Tetris: From Russia with Love (on tonight at 11.20 BBC2, UK only)

[alfie]

Tetris: From Russia with Love (on tonight at 11.20 BBC2, UK only)

Here is what it says in the TV Mag:
One-off documentary charting the story of how a simple but addictive puzzle became the biggest-selling computer game of the Nineties, and the corporate feuds that went on behind the scenes.

I think I have seen this a couple of years ago on Sky TV, but I will be taping and watching it again. I seem to recall them talking to Alexey in his basement at his house... or did I dream that :)

[Robert Cummings]

Gonna watch reign of fire instead :)

[Andy]

Gonna watch reign of fire instead :)

Yeah Rob, I also suppose that designs of the websites you made are awful. :D

Not because this is connected to the topic. But I just to mention that Alexey is the greatest. And you and your designs don't :o

[Bmc]

Yeah Rob, I also suppose that designs of the websites you made are awful. :D

Not because this is connected to the topic. But I just to mention that Alexey is the greatest. And you and your designs don't :o

am I the only one who isn't sure if this is an insult or compliment? LOL :)

[Robert Cummings]

Perhaps he's had too many vodkas or something? :)

[princec]

Haha! Criminy, Reign of Fire was poor! I bet it wasn't made in Russia.

Cas :)

[Andy]

Perhaps he's had too many vodkas or something? :)

Have I had enough vodka maybe that designs wouldn't appear so awful to me. No? :D

REM: Just for sure. For everybody in tanks. I'm just kidding really. I'm pretty sure Rob can make good graphics and designs.

[Indiepath.T]

Was this any good? I recorded it an may watch it today.

[Nikster]

Yes, it's very interesting, I couldn't remember if I saw it before, then when I started watching it I remembered I saw it on 'Discovery Science' channel, poor Alexy. Also if you havn't seen it there is also another docu called something like "history of video games" which features the Darlings, Olivers etc, that was cool too.

[Sharpfish]

I recorded it also.. will watch it later after I stop my inane posting.

Wouldn't mind seeing that "History of video games" either. Darling Brothers and Oliver Twins were inspirational to me back in the Spectrum days (along with Raffaele Cecco, Matthew Smith and musos Chris Huelsbeck, Timothy Follin to name just a few). There was a definite star quality about these guys to a young "wannabe geek" like me back then that you just don't get now (apart from Maybe Carmack, Sweeny, and mostly japanese guys).
Have since worked for the Darlings and once applied to work for the Olivers (Blitz games - I have a friend who works there in design, though in all honesty I don't think the company make the best of their talents) and ever since that time my view of video gaming nostalgia has been distorted.

I recall my dept boss looking at me as if I was insane when I asked him if he could get Richard D to "autograph" my first pay slip - some people just don't understand.. I think you had to be there in the 80's to get a warm fuzzy feeling about games with colour clash. ;)

I don't think there will be a time like it again in gaming especially where the U.K (and europe) was such a powerhouse/innovator. Probably because Japanese and US companies have all but bought up the remaining hot potatoes in the U.K (ultimate/rare, psygnosis etc)

ahh.. nostalgia isn't what it used to be :)

As for Tetris. The man did good there. I was talking about this the other night with my girlfriend... will there ever be a truly new gameplay device that could take the world by storm as that did? I doubt it, but let's try and think of it anyway.. and no it is not bejewelled 10 or Zuma Xtreme ;)

[Robert Cummings]

Have I had enough vodka maybe that designs wouldn't appear so awful to me. No? Thanks a lot :) I've no idea why you've chosen to attack me just because I said Riegn of Fire was worth watching (It was on BBC1 at the same time).

In my defense:
I don't think you have a clue what it takes to make reliable sites that can be externally modified just with txt files. I happen to think they look nice actually. Of course if you want to find a similar service at that price, you'll find you can't.

[Nikster]

Thanks a lot :) I've no idea why you've chosen to attack me just because I said Riegn of Fire was worth watching (It was on BBC1 at the same time).

In my defense:
I don't think you have a clue what it takes to make reliable sites that can be externally modified just with txt files. I happen to think they look nice actually. Of course if you want to find a similar service at that price, you'll find you can't.

Lies, all lies ;) you should have been able to watch both as Reign of fire finished just in time for From Russia :D

[Fry Crayola]

I recorded it also.. will watch it later after I stop my inane posting.

Wouldn't mind seeing that "History of video games" either. Darling Brothers and Oliver Twins were inspirational to me back in the Spectrum days (along with Raffaele Cecco, Matthew Smith and musos Chris Huelsbeck, Timothy Follin to name just a few). There was a definite star quality about these guys to a young "wannabe geek" like me back then that you just don't get now (apart from Maybe Carmack, Sweeny, and mostly japanese guys).
Have since worked for the Darlings and once applied to work for the Olivers (Blitz games - I have a friend who works there in design, though in all honesty I don't think the company make the best of their talents) and ever since that time my view of video gaming nostalgia has been distorted.

I recall my dept boss looking at me as if I was insane when I asked him if he could get Richard D to "autograph" my first pay slip - some people just don't understand.. I think you had to be there in the 80's to get a warm fuzzy feeling about games with colour clash. ;)

I don't think there will be a time like it again in gaming especially where the U.K (and europe) was such a powerhouse/innovator. Probably because Japanese and US companies have all but bought up the remaining hot potatoes in the U.K (ultimate/rare, psygnosis etc)

ahh.. nostalgia isn't what it used to be :)

As for Tetris. The man did good there. I was talking about this the other night with my girlfriend... will there ever be a truly new gameplay device that could take the world by storm as that did? I doubt it, but let's try and think of it anyway.. and no it is not bejewelled 10 or Zuma Xtreme ;)


Stop that, you're making me nostalgic. There was a good interview with Cecco in last months' Games TM.

As for the last paragraph, isn't that what every puzzle maker has been trying to do since Tetris?

[Robert Cummings]

Lies, all lies you should have been able to watch both as Reign of fire finished just in time for From Russia :D Well the tetris thing was mind-blowingly boring and entirely irrelivent to me anyway... I can't see indiepath.t suddenly going to war with sony over caboodle/lumines. Or can I?

The thing is with tetris that I believe most people just DONT "GET" is that at the time, it was all about the gameboy as well.

It's the gameboy that launched tetris all over the place. It was THE thing to get and very, very casual. Suddenly mums, girlfriends and wives could get in on it too.

Nowadays handhelds have far less casual titles and aren't important any more, they are mainstream.

And mobile phones don't push gaming enough. So another tetris cannot happen IMHO. It's NOT just the game that did it...

[Nikster]

More lies :p , wasn't boring.. especially how Nintendo came to aquire the rights to handheld, I guess you need to be 'in' to all that stuff ;) I kinda liked "pirates of silicon valley" the whole it's not as straight forward as you think thing is kinda better than watching eastenders ;)

OT:- I just picked up Mutant storm from PC World for 97p WTF is all that about :eek:

[digriz]

I recall my dept boss looking at me as if I was insane when I asked him if he could get Richard D to "autograph" my first pay slip - some people just don't understand.. I think you had to be there in the 80's to get a warm fuzzy feeling about games with colour clash. ;)

I was doing some work with Archer Maclean a few years ago and my friend asked me to get his copy of Zzap64 signed where he'd gotten his name into the DropZone highscore table in the mag.

Archer just looked at me like i was a freak when i asked . But he was willing to oblige. Nice fella.

[soniCron]

Interesting that Alexy Pajitnov is stuck making match-3's himself: http://zone.msn.com/en/hexic/default.htm

Is Alexy a game design god? Apart from his only hit?

[Anatoly]

I think nothing can beat Tetris. My mom couldn't get into any of video games, but she can play tetris for hours...
As for Alexy, I think Tetris was made with a great inspiration. He is a mathematician, not a designer... I doubt that any of his other puzzles can beat tetris...
NEVER!!! NEVER!!!! NEVVEEEEERRRR!!!! :eek:

[Adrian Cummings]

Hmmm having a single hit like Tetris is very cool but hardly makes you a game design god, moreover just 'damn lucky' I guess :)

Tetris is not the end of the line either in game design there will be other hits like it someday, somehow, it's just that it prolly wont be any of yours or mine tho heh but rather somebody 'just like us' that does it in the future!.