The New Tetris

One of the more interesting Tetris releases. Serves as the console's 3rd Tetris game although the first game, simply known as Tetris 64, was only released in japan and is a fairly bland version of the game with a rather unique peripheral that read your heart rate, the second being 1998's magical Tetris which is a fun take on the series, but much less traditional. The New Tetris has the distinction of introducing the 'hold' mechanic that allows players to save blocks when necessary and it's proven to be an iconic addition to later entries. The basics still apply here, but there is a new progression mechanic that encourages players to form their blocks into perfect 4x4 squares to boost their high score which is a pretty fun and challenging score mechanic that also boosts your line clear count at the end of a game. The more lines you clear throughout the game, the more blocks get added to building 'wonders' which are representations of structures like a Sphynx or a Greek Temple. One particular aspect I want to emphasize is the fantastic OST that mixes various "world" music genres with hip-hop beats and/or jungle and it's fantastic, one of the highlights of an already solid Tetris release.

It's Tetris, again. The key here is the game's four-player multiplayer capabilities, which is where most of its value comes from. Japan-only Tetris 64 offered four-player multiplayer the previous year, but was ugly; The New Tetris looks solid and runs well, whilst its music and sound effects are also pretty good. This is a good option for those looking for a traditional Tetris experience on the N64, but the more innovative Tetrisphere still has my pick as the best of the bunch.