Tetris The Absolute The Grand Master 2 PLUS
| Tetris The Absolute The Grand Master 2 PLUS | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Arika |
| Publisher(s) | Psikyo |
| Platform(s) | Psikyo arcade PCB |
| Release | 2000 |
| Gameplay info | |
| Next pieces | 1 |
| Playfield size | 10w |
| 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 among other things introduced the popular T.A. Death mode. The game is often abrieviated "TAP" (The Absolute Plus).
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".
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 game as opposed to topping off at TGMs 20g mode speed. 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 where pieces dissappear immediately after being locked that must be completed during the credit roll.
TGM+
Identical to Master mode in speeds and timings, but the field rises. Interestingly, unlike Shirase rising (which duplicates the bottom row), or versus garbage (which is randomly assigned to a column), the rising in TGM+ occurs in a set order and fashion that is universal across all games. No visable ranking system.
T.A. Death
Tetrominoes always drop at 20G. A video called Death 800 has floated around the Internet under the name Tetris Japan Finals. It is a video of a player reaching level 809 on death mode. This video is very popular and has been responsible for introducing many western players to the game and Arika tetris in general. Arika currently hosts 2 videos of finished Death Gm games: Death-Gm05 and tgm2master.
Ranking
The TGM1/Master ranking system is absent from the screen although both M and Gm grades are achievable. Level 500 is the turning point:
- If you reach 500 with a time greater than 3:25:00 the timer will stop, the credits will roll and you are given an "Excellent!" but no grade. (the level 500 background is not shown)
- If under 3:25:00 at 500 the M grade is achieved and the game will continue to 999.
Gm is awarded at 999 regardless of time or score. The game does continue through the credits, but winning or losing at that point has no effect.
Timings
TAP runs at 60fps and all timing is done in frame counts. As soon as the game enters 20g (immediately in the case of death mode) the following 4 values define every aspect of flow and speed. The timings for death mode are as follows:
| Level | ARE (frames) |
DAS (frames) |
Lock (frames) |
Line clear (frames) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 000 - 099 | 15 | 12 | 30 | 8 |
| 100 - 199 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 0 |
| 200 - 299 | 14 | 11 | 22 | 0 |
| 300 - 399 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 6 |
| 400 - 999 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 5 |
Doubles
A two player game that puts both players in one well that is 20 units across instead of 10. Each player has a separate level counter--neither freeze at x99. No visable grade system.