Tetris Mastery: Video Clips To Make You Feel Inadequate
Tetris is one of those classic games that is simple to learn, but very difficult to master. The game has gone through many iterations over the last two decades, but people all around the world are still devoted to the game and developing new skills to show off. Inspired by this forum post by Radarscope1, I wanted to show off some of the most impressive Tetris videos that will make you seriously doubt your own abilities as a gamer.
Most of these videos are based off the Japanese arcade series, Tetris: The Grand Master from Akira. I did add the best NES and Gameboy videos I could find as well since those games are actually a little stricter with the rules, and therefore, more challenging. If you have any other impressive Tetris videos to share, please post them in the comments section below. I’d like to find some impressive videos of older versions of the game like the Gameboy or NES, but others are welcome as well.
Japan Finals 2001
Some classic footage from the Tetris Japan Finals from 2001 using Tetris: The Grand Master 2 – The Absolute from Akira.
Invisible Blocks
Here is a newer video that is using Tetris: The Grand Master 3 – Terror Instinct. Pay special attention to the end where the credits for the game start rolling — the blocks turn invisible upon landing, so the player is flying blind.
One-Handed
Ok, so you’ve seen some fast and accurate Tetris action. Now, lets try it with one hand.
Two-Player Mode With One Person
Now, lets take a look at the Doubles Mode on Grand Master Absolute Plus. This mode is intended to be played by two players (which would be challenging enough), but this particular player is controlling both joysticks himself. Obviously, this player isn’t going through blocks quite as fast, but it is still impressive.
Pattern Recognition
At first, this one doesn’t look terribly impressive until you realize the player is creating a pattern with gaps in the pieces. Upon his completion, you’ll notice the player receives a special grade at the end.
NES Tetris: 25 Lines at Level 9, High 5 Clear
Since the old-school Tetris fans want to see some of the original Tetris games (before the relaxed gameplay rules) being mastered, here’s the best I could find. Pretty much all the difficulty settings have been maxed out on the NES version and he clears the level.
Gameboy Tetris: Level 9 Heart Height 5
Tetris on the Gameboy is my personal favorite and this video is the best I’ve seen.
Super-Fast Tetris Clone
While most Tetris experts drop their blocks instantly anyway, here’s a clip of an open-source Tetris clone that is insanely fast by default.
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O_O
Oh man, these guys are MAD
after two decades of tetris or so, i still struggle to last more than a few mins.
Wow the last one sounds like he’s playing stepmania.
I added a NES and Gameboy clip since those are actually more challenging versions of the game.
used to play quadra in highschool in our comp-class.. great game and more fun than normal tetris (except the music). multiplayer works like a charm. broken/loose peaces falls down and fills crack in lines below. a beatuiful thing to see when you get a 15+ line combo and send it to your friends screens.
I don’t feel inadequate when someone is better than me at one thing while I’m probably better than them at a long of things.
“Easy to learn. Difficult to master.”
That statement rings most true about Tetris.
“I’m probably better than them at a long of things.”
Apparently grammar isn’t one of them.
God damn…some people need lives because this is just sad.
Why is this ‘sad’? People master games like chess (which has fewer combinations and requires little to no motor skills to play) and are considered geniuses. Others drive cars around in circles and are paid millions of dollars. These people chose to play a game which requires lightning reflexes and considerable mental prowess to play at such high levels. To say these people need lives is only a reflection of the failure in your own. Who has less of a life? The person that attempts to master a game (no matter how trivial it may seem) or the person who wasted minutes of their life doing nothing but watching these people, only to insult them?
Andy gets 1 pwnage point.
Pokemon puzzle league is the logical progression for tetris masters. it’s much more complex and requires a lot of quick thinking…
OMG— I thought i already saw everithing on this life, but every day amazes me more and more. These people make me look like SH!T… i will NEVER watch these videos again…. they make my ‘self-esteem’ go below zero. 😉 Racketboy, this is your BEST POST EVER!!! (well, thats my humble opinion).
”God damn…some people need lives because this is just sad.”
– That’s what the masses say about genius people.
”I don’t feel inadequate when someone is better than me at one thing while I’m probably better than them at a long of things.”
– Well, and that’s what loZers say.
”Easy to learn. Difficult to master”
– Just like Chess and StarCraft, Tetris needs a LIFE to master…
You misspelled “Arika” as “Akira”. Good research on the TGM series though, you got most of the facts right (a lot of people who haven’t seen these videos before don’t). If you’re still interested in more, head on over to tetrisconcept.com for lots of info on how to become as good as the people in the videos :).
The last one is a fake dude..
The NES Tetris: 25 Lines at Level 9, High 5 Clear is not that impossible. I was playing this version last week and if you get a nice starting spread an managed to clear out the first couple of lines then its not too bad. Although the speed can be quite off putting.
I think if I preacticed I could finish that difficulty level but it’d take a while.
how is the last vid a fake?
The gameboy one really isn’t that impressive. I used to clear that level all the time when I was little. There’s a bit of luck to it, truth be told – I probably could only do it on 10% of the boards you start with, but I could always do it a few times in one sitting.
I’d be willing to bet that to this day, I could probably bust it out and do it again – maybe not on the first one, but within the first 10 or so.
It’d be a lot more impressive if he did it, say, 5 times straight. My best was 3 in a row and, again, that’s pretty much just luck of the draw.
The other videos are spectacular.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYDPMHkHh8s
As it seems relevant, I’d like to point towards my skill at the NES version. The NES game is the only one I’m really good at though, these videos are amazing.
One of the most impressive Tetris performance out there is jin8’s Grand Master qualify video in Tetris Terror Instinct (official Arika video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwC544Z37qo
He was the first GM player of that game. Not that hard to believe after seeing his skill. The time is impressive.
Here is one more video of jin8 training:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5n7cD3VkEc
The last video ?
The guy is playing against the computer: left screen > player, right screen > computer set on “ultra hard” mode.
I don’t see any blocks going invisible on that one example. The colors aren’t displayed, but it shows the spaces the block uses before and after it’s set in place.
That last video. I’m not playing against the computer, I’m playing against other players over the internet. And it’s not “insanely fast by default” (Whatever that means). We are playing on level 1 while playing against each other over the internet, and you still have to drop the blocks 😉
What is the title of the the tetris clone???