Tetris is one of those games that feels like it's always been there, but that's likely because it's been ported to virtually every electronic device over the last thirty years and has sold close to half a billion copies over its total run. One would think that by this point, somebody would've come along that's managed to max out the score on the original release, but it still hasn't been done.
Vice recently caught up with Uli Horner – the current high score world champ for the original Game Boy Tetris – to discus his experiences with the game. Horner's record sits at 441 lines and 748,757 points, though he claims that he's done better off-camera.
I got 889,000 points at one point, which is the best I've ever been. That was before I knew anything about recording my attempts, to send away to Twin Galaxies. So the Twin Galaxies score, which I set in 2011, is the official record, but it's lower than the best I've got. Filming yourself as you set the score means that you can't cheat. You're not allowed to pause, to take a break—you have to set your score in a single run.
Uli is one of the few who still plays the original release, which he claims isn't too popular in the competitive scene. This is due largely to the truly random nature by which the blocks will spawn, something which Horner even admits is quite frustrating.
Game Boy Tetris is horrible in a way because you get genuinely random pieces. It's truly random—it's always a one in seven chance, so you can always end up with horrible combinations that just kill you. All the other versions of Tetris have something readable in there—allegedly, it's easier to consistently play well on other versions. So even I will mess up games on the Game Boy version, which is really frustrating, because you're beating the bell curve—you have to play a thousand times to get a few nice games. Some of the other versions, you can approach them with tactics that will always work.
For the full interview, check it out here; it's a fascinating look at the competitive side of Tetris.
What do you think? What's your best score on Tetris? Do you still play the original? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
[source vice.com]
Comments (16)
I remember playing quite a bit of Tetris DS online a few years back and found that I started dreaming never ending Tetris games in my sleep. This guy must be hallucinating tetris pieces during the day after playing it that much!
Surely if the GameBoy game is the only truly random one, it should be the king in determining the best competitive Tetris player? The fact that most players avoid it and use versions with set patterns shows to me they just want an easier ride and therefore lose respect as a result. Or maybe it is simply so frustrating it's just no fun for them?
@GravyThief True randomness would have too much of a factor of luck for it to be used competitively in this sort of game... it means that even a beginner could beat the best player in the world if the shapes just happened to come down in the right order.
@DragonEleven Very good point!
Why is he complaining about the pieces being random?
Aren't all the Tetris pieces random in all versions? Is there a way to control the pieces you get or something?
It's like the dice in Mario Party. Everyone says the dice in Mario Party is based on time. If that's true, then how come these people never roll the number they want?
Back on topic, I was obsessed with the DS Tetris game, and my mom even more so. She almost maxed out the score counter!
The highest score I achieved was 143.000. It was just pure luck.
@Neon_Blues I cant tell for all versions, but Tetris Ultimate uses a predetermined order of Tetriminos. So you can strategize in advance.
Woah, 441 lines!!! I don't think I ever managed more than 200. I remember using my Action Replay to force the game to only give me straight blocks and even then it reached a point where the speed made it impossible to line the shapes up fast enough. I can't remember how many lines I got though.
I did a Tetris-style game for a university project 16 years ago and I did a study of how random the Tetris blocks were. It was generally assumed back then that the game was deliberately picking awkward blocks to scupper you but all the games I looked at were genuinely random. I don't think they had the CPU power back then to be constantly scanning and selecting blocks based on what you need (or don't need), and considering how well random selection worked why go to the effort?
Tetris DS is still the ultimate version IMHO. I became obsessed with trying to beat the Level 5 AI, I can do it but not consistently. I actually keep the Tetris DS card in my 3DS as I get all my 3DS games from the eShop. All this talking about Tetris DS means I'm going to have to play it now...
This guy recently departed from the company where I work. I first heard of his tetris fame when he commented how much he liked my GameBoy mug.
He is a funny, strange man.
@Neon_Blues: Modern Tetris games use something called a 'bag system'. Imagine putting all seven Tetris pieces into a bag. One by one, the game takes one random piece out of the bag until the bag is empty. Then, the game does the same with another bag that is again containing all seven pieces.
The difference, when compared to pure randomness like in the GB or NES Tetris, is that you can not have something fatal like "4 square pieces in a row", because the bag system would not allow it.
This system even allows some kind of prediction. Lets say you played five pieces (say: O, I, S, Z and L). You know, that the next two possible pieces can only be a J or T piece and play accordingly.
@SeniorDingDong
I had no idea! Now I can finally beat my wife on Tetris! Although, she prefers the Gameboy Color version. Is that the same as the original Gameboy as far as randomness is concerned?
I wish that I could put the kind of effort and focus into one game that these record holders do...but there are too many great games to play and I can't get bogged down. Oh well. Perhaps with digital immortality...
I started playing Tetris GB seriously after watching the 'Tetris Masters: Ecstacy of Order' documentary over 2 years ago. I chose Tetris GB mainly because getting hold of an NTSC NES and Tetris cartridge was going to be far more expensive.
I recognise why it isn't considered ideal for the competitive scene but looking at that Twin Galaxies Top 10 list, i could get in the top 5 at least.
Should probably starting recording my games.
I'm surprised he scored that high without understanding how the generator works. It's not 1 in 7 odds in GB Tetris. It's 2 in 32 for getting the same piece as the previous one and 5 in 32 for any other piece. It makes it less likely to give the same piece back to back, but then it will be more likely to alternate back to the same piece again, which since you always know your next piece it still totally feels like it's giving you the same piece you just had all the time. Anyway, it helps a lot to know that your second next piece is unlikely to be the same as your next one, but that you shouldn't be making any assumption against it being the same as your current one.
Well this made me fire up Tetris DS to see what my high score was, 5,134,499 which makes me think the scoring is not the same across versions :- I wish I knew how many lines that was, but I remember reaching it after playing a game for a few hours on a flight without realizing how long I'd been playing. By far, my favorite version is Tetris DS though, to this day.
I don't know my top scores, but I've cleared over 140 lines on the NES version, and 230 on the SNES combo port that included "Dr. Mario".
Tap here to load 16 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...