For most mere mortals, getting over 100 lines on Game Boy Tetris (seeing that shuttle for the first time) is as good as it's ever going to get, but there are others who strive to achieve perfection in this classic puzzler (which is getting its own movie soon).
For those trying to master the NES version of the game (one which remains popular on the high score circuit), the technique you use can be the difference between success and failure. You might assume that you simply prod the D-pad and buttons in Tetris, but not so – that's the 'traditional' control method and is referred to as 'DAS' by high score chasers.
However, in 2018, the effectiveness of a technique called 'Hypertapping' came to light; this method involves hitting the D-pad with a succession of faster presses which, when used correctly, allows you to manipulate the on-screen pieces more swiftly. Hypertapping has since become the most popular technique in the NES Tetris high score world, but it's tough on the old hands.
That's where a player by the name of Cheez_Fish comes in. In late 2020, he came up with a new way of playing NES Tetris which has been dubbed 'rolling' and involves rolling (ahem) your fingers across the D-pad in smooth motion while also manipulating the back of the controller with the fingers of your other hand. The upside is that 'rolling' is not only easier on the hands, but it also results in faster inputs – when used correctly, at least.
Cheez_Fish is now setting new records in NES Tetris competitions using this new technique, and another Tetris player, TegaMech, has come up with a variant that uses your foot to hold the controller in place. The rest of the Tetris-playing world hasn't taken up the technique quite yet, but given how effective it's been so far, it can't be long before it replaces hypertapping as the control method of choice for high score chasers.
[source kotaku.com]
Comments 30
people are getting really bored in this pandemic
When you have too much free time
@Mystique
Nah, this is NES Tetris enthusiasts who were (literally) tired of "hypertapping" taking it to the next level.
Hypertapping is pressing a button at least 12 times per second to get your tetromino piece to move left/right quickly enough. It's tiring and few people are capable of executing it consistently.
I've been playing a lot of NES Tetris lately. Whenever I do Moonwind from Soul pops into my head. I blame him.
That's crazy. Though it wouldn't help me as I can't think fast enough where to put the next piece, moving faster would only make look dumb, faster.
This and that the long piece gods have forsaken me eons ago
Competitive NES Tetris is fascinating.
Reminds me, I need to snag a copy of NES Tetris off eBay.
I just love the fact that a 25+ year old game is still in a competitive scene and people are still learning new ways to play the game.
Then you know: It’s just a perfect game.
BOOM TETRIS
Seriously, the announcers at competitive Tetris are what make the competitions shine. It sucks you in! I'm gonna try this technique on NES Mega Man. I wonder how it will work, there!
NINJA APPROVED
Wow, haha. That's so wild.
this article should have been published years before the pandemic. playing Tetris is a lot easier than this article makes it sound. if you want to get a high score on Tetris, all you need to do is clear your mind. when playing this game, it is best not to think, because doing so just makes you mess up regardless of the system that you are playing on. (or is that just me and how my mind works when playing this game?)
NES Tetris is my favorite version by far. Really wish it was on Switch online.
Tetris 99 is awesome too!
@stevenw45 The article is talking about competitive Tetris, which is a lot different than playing Tetris at home.
Memories of Track n Field. I've seen people use their feet, knuckles, and knuckles + shirts when knuckles were bleeding.
In the end, holding the controller loosely so pressing one button would make the controller move and rebound off the other finger was the clear winner.
@LinktotheFuture
i Know it does, but still my mind works the same for both competitive and non-competitive Tetris. either way, i haven't played Tetris in years.
This…. This is just mind-blowing to me. I would not think this would work. And that’s because mainly it doesn’t seem like tapping your hands on the bottom of the controller would exert enough pressure to trigger the button press.
Schooled.
@Damo smartassmodeon you don't get a shuttle when you hit 100 lines on Gameboy Tetris. You get a small rocket when you hit 100.000 Points. You get the shuttle when you clear B-Type Level 9 Height 5. When you hit 100 lines you simply go to level 10, that's it smartassmodeoff
Cheez is basically the equivalent of an Olympic Gold Medalist who is in the platinum category.
@eltomo using a pencil.... then they put the guards up to prevent this technique.
Why they kept playing the worst version of Tetris? Everyone knows Tengen's Tetris is better.
Still the best version of Tetris (not including the Tengen version). I love beating the Type B version and getting that nintendo Jam party
@mazzel I thought you got the characters dancing and playing instruments at the end B-Type Level 9 (both NES & GB).
<Google searching>
I guess you get both.
Fascinating story. Friends and I would use a battery to slide across the buttons to get super run speeds in Track & Field. It wasn't too long that the buttons had deep grooves in them.
It’s neat to have glimpsed at the sudden wave of competition happening in the Classic Tetris scene over the years. I love when discoveries like this happen that shuffle the deck on what the competition will be.
Glad they found a more efficient way. I'm pretty sure most hypertappers will develop carpal tunnel at some point in their carreer.
@mazzel Oh, I know - I wasn't suggesting the two were connected, I was just citing them as two indicators of success on the GB game.
@Damo Ha, I see! Reading the sentence again it could definitely have the meaning you had in mind
I'm not a native speaker, therefore I read with my native language-logic in mind
@mazzel No problem!
For the record, I don't think any non-specific high score records have been broken with rolling yet, it's just letting people play further into kill-screen (post level 29) than before - so slightly misleading article header... The scores will probably come soon though.
Pretty neat. In case you've ever wondered how Piano is possible. Lots of practice, muscle development and memory, and technique development.
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