3D Tetris - All Virtual Boy Games

[Cube]

Nester’s Funky Bowling

• NA release: 26th February 1996
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: Saffire
• Publisher: Nintendo

The North American bowling game uses a mascot that was only known in North America: Nester from the Nintendo Power magazine. While the game could really have used any cartoon character, it does add a lot of charm to the game. After you bowl, you get presented with a split screen with the pins on the bottom and Nester’s (or his sister’s) reaction on the top, giving the game a bit of personality. On top of this, it also has plenty of the fun animations you get from bowling alleys for splits, misses and strikes.

As a bowling game, it functions quite well. It’s slightly simpler than Virtual Bowling, with no accuracy setting, but the pins react in a much more realistic way. This, combined with the presentation, makes it quite enjoyable.

Fun

Remake or remaster?

There’s plenty of bowling games.

[Helmsly]

13 hours ago, Cube said:

The North American bowling game uses a mascot that was only known in North America: Nester from the Nintendo Power magazine.

Hypothetically, had the Virtual Boy come out in the UK and they had thought about bringing this game here as well, I wonder if they would have changed Nestor to Seal from Nintendo Magazine, being as we never got Nintendo Power here.

[Jonnas]

On 3/27/2025 at 9:39 AM, Cube said:

 

I know I'm a bit late to this, but... what the actual hell is this boxart!? The girl in the middle looks like an off-model animation frame. Did someone send an early draft in the mail by mistake? And then forced a colourist to make the best out of it? Good grief!

[Cube]

3D Tetris

• NA release: 22nd March 1996
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: T&E Soft
• Publisher: Nintendo

The final published game for the Virtual Boy is a version of Tetris specifically designed for the Virtual Boy. Yet, despite being Tetris in an extra dimension, the Virtual Boy actually hinders this one as the depth does not help in any way. Luckily, the game has various ways of making the puzzle look clear, but it highlights how the depth is not integral to the game play – this kind of concept was done in the non-Tetris-affiliated Blockout.

The problem with 3D Tetris is that it’s either too slow or too difficult. There’s very little middle ground between it being slow with simple shapes to going fast with really difficult to use shapes, some of which aren’t even individual blocks (one, for example, is four individual squares with one empty space between each other). In that very brief middle period, the game is enjoyable, which shows the concept can work, but it just takes too long to get there and then it is over very quickly.

Poor

Remake or remaster?

The idea should be revisited.

[Dcubed]

I've never really liked Blockout, but I don't think that the idea has no merit.  I think a top-down Tetris game could be really cool if they nailed the speed and controls (Both of which have always been bad in historical versions of Blockout).

Shame that TTC has never really revisited the concept since.

[Jonnas]

This 3D Tetris game kinda looks like Tetrisphere in parts. Speaking of, I would imagine Tetrisphere would actually look pretty cool in 3D.

12 hours ago, Cube said:

Also, I'm sorry, is that a block with hair and tits?