Genre: Tetris
Publisher: THQ
Developer: THQ
Release Date: March 19, 2007

If you were to see the title Tetris Evolution on a store shelf, you would think that this game has somehow taken the Tetris formula to the next level by, you know, developing an evolution of some kind. You'd be wrong. Unfortunately, the only revolution this game features is its $30 price tag.

If you've ever played any other version of Tetris, regardless of the publish date, then you'll know just what to expect from Tetris Evolution. It's Tetris, and it has all of the modern day game modes you'd expect (cascade, eraser, go low, hotline, marathon, race, score, and ultra), most of which are basically the same as they've always been. Bricks fall from the top, the objective is to clear lines, and the only recognizable difference is that the scoring might be a little varied, or there might be some sort of time restriction on how long you have to clear lines.

Tetris Evolution attempts to spice up the Tetris visual scene by offering a myriad of different skins and backgrounds on which to feast your eyes while playing. The 15 different backgrounds each feature their own soundtrack which will softly play while you clear lines. One background is a 3D-rendered Tetris scene with falling blocks, complete with a remix of the "Tetris song" that we've all come to know and love (a.k.a. the Russian folk song "Korobeiniki").

Unfortunately, changing the background or the music can become a hassle, and is not easily accessed. Once you start playing, you must either finish or quit the game to get to the options menu, where you're offered a tiny view of what your new settings will look like. It's a bother, and most of the time you'll just stick to the one background you like and leave it be. In an attempt to give individual personality to the player, there are 300 different little icons you can use as your avatar while on Xbox Live, which will appear nowhere else but the top right corner of your playing field.

The multiplayer that Tetris Evolution offers can be quite entertaining, and with the ability to game at home and over Xbox Live, you can finally play those four-player Tetris-athons. I mean honestly, when's the last time you were able to get yourself and three other friends to have a Tetris bonanza?

Each player has a small box at the bottom of his/her playing field that displays one's completed achievements, of which this game has plenty. They range from simple clearing of lines, to back-to-back-to-back Tetrises, to clearing 100 lines on level 15. There are a lot of achievements, and if you're the kind of person who likes a high gamerscore, then Tetris Evolution might just be worth the $30 purchase — or it might just not. While there are plenty of achievements, most of them are insanely difficult to unlock, and a few are just downright impossible. If you're a Tetris God, then Tetris Evolution might be worth the purchase for the achievement points alone.

After playing for a while, you'll realize that Tetris Evolution may have been better suited as an Xbox Live Arcade game priced somewhere closer to $10. There is no real evolution to be seen; it's the same classic Tetris you've played for years, albeit with a handful of different game modes and a few more graphical options in an attempt to stir up the experience. However, Tetris Evolution is a solid, well-made game that will certainly fill your craving for some Tetris on the Xbox 360, should you be unable to obtain some other version of the title.

Score: 5.0/10