Games

“A 3D Tetris clone, but this time you spin your playing pieces about all three axes as you use them to fill up a deep well.”

Block Out

^1.0

by Electronic Arts

Block Out Homepage.
Block Out is freeware (download free games).

Block Out screenshots:

Block Out is 3D Tetris clone, but this time you spin your playing pieces about all three axes as you use them to fill up a deep well.

Imagine viewing a Tetris game from the top, so when the variably shaped blocks drop, you watch them fall away from you to the game board. And, just as in Tetris, you must clear a certain number of planes by filling them completely with blocks to advance to the next level. Use the joystick to move a block in the X & Y directions. A second joystick rotates the block along its X, Y, or Z-axis. But before a block falls into place, you view it as a wire-frame so you can determine its true orientation. In early levels, blocks are only constructed on a two-dimensional axis, replicating the original Tetris blocks exactly. In later levels, blocks will have protrusions in all three dimensions, requiring greater placement skill. And game boards vary from level to level. Some as small as two blocks long by five blocks wide by eight blocks deep. Some as big as 5 x 5 x 8. After every five levels there's a bonus level consisting of a narrow 2 x 2 x 8 board in which blocks hurl down toward the floor at a rapid rate. Gain bonus points for clearing rows. Players may choose to start Block Out on levels 1, 5, 15, or 20.

Like Tetris pieces can be rotated before being dropped, though this time round pieces can be rotated in full 3 dimensions. Pieces are initially vector line drawings at first but once being dropped into place they become solid and coloured. The colour the pieces are indicates the level they�re at, so the bottom most layer is red for instance. The blocks themselves are all the pieces you would find in Tetris, but you can select different tile sets that provide you with an array of bizarre and tricky to fit anywhere shapes. You can also adjust the width and depth of the pit. Pieces drop down very very slowly, at least at first giving you plenty of time to align your Tetris piece, sounds easy but on playing you will find this is not the case at all, sometimes is difficult to see exactly where your Tetris block is in relation to the pit before you drop it, perspective is an issue here. One false move can really throw a spanner in the works, much as it can in the 2D version of Tetris, the full extent of any mistakes you make are only made clear when the pit over flows and it�s game over, whereupon the layers are peeled back allowing you to see where all the gaps where.

In two player mode, players compete head-to-head, similar to Tetris, or take turns.

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