Tetrisphere, the 3D twist on a time-tested classic that will keep your fingers flying and mind buzzing for many hours!
The concept is quite simple. You are given a 3D Sphere covered in the traditional Tetris pieces. You then have the pieces that you drop onto the sphere by matching up the piece you are trying to drop with the pieces already on the Sphere. For example, to remove pieces, you must line up 2 identical pieces (they can be touching side-by-side or above/below) and then drop the third identical piece on top of the two you have lined up. All three pieces are then removed from the sphere. The more pieces you remove with one drop, the larger the combo. Also, if you remove pieces from under another piece, and that piece then falls and causes other pieces to be removed, you get a multiplier which increases the number of points you receive.
You are given three lives, or misses. If you misplace a piece three times (drop a piece without removing any), you lose. At the same time, the sphere is moving closer towards the screen and if time runs out and the sphere "hits" the screen, you are forced to drop a piece and lose a life. This adds a time factor to the game.
There are also weapons that you can uncover or acquire. These will clear out large areas of pieces at a time. Some of the weapons include the basic rocket, dynamite, big rocket and a nuke that will peel off the entire top layer all the way around the sphere.
Graphically, the game is beautiful. The Sphere seems alive as it "jiggles" when you drop a piece on it. The only thing that I didn't like about the graphics (and this is more of a personal issue) is the background. It's always a moving image that cycles through colors and shapes and after playing the game for hours and hours, it gave me a headache...
I love the soundtrack. It's very upbeat and keeps you moving. There are also tracks that are very soothing and relaxing. Very well done with the sound.
I should point out that the early levels are very easy to complete, but once you get higher up, the game takes a big jump in difficulty. That's why I gave it a Hard rating.
If you like Tetris, take your game to the next level and get Tetrisphere. N64 games are still around. Check with local used game stores or on-line.