RJ Writing Ink

Tetris Review

Tetris. It’s one of the most famous video games of all time. It’s a game that is so simple in premise but can be absolutely addictive if you let it. I’m pretty sure I still have my old Game Boy copy of Tetris sitting around in my personal effects somewhere in my house. Now, I was never that big on Tetris growing up, but even I can appreciate how important this game is in video game history. It’s one of those video games that everyone knows about even when they don’t, and with more video games becoming movies, now seems like the perfect time to do so. The question is, how do you make a movie out of something like Tetris?

Apple TV+ has the answer: you don’t. Instead, you make a movie about the crazy, mostly true story of how Tetris got out of the Soviet Union and became one of the biggest games of all time. This is that movie, and it is one of the best I’ve seen in 2023. 

The Game That Dreams Are Made of

The year is 1988, when video games are still in their infancy and companies are struggling to form the food chain. That’s when Tetris starts coming out of the Soviet Union. A Dutch-American game designer named Henk Rogers sees it, sees how much fun it is, and realizes that he has to be the one who shares this with the world. He makes a deal with Nintendo to get the liscencing agreements to the game, and they will package it with the then-upcoming Game Boy. The problem, it turns out, is that the person he originally thought had the rights to license it overseas didn’t have the rights. So Rogers and these other guys all head to Moscow and start trying to negotiate with the Soviets to get the rights to license Tetris overseas. Meanwhile, the game’s creator gets torn between his desire to provide a better life for his family and trying to keep them safe from the KGB’s wrath. 

I looked most of the stuff that happens in Tetris up, and, besides the standard dramitization from Hollywood, the whole premise is true. There was this whole insane legal battle between Rogers, this corrupt CEO named Robert Maxwell, and this other corrupt software salesperson over who got to sell Tetris overseas. And from what the movie says, the Soviet government was playing all of them off each other in the hopes of raking in the best deal and making tons of money. Money is the main driving factor of the conflict to all of this. 

‘Tetris’ is One of the Best Gaming Movies Ever

By 1988, plenty of people knew that the Soviet Union didn’t have long for this world, including the Soviet government. One of the film’s fictional characters, this KGB agent, admits to Maxwell’s son that the Soviet Union’s dying and that everyone’s trying to loot what they can before that happens. It’s this whole confusing mess that I could barely wrap my head around even as it was being explained in front of me. All I knew is that it was nuts, addictive to watch, and one of those things in life where truth is crazier than fiction. 

At the heart of it all, though, underneath the intrigue and the epsionage and underhanded dealing, Tetris is a movie that serves as a love letter to a video game and the lengths people went to in order to make it a success. I especially liked the relationship between Henk Rogers and game creator Alexey Pajitnov. The friendship they forge is both historically accurate, with the real Henk and Alexey becoming friends and business partners after the Soviet Union fell, and touching. They’re the only ones in the room who don’t just see Tetris as a way to make money. They see it as something fun that everyone in the world should get to enjoy. It’s a testament to the power that games can have to bring people of different backgrounds together through a shared love for them. That’s something that is worth fighting for, and I love how Apple captures this.

In short, if you’re a gamer, or just have fond memories of playing it growing up, go watch Tetris. It’s funny, dramatic, and far more entertaining than you’d think.

I Give ‘Tetris’ a 5/5

Nintendo has discontinued the 3DS – The Verge
— Read on www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2020/9/17/21441096/nintendo-3ds-production-discontinued-total-sales

F for respect to an old friend

This just in! Months after the success of Jedi: Fallen Order, EA’s attempting to keep the gravy train going with the next Star Wars game to be published by them. After years of waiting for the next genuine dogfighter in a franchise where that’s 40% of the appeal, we’re getting Star Wars: Squadrons. Here are my initial thoughts on what we’ve learned so far.  

Taking place after the events of Return of the Jedi, you play as two pilots on opposite sides of the war. On one side, you’ve got Vanguard Squadron with the New Republic; on the other, Titan Squadron with the Empire. As the Galactic Civil War reaches its zenith, you’re in the cockpit as you square off against the best pilots in the galaxy to shape the fate of the war. That’s all we know about the story mode so far, and if you ask me, it sounds pretty promising. But the story is only part of a successful game.

The Ships

As of right now, there are a total of eight ships that we’ll be able to fly, four on each side: fighters, interceptors, bombers, and support ships. Each ship comes with a detailed cockpit with instruments and sensors to keep players up to date and enhance the sense of realism.

So, it’s basically the Star Wars equivalent of a combat flight simulator, like Ace Combat. Or, for me, X-Wing Alliance.

Here’s the best part, though. We’ll be able to play the entire game in VR! This alone is going to crank the realism factor up to eleven. While this will likely give some people headaches and sore necks, I think it will be worth it to feel like you’re flying an actual X-Wing or TIE fighter.

Customization

A lot of games these days are about giving players the freedom to customize to suit their game styles or cosmetic interests. According to the gameplay trailer, we’ll be able to give our ships custom paint jobs, and change the appearance of our pilots. But the real appeal is the components mechanic. You can add upgrades to your fighters to change their power, ammo, and durability. Perfect for players who want to push their gaming to the limit.

The Multiplayer Mode

Now, for the meat of the game, the multiplayer. Right now, there are two modes that will be available in the game: Dogfight and Fleet Battles. Each mode will let players work in teams of five against AI or other players. Dogfight’s as it sounds: a full-on dogfight. Fleet Battle is where the fun begins; a multi-stage battle where players have to fight their way to the enemy flagship and destroy it.

This Looks Promising

I know that EA hasn’t had the best track record with Star Wars in recent years. Their reboot of Battlefront irritated players with its lack of single-player and need to be connected to the Internet. Then Battlefront II gave us a lackluster story, and outraged everyone with its blatant use of micro-transactions. Thankfully, Squadrons will have neither of those. Which is awesome.

Overall, I think that this game’s got a lot of promise. An immersive, combat flight simulator in the Star Wars universe that works with VR is the stuff of dreams! I am genuinely hoping that EA will have learned its lessons from its past screw-ups and give us more games like this. They may not be able to wipe away the stain of their past, but at least they can make up for it.

I’m probably going to get this game and follow in the wings of Luke Skywalker.

Click here to learn all there is about Star Wars with Wookiepedia, the Star Wars Wiki.

Click here to see more of my Star Wars Stuff.

Hey everyone, J here. Earlier today, Konami released a statement saying that Kazuhisa Hashimoto, the creator of the Konami Code, passed away. The Konami Code is probably the most famous chest code in all of video games: Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start. It gave you unlimited lives in Konami games. It’s a cheat code so famous that it’s become ingrained in mainstream pop culture.

Therefore, let’s all Press F for respect to the man who created the Homy Grail of cheat codes. Rest in peace, Hashimoto