Meteos (Nintendo DS, 2005)

Meteos is a great all around puzzle game. It is a bit of a twist on the typical tetris-style games. The game is fairly easy to pick up and very addictive once you get the hang of it. Basically, blocks fall from the top of the screen, you match colors, line the blocks up and then launch them upwards in order to clear the screen.
Likes: Fast paced and entertaining. Good for a quick game or a more lengthy "star trip". Nice graphics and presentation. Intuitive use of the stylus.
Dislikes: The game doesn't seem to save personal scores by name, rather you just see a generic "high score" in different levels. Unlike Tetris-DS, the game doesn't offer many variations on the basic game, rather just different missions with the same gameplay.

This is by far my #1 DS game. My brother and I can't go for a day without playing it at least once. I got this game because of Lumines was a game I liked a whole bunch and I wanted to see what other things the creators could do for a puzzle game. The action is fast and addicting, and when you play it you can see yourself getting faster and better at it as time goes by.
Right now my brother and I are vying for the top of the 2-minute time attack leader board. We used to think 40,000 points was incredible just a short months ago, but now we're setting records in the 70,000s.
If you like puzzle games like Lumines or enjoy quick acting games like Guitar Hero, get this, you won't be disappointed.

Meteos is an entertaining puzzle game. It is a relatively simple format, but you get to use the Nintendo DS' bottom screen, and the stylus for game play. Medeos blocks rain down from the top screen at different rates of speed and to multiple columns.The audio makes this game seem more intense, because you are running out of time, to launch the blocks up to the top screen. It has different levels of gameplay and speeds to master. It is addicting like Tetris, and Lumines. I wanted a game for my Nintendo DS that actually used the double screen. Fun game for adults or kids, give it a try, it is reasonably priced, and totally addicting.

I've been a puzzle gamer for a while now, years really, and love games like Tetris Attack (now known as Planet Puzzle League) the original Tetris, Jewel Quest, Kirby's Avalanche, the best of the best. As for Meteos I can truly say I enjoy this game, but it seems as if Intelligent Systems went a bit overboard. Unlockable and collection systems rivaling that of Super Smash Brothers, plenty of game modes, complete difficulty options... While the game plays smoothly and IS addicting, I personally just wanted to get to the action, thus feel like all these other features are wasted. Even the differences between character selection (yes, you can choose your player type) and choice of paths to Meteo feel rather useless.

Don't get me wrong, Meteos is a very fun game, it definitely deserves at least four stars and a demo by all the puzzle/casual gamers out there, but the number of features plastered over the core game play feel wasted.

Imagine concepts behind Tetris, Columns, Bejeweled, and a slurry of other 3-color matching game with increasing odds all rolled into one with a perfect use of the DS stylus.

Don't let screenshots of this game fool you, matching colors and launching blocks is very rewarding as you'll find yourself making split-second decisions while nearly being overwelmed by the tickling sounds of combos and bonuses, all while the music changes and reacts to your every move.

This game is the perfect pick-up-and-play game, and every point you earn gets added to long-term bonuses that you can browse through, purchase with game-awarded points, and combine on your own.