Meteos

Reviewed by Carl Custodio
December 17, 2005

Developer: Q Entertainment, BANDAI Publisher: Nintendo Consoles Available: Nintendo DS Numbers of Players: Up to 4 wireless ESRB Rating: Everyone Website: Click Here

Puzzle game fans should add Meteos to their Nintendo DS collection.

Click on image to enlarge.

The blocks that constantly fall from the sky are called Meteos. The objective is to keep your screen as clear as possible from the never-ending barrage of Meteos.

In order to do this, one needs to match up, vertically or horizontally, three or more Meteos. They can only be moved vertically, and they can be sped up. Think Tetris Attack by only being able to switch two blocks horizontally. But in Tetris Attack when one cleared some blocks they would get buggy eyed and blow up, whereas matched up Meteos launch upwards off the playing field. Once the Meteos reach the top, they clear out and attack the other opponents. If they are cleared horizontally, those Meteos will rocket upwards carrying everything above them. This can lead to very fast paced rounds, especially in multiplayer mode.

Single mode players can indulge themselves in never ending rounds, three different computer opponents, “story” modes, or challenge rounds. Within story mode, one can select from three different styles of play: random selection, tree branch, and defined objective. Challenge modes can be quantity or time-based.

Meteos multiplayer mode supports up to four persons with a single game cartridge. The only drawback with single cartridge play is the fact that statistics are not saved. Only players that have a game cartridge will be able to save statistics.

This game is very addicting for its fast paced single and multiplayer action. It's a perfect game for a quick “fix”. As one unlocks the additional content, the return on investment is amplified. I would recommend this game regardless of retail price.

Screenshots (click image to enlarge):