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I have played NES Tetris something on the order of 14 hours per week for the last 7 or so years. I can consistently get to level 29 (kill screen) and put 700,00
by AndrewKemendo 7y ago
I have played NES Tetris something on the order of 14 hours per week for the last 7 or so years. I can consistently get to level 29 (kill screen) and put 700,000 on the board with the rare 800,000. However I don't know if I'll ever hit 999,999 with the kill screen.
Typically I'll do this while listening to other things like technical talks or tutorials. I found in college that I was able to better focus on the lecture if I was playing Tetris. In fact for some people, having something that is "distracting" to do while listening, has been to be effective in improving recall [1]. It's been pretty huge in helping me make it through a lot of stuff I would have otherwise found dull.
Beyond that, it's an amazingly hard game to master. You can't "Win", you can just do better and there is something hard to describe about how you play "Clean vs Dirty" "High Risk vs Low risk" etc...that wouldn't seem obvious if you're just looking at it as a silly game. I'm certainly attaching more significance on it than others would, but I think Tetris is a really great metaphor for life in a lot of regards.
[1]https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-thinking-benefits-of-doodling-2016121510844 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-thinking-benefits-of...
- onemoresoop 7y agoDrawing is my tetris for listening. Some of us need to have our hands engaged, we are hands on types.
- andrepd 7y agoScribbling on the margins of a paper during a lecture or a phone call is a classic.
- balfirevic 7y agoAre you playing on an emulator?
- AndrewKemendo 7y agoNo I have an original NES with a CRT. It's possible to do high scores on the emulator, but there are certain limitations around input lag and screen refresh rate that make it a lot harder.
- balfirevic 7y agoYeah, everyone says level 19 is really hard on an emulator. I can't judge how much harder because I've only played on emulator and 19 is tough in any case :)
- kylek 7y agoI wish there was an odometer for electronic devices. edit: Yes, I guess that would just be a counter. But it'd be fun to see how many miles a relic like this actually has.
- shakna 7y agoThere sort of is - the clock battery in the NES cartridge. They tend to run down slightly slower without usage. Rough estimates suggest 50 years if untouched, but I've seen a handful of well-loved cartridges expire since '95.
- tda 7y agoWhat is it about nes tetris that makes it so much better? I have never enjoyed any other tetris implementation but I played nes tetris many hours as a kid and also for a bit in my twenties. Still have that nes, but haven't touched it in a decade. But even if it still works I don't have a screen for it anymore :(
- Wowfunhappy 7y agoAt least for me, it's the lack of (1) a Hold function and (2) EasySpin. IMO those break the game and I wish the Tetris Company wouldn't keep insisting on their inclusion! Part of the fun of Tetris is, sometimes you have pieces that just don't go well anywhere, or which you just couldn't maneuver in time, and you have to find a way to recover from those errors.
- sincerely 7y agoPersonally it feels like without a "Hold" mechanic the battle mode isn't very well balanced
- Wowfunhappy 7y agoOh, that's an excellent point! Let me clarify: I think both Hold and EasySpin are great mechanics in multiplayer Tetris. Multiplayer Tetris is a very different game. Speed is paramount regardless of how quickly pieces fall, and players need to deal with garbage blocks. Thus, it makes sense for players to have more options and maneuverability. However, when you put these mechanics into traditional singleplayer marathon mode, they become a problem.
- sincerely 7y agoThanks for explaining, I see where you're coming from now
- frosted-flakes 7y agoWhat is EasySpin? I assume Hold means the ability to "bank" a tetromino for later use. I've only ever played the GameBoy Tetris game, both on the original Game Kart and on 3DS Virtual Console, and it only has spin and drop buttons.
- ericzawo 7y agoYes, and what's amazing is the growing, generational scene behind Tetris (NES). It truly is an impressive skill-based game and should be right up there with what comes to mind when people talk eSports. Just try to watch this insane match with the new champ Joseph Salee (who is a teenager) vs. the legend Koryan, without getting pumped up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfo8hmIcoDQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfo8hmIcoDQ
- AndrewKemendo 7y agoIt's a pretty large community now with big personalities and polarizing figures. I think the documentary Ecstasy of Order really made things grow. CTWC is a serious deal that you need to train for, though you can't really make much of a living on it yet like you would with DOTA or otherwise.
- gxqoz 7y agoThose interested in NES Tetris should check out this excellent documentary on the NES Tetris World Championship: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1836974/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1836974/
- BrandoElFollito 7y agoWhen I really listen to something or someone I draw geometric shapes. My team when they first met me thought I was showing them that I am uninterested when doing that. Now when they need a hard decision or bring a difficult problem they come with paper and pens. This somehow became a private joke.