Everyone

Bottom line, there is no reason to buy this game if you own a previous version of Tetris (or 3 or more like Chi and I do). The New Tetris tries to offer something new with the focus on forming squares, but it could be too much of a departure from the norm for Tetris veterans.

After all its different incarnations, Nintendo apparently felt Tetris needed a face-lift as much as Leatherface does. The New Tetris, as it's called, is probably the biggest conceptual departure from the original Tetris theme that any "Tetris" game has gotten. Since it's inception, Tetris has been about clearing the most lines and getting the highest numerical score to see who is the best. In The New Tetris, a high score is still desirable, but it is tallied differently; the actual number of lines cleared are the focus and not points given for each, as in the original.

Shifting the focus over to building world wonders with lines accrued makes The New Tetris the first Tetris in the franchise to reach 'biblical' proportions. Why 'biblical'? Because the sheer amount of effort it takes to build one of these mammoths made me feel like I actually was a slave in Egypt!

Game Description: Go beyond all preconceived notions of the mind-boggling puzzle classic, as you take on all-new challenges in fresh environments. The aim is the same: place the falling shapes into lines, leaving as few gaps as possible. Once you complete a line, it disappears, giving you more space in which to operate. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a newcomer to the fabled Tetris series, you’ll appreciate the improved modes of play. With seven innovative environments and all sorts of new options and scoring possibilities, this is truly the next generation of Tetris.

While I agree with some of Dale's gripes, I had a slightly more positive reaction to Lammy. Many of my own initial complaints stemmed more from the start of the game, which seems to mirror PaRappa too closely.

PaRappa was the first music-based video game to hit the market and when gamers took to it right away, it changed just about everything in the industry.

Game Description: Where Lammy goes mosh pits follow. She's the guitar-slinging megastar of an all-chick band called MilkCan. Help Lammy make it to her big gig on timeby jamming to everything from rock to punk. You can even take on another player with an awesome two-player mode. Um Jammer Lammy...it rocks.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Comic Mischief

Game Description: Have you ever wanted to see Pikachu in its natural habitat? With the groundbreaking game Pokémon Snap, you will capture lots Pokémon found in the wild—not with a Poke Ball but with a camera! Some shots are easy, like snapping Pikachu relaxing on the beach, but others are much more difficult, such as taking the picture of Pikachu riding on the back of a rare, flying Pokémon! In Pokémon Snap, you're on assignment from Professor Oak, the world-famous Pokémon professor. He needs lots of photos taken on Pokémon Island, where you'll cross six fascinating environments in search of all the Pokémon you can find. Pidgey will soar over your shoulder on the Beach. Diglett will pop up in the Tunnel. A group of Charmander will run by in the Volcano. And that's only in the first three environments!

To speak of Pokémon Snap's far-reaching appeal, I must mention that the Bronx Zoo angle came to me and Chi separately. I first thought that a photo-journalistic approach (linking the experience to bird watching) was the most fitting comparison. Like bird watching, photographing the Pokémon in their natural environments was key and getting a nice big shot of a rare Pokémon was like finding gold.