospheric sounds and original harmonies |
N/A |
Actually, SonicBlue's Bricks does come
with a music mode. It's just really cumbersome, and instead of making original
music or taking the Tetris theme, Eric decided to rip some movie tunes.
Not such a bad thing though, since SonicBlue's Bricks plays best without
the music anyway. |
Gameplay (n.)The precision of control
and involvement of character within its universe |
vv
(Average) |
If you're looking for a Tetris clone in
QB that captures the control and pace of the real thing, SonicBlue's Bricks
is a good choice. Bricks faithfully mimics every detail of a standard Tetris
game, from the rotation of the bricks, to the high-scoring impact of a
Tetris. You'll also notice that the playing field for SB's Bricks is fairly
larger than most Tetris playing fields. This allows you to have a little
more safety because you have more space to manage your blocks.
This becomes especially useful if you turn
on the "Crazy Blocks" mode. When this mode is turned on, you may randomly
receive unethically strange-looking block pieces that are difficult to
place. This is when the extra space really comes in handy. |
Story (n.)
The creativity and presentation of the game's critical plot |
(Very
Poor) |
It's very hard to earn story points from
a Tetris clone, and SonicBlue's Bricks makes no attempt at such. |
Replay Value (n.)
The timelessness of the gamer's delight, such that the experience
can be repeated again and again |
vv
(Average) |
This game gets two stars just because
it's Tetris! Ever since Tetris got its big break on the NES, Tetris variations
have been popping up on every video game console, PC, and Mac without little
or no sign of ever slowing down in terms of video game sales or proliferation.
And that being said, I myself haven't played a lot of QB Tetris games.
But as far as clones go, the response and control of SonicBlue's Bricks
moves as well as the real thing. |
Challenge (v.)
To strike the mental nerve in such a way as to stimulate human thought
and reflexes |
vv
(Average) |
Because Tetris has become such a fixture
in the video game industry, modern Tetris games try to compensate on the
old formula by adding new twists to the game. SonicBlue's Bricks has its
own twist by inventing three new blocks: the adder, the filler, and the
destroyer.
Ironically, these three new blocks actually
give you more an opportunity to have control over your game, because you
can manipulate the size and shape of each column. So if you make a mistake,
you can always make corrections.
But whether the special blocks feature
is turned on or off, this Tetris clone is a more calming variation, never
going so fast that you're under pressure. As long as you don't make any
major mistakes, Bricks will hardly pose a threat. |
Fun Factor (n.)
The overall entertainment value as maintained throughout the adventure |
v
(Poor) |
There must be at least a billion Tetris
games available on the Internet, so it's really tough to make a Tetris
variation that stands out from the others. SonicBlue's Bricks fails to
do so because of its lack of options and surplus of glitches.
First off, the three new "special" blocks
don't really add much gameplay to the game, and the "crazy blocks" mode
is just more of the same strangely-shaped blocks I've seen from other Tetris
games.
Also, nowadays Tetris games need that multi-player
mode. Sorely, SonicBlue's Bricks does not include such a mode. And the
single player mode would have been nice, except the game crashes when you
make more than 99 lines. So all in all, Bricks falls one line short of
a winner. |
Players |
1 player |
Genre: Puzzle Game |
Rating |
|
To solve: N/A Final Rating: 10/35 |
To download this game, click here.
Installation Tips
wIf
you're unzipping this program in DOS, you may have to use the -d option.
wTo
play SonicBlue's Bricks, unzip the file and run "SETUP.EXE". Then, once
the game is setup, run "SBBRICKS.BAT". |
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Games Page |