Electronic Arts recently released another copy of Tetris for the iPhone (iTunes link) and the verdict comes in as: it’s a pretty good game. The newer version of Tetris showed up on the App Store and replaced EA’s older version of the game. What EA did here was add some innovative features this time around, probably in hopes of good sales for this upcoming holiday season.

Just as a quick heads-up, if you had the older version of the game (which as mentioned previously – was pulled from the App Store) then it is important to note that this version does NOT come as a free upgrade. If you had the older version, you will have to re-purchase the newer edition, which would be a shady move if the game didn’t cost a mere 99 cents.

So, what’s new? The biggest feature in the new version is a mode called one-touch marathon. As each piece drops, you get the option of several places to put it on the screen, and when you touch the place you want, the piece goes there right away. This allows you to avoid twisting pieces and waiting for them to fall in by giving you the choice to just touch where needed and have the piece quickly placed. This isn’t all that is new though, there is a new “Galaxy” mode which brings power ups to Tetris. There were also many social features and a leaderboard integration with something called the “T-Club” and the “Tetris Rank,” both of which you can obtain for an in-app subscription of $2.99 a month. (A pretty ludicrous price for playing Tetris)

Summed up, what EA did here was take a simple game and add some twists to spice things up. What is a bit silly here is that EA didn’t add Game Center integration, but it seems like this was a strategic move from EA, who seems to be building up its own social networks rather than utilizing Apple's. Either way, the new game is still fun and with availability at a price point of 99 cents, is not a bad purchase. Will any of you be getting the updated version?

Source: App Store