New 'Tetris' Doesn't Add Much to Original

By AARON CURTIS

Oct. 7, 1999 12 AM PT

My all-time, no-regrets favorite Game Boy title is “Tetris,” the classic puzzler that sucks in even the most unenthusiastic players with its deceptively simple premise. My respect for the game borders on reverence.

With that out of the way, let’s move on to “The New Tetris,” a deceptively named title for Nintendo 64 that offers far too few additional features to be called anything except “Tetris 64.”

Here’s what I saw:

* A few spiffy backgrounds to dress up the traditionally spartan game board. In the single-player mode, the familiar board resides on the left side of the screen. The seven different block shapes--all variations of four cubes stuck together--drop from the top, and players spin them into position to form rows.

The display does include a heads-up as to the next three pieces, which is nice for players who can think that far ahead. It’s an improvement over Game Boy’s display, which alerts players only to the next piece about to fall.

Backgrounds are colorful, but static. And in the end, they add almost nothing to the game.

* A few minor tweaks in rules and game play. For instance, players can keep a piece in reserve and swap it with one selected by the computer. It makes it easier to plan ahead and score a Tetris by clearing four rows at once.

Another rule change demands that players focus on rows rather than points. In the original, points accumulated by clearing more than one row at a time. “The New Tetris” imposes time limits and other devices to keep things interesting, but the emphasis on points is gone.

Finally, players accumulate extra rows by building and then clearing giant squares with the blocks. It adds another layer of play, and the way in which the block is built--with diverse or similar blocks--governs how many bonus lines accrue.

* A four-player mode. This is a truly wonderful feature. “Tetris” on Game Boy is best when players knock heads in two-player mode. But the ability to tap four friends into “The New Tetris” offers the perfect break when party conversation gets dull.

But that’s it. The game fails to take advantage of Nintendo 64’s power in any significant way. “The New Tetris” offers some good times, but I can’t help thinking that its role is more to keep product churning out of Nintendo’s headquarters than to really fill a niche.

Even after playing “The New Tetris,” I’d rather spend time with my Game Boy and my perfectly fine “old” “Tetris.”

‘Chocobo Racing’

Folks who find Pokemon nauseating might hesitate to take “Chocobo Racing” for a spin because the game features a cast of characters that seems every bit as cloyingly sugary as Pikachu and his ilk.

And while there are moments as distasteful as the syrupy remnants of a Slurpee, “Chocobo Racing” offers some nice twists on traditional racers. For fans of the “Final Fantasy” series, the game offers a chance to see cutesy critters in a completely incongruous setting.

See, Chocobo is this yellow bird from “Final Fantasy.” His buddies include creatures with names like Golem, Mog and Goblin. How they came to be racing on colorful courses such as Gingerbread Land and Moogle Forest is inconsequential.

But the racing is great. Strewn around the courses are gems with various powers. Players collect the gems and cast spells on other racers. Players can shrink opponents, set them on fire, strike them with lightning or cause them to have a major accident. There are days I wouldn’t mind having a few of these gems on the Hollywood Freeway.

The mix of driving and collecting gems makes for a game that’s more than just Chocobo on rocket skates.

‘Heavy Gear II’

At the other end of the spectrum lies “Heavy Gear II,” a technical, first-person shooter that puts players in command of heavy mechanical suits of futuristic armor. They’re called mechs in other games, but to call them that here would probably be copyright infringement.

Anyway, players suit up in their “gears” and explore some beautiful--but hostile--terrain. Control for the uninitiated can be difficult because designers aim for realism. Even the quick reference card lists 64 distinct keyboard and mouse commands--everything from toggling between active and passive radar and switching to the tactical map.

Although most of the action is first-person, players command others in their unit as enemy gears attack. It adds another level of responsibility and there’s no way to finish some missions as a lone cowboy. Leadership, baby.

There’s little about “Heavy Gear II” for enthusiasts not to like. The customization options for various gears are wide and offer plenty of choices for futuristic warriors. Combat is fast and furious and the movement is smooth.

“Heavy Gear II” requires a Pentium 166 with 64mb of RAM, 450mb of hard disk space and a 3D accelerator card.

To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send e-mail to aaron.curtiss@latimes.com.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Essentials

The New Tetris

Platform: Nintendo 64

Publisher: Nintendo

ESRB rating*: Everyone

Price: $49.95

Bottom Line: What’s so new about it?

Chocobo Racing

Platform: Sony PlayStation