I've been watching some match videos of TI Versus Mode lately, and now my interest has piqued on Tetris multiplayer. Which ones would you say are the best? The only one I really know about is Tetris Splash for the Xbox 360, but all I really know is that it exists and it has your standard garbage mechanic. While I'm asking, can I also ask about what is typically featured in Tetris multiplayer? As far as I know, there's a "go faster than the other guy" mode and a "send garbage to the other guy by clearing lines" mode.
Depends what you're really after. For PC at least Tetris Friends is the best official one, but it's not particularly popular with the hardcore communities. Nullpomino, Cultris 2 and Tetris Online Poland (unofficial community fork of the no-longer-supported Tetris Online Japan) are the main ones that the top players play. For consoles I'm fairly sure that basically every Tetris game made in the last 5 years has multiplayer in some form or another.
Very few tetris games have cooporative multiplayer. The following are ones I know of. 1) Tengen Tetris for NES. it has doubles mode. 2) TAP has a doubles mode 3) tetris kiwamemichi for JPS2, which has FOUR player co-op,all in the same 40 wide pit. There are probably a few others, but these are the ones I remember off hand.
TPD is the game that got me into Tetris, glad to hear it mentioned. It is the best for modes that you don't really get but are still fun. The multiplayer is awesome too.
The mechanics aren't the classic Tetris vs. mechanics, but @EIHoppe and I had a lot of fun with the BomBliss vs. mode on Super Tetris 2 + BomBliss for Super Famicom.
Tetris Battle Gaiden for Super Famicom has both absurdly imbalanced and overpowered special attacks from different characters and the optional Rensa Mode, which I am still sad to have not found in any other VS Tetris game for how much fun it is.
The Game Boy Color Version of Magical Tetris Challenge had a few interesting variants like updown, magical and harmony
