Tetris The Absolute The Grand Master 2

Tetris The Absolute The Grand Master 2
Developer(s)	Arika
Publisher(s)	Psikyo
Platform(s)	Psikyo arcade PCB
Release	2000
Gameplay info
Next pieces	1
Playfield size	20hx10w
Hold piece	No
Hard drop	Yes (Sonic Drop)

Tetris The Absolute The Grand Master 2 is the second arcade game in Arika's TGM series. Shortly after it was released Arika offered a free upgrade to a PLUS version, which added TGM+ mode and the famous Death Mode while also creating quite possibly the longest official title for a Tetris game ever: Tetris The Absolute The Grand Master 2 PLUS.

Scoring

Unlike the first game in the series, score is completely unimportant in this main game modes. The only mode where score counts for anything is Normal mode. The algorithm is identical to TGM1, with an extra bonus added for sonic drops. The equation is:

Score = ((Level + Lines)/4 + Soft + (2 x Sonic)) x Lines x Combo x Bravo

Where:

• Level is the current level you are on.
• Lines is the number of lines you just cleared.
• (Level + Lines)/4 is rounded up.
• Soft is the cummulative number frames during which Down was held during the piece's active time. Note that this means manually locking pieces already on the ground will increase the Soft value by 1.
• Sonic is the size of the single greatest sonic drop during the piece's active time. Note that this is non-cummulative.
• If the previous piece cleared no lines, Combo is reset to 1. Otherwise and its Combo value is:

  Combo = (previous Combo value) + (2 x Lines) - 2

  Example: A double-triple-single combo will have combo values 3, 7, and 7 respectively.

• Bravo is equal to 4 if this piece has cleared the screen, and otherwise is 1.

It should be noted that Normal mode multiplies line clear scores by 6. Also, the player is given a time bonus of 1253 x Seconds where Seconds is the amount of time in seconds, rounded up, that the clear time is below 5 minutes.

Game Modes

Normal

Normal mode behaves just like Master mode in speed and timing, but stops at level 300. At levels 100 and 200 a special item block (also found in versus play) is given to the player. "Free Fall", which moves all blocks in the field down through holes (like gravity being turned on) is given at 100 and "Del Even" which clears every other row throughout the field is given at 200. The credit roll challenge is a slow 20g, but playing through it is not required for a "Clear". For this mode, all line clear are worth 6 times more than they are worth in other modes. Additionally,

Master

Master mode is Arika's upgrade to the original Tetris The Grand Master gameplay and behaves very much like that game. One of the most important differences is that the speeds continue to increase throughout the 500–999 levels, similar to but not exactly like 0–499 of T.A. Death (of TAP), as opposed to topping off at TGM's 20g mode speed. Also, a hard drop that doesn't lock was introduced, improving sub-20g play by giving birth to the Zangi-moves. The ranking system is also much less forgiving and former TGM Gm class players will find themselves struggling to make S7 or even finish for that matter. Perhaps the most infuriating addition to the Gm qualifications is an invisible challenge during the credit roll where pieces disappear immediately after being locked; topping out results in rank M. Arika is currently hosting a video showing a Gm performance: tgm2master.

Doubles

Doubles is a two player cooperative mode that puts both players in one well that is 14 units wide instead of 10. It is accessed by entering a special code, though it was made selectable from the menu in TAP.

Each player has a separate level counter, and both players must reach level 300 for the win. Though the level counter does not stop at every x99 as in standard modes, the final 299 does require a line change to 300. If one player reaches 300 before the other, he enters 20g for the rest of the game. It is quite difficult to survive for long with 20g in such a wide well, so winning requires a fine degree of coordination between the players so that they reach 300 synchronously.