Self-introduction.

[z-flo]

Hi, I'm z-flo.

I won the 2007 Tetris Cup in Hawaii, although I haven't won a single "first to ten" series since.

I was on TC for a while, but very suddenly lost interest at one point.

I have returned in hopes of learning Tetris again from the ground up.

Nice to meet you all.

[jujube]

hey z-flo, good to see you. you're living in Japan now?

[z-flo]

hey z-flo, good to see you. you're living in Japan now?

Yessir. Been here since mid-February. I've played on a TGM2 and a TGM3. Had a couple awesome Battle series with a friend of mine. Joysticking is hard.

[hienwa]

cool our second member from japan. is tetris big there?

[z-flo]

I'm from Hawaii, though I live in Japan.

While I can't speak for the Japanese arcade scene as a whole, from what few game centers I've been to, it seems like Tetris isn't as big as it could or otherwise should be. Many centers have entire floors dedicated to certain genres or even specific games altogether (quiz games, Gundam games, etc.), while TGM cabinets can be found bunched in with the other mass-produced cabinet games.

[Rosti_LFC]

While I can't speak for the Japanese arcade scene as a whole, from what few game centers I've been to, it seems like Tetris isn't as big as it could or otherwise should be. Many centers have entire floors dedicated to certain genres or even specific games altogether (quiz games, Gundam games, etc.), while TGM cabinets can be found bunched in with the other mass-produced cabinet games.

Word from Japan is that it at least isn't as big as it was a couple of years ago.

Still, doesn't surprise me that they don't have an entire floor dedicated to Tetris. I wouldn't expect it to be as big as the entire fighters and shmups genres.

[z-flo]

I'll put it to you this way. While one major game center company is actually RAISING the base price of their games (from 100 to an incredibly inconvenient 120), the last time I played Tetris in the arcades was at a 50-yen place. Even then, the game was kind of hard to find.

[Rosti_LFC]

I'll put it to you this way. While one major game center company is actually RAISING the base price of their games (from 100 to an incredibly inconvenient 120), the last time I played Tetris in the arcades was at a 50-yen place. Even then, the game was kind of hard to find.

Well, arcade games tend not to have a particularly long shelf-life unless they're regarded as classics, and TGM3 was made in 2005, so it wouldn't surprise me if they weren't a little towards the rarer side.

[z-flo]

I take it the likelihood of a TGM4 is slim?

[Rosti_LFC]

I take it the likelihood of a TGM4 is slim?

Possibly. I'm not really sure.

If I'm honest I'm not sure what they can really do to make it harder aside from just adding gimmicks. Considering only three people have managed to beat TGM3, it's likely that if they make TGM4 much harder then nobody will be able to complete it.

[z-flo]

Rotate the play field 90 degrees every seven Tetrominos.