-NOWREVIEWING-
-INTRODUCTION-
It is a quirky game, to say the least. What's interesting about this is how well the quirkiness is pulled off by Bandai. The game Meteos is so unique and enjoyable that it will surely work its way into anyone's heart that picks it up for five minutes. This certainly is the case with me. I think that the perfect explanation for my feelings about Meteos is this: never far from my DS, never always in it. Although it still consistently gets play time, I have never considered it the "main" game that I am playing at any time. Is this a good thing? Read to find out.
-GAMEPLAY-
I'll go ahead and get something off of my chest right now: I'm no fan of puzzle games. Tetris DS? Wouldn't go near it. Bejeweled? What's the fuss? However, every once in awhile, a puzzle game with such tremendous gameplay will come along that it surely has me hooked in less than an hour. This is exactly the case with Meteos.
I'm not going to lie: the game's concept isn't all that intuitive. It's your basic puzzler: line up 3. However, specific elements of this game (blasting the tiles into space) keeps the fresh DS spin on an old concept.
The game immediately throws you into action. It wasn't five minutes before I found myself lining up three of the matching blocks, launching them in to outer space. What you're trying to do is line up 3 of these matching blocks. When you complete either a row or column, the connected tiles will "ignite" so to speak, and launch what's above it into outer space, attempting to cross the bottom screen into outer space, attacking the other planet. These blocks are always randomly dropping from the sky, giving you more blocks to work with. Also notable is the dial that you can turn to accelerate the falling of these blocks, should you for some reason have too few blocks to work with.
All of these, however, are affected by the planet on which you are playing. As we know from our grade school scientific studies, each planet in our solar system has different gravity. The case is the same in Meteos- you'll find blocks flying faster and higher in planets like Cavious, while when you're on Freaze, you'll have to launch many more Meteos to hit outer space!
There are a variety of "story" modes. (More just progression than story) The story behind Meteos is pretty basic, and I will not spend any time dwelling on it.
Overall, Meteos has pretty good gameplay. It gets points deducted for being such a simple concept, but gains them back through an excellent use of game elements and putting a new twist on a classic gameplay.
Rating: 9/10
-GRAPHICS-
Some may disagree with me on this one, but I have always thought that graphics are especially important in the puzzle genre. When you're playing a game with a rather repetitive concept, it's essential for a game to release some fresh eye candy to keep the user interested.
Meteos does this especially well. And I'll say something else- the game is not truly able to be appreciated until you have played it on one of the new DS Lite handhelds. The Lite's ultra bright backlite brings out every one of the game's bright, rich tones of color. You truly haven't experienced it on one of the fat original dual screened handhelds.
The blast off effects are great, and even the brightly colored menus are a great touch. If you're looking for a 2D puzzler on any system, the presentation in Meteos is downright top-notch. Thumbs up, Bandai!
Rating: 10/10
-SOUND-
Sound is not very memorable, but a recent start up of the game reminded me of how good the sound was. Sure, you might not find yourself humming it, but it's good sound nonetheless. The sound reminds me a lot of sound effects used in Kirby games. (A cross reference finds that game creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi is known for excellent music. See Lumines, Space Channel 5, and Rez.)
Also of note are the great sound effects. These, unlike the music, will immediately regsiter with you. I can still here the menu sound effects clearly in my head right now. I think that the music completes the Meteos experience, and is best heard through speakers or surround sound. (Warning: after playing it this way, you're not going to want to go back!)
Rating: 9/10
-REPLAY VALUE-
Meteos features some pretty strong replay value, since it is a puzzler. You'll find yourself playing all of the different modes, trying to beat your times and scores. As I mentioned earlier, there is also a progression mode that allows you to unlock new planets.
Also, as you destroy more blocks, they are statistaclly tracked. As these accumulate, you can fuse them to get new weapons and planets. It's a nice touch that keeps me coming back.
There is also single and multicard play. Whether or not your friends have it, you'll be playing Meteos in no time. Hats off to the developers for including this- it's one of my favorite features that the Nintendo DS offers. However, no WiFi is offered, as the infrastructure network was not available at the time that the game was released. I hate to dock the devs for this, but it is necessary.
Overall, this is a game that, after buying, will never wander far from your DS's game card slot.
Rating: 9/10
-WRAPPING UP-
Meteos is a tremendous game. Rich enviroments, mood setting sound, and great gameplay will have you hooked. The many unlockables and levels will keep you coming back for months to come. Overall, I call Meteos a must own for any DS game collector.
Final Mathematical Score: 92/100
Mathematical explanation:
Each category is given a mathematical weight, so that each category matters more than others. Obviously, gameplay is more important than sound. Also, I plan on eventually revising the weights, but here goes the current scale:
Gameplay: Weight of 4 (times score)
Graphics: Weight of 2 (times score)
Sound: Weight of 2 (times score)
Replay Value: Weight of 2 (times score)
So, the score for this game is like this:
Gameplay: 4x(9)
Graphics: 2x(10)
Sound: 2x(9)
Replay Value: 2x(9)
Add them all up, and you get... 92/100
This has been a Volsfan91 review of Meteos. Share your thoughts, comments, or opinions through private message if you so choose!
