"Meteos: It's the crack you can do in public"

Meteos is quite possibly the greatest puzzle game since Tetris.

Think about that statement for just a second. That's pretty big. That's REALLY big. An innovative puzzle game published by the geniuses at Nintendo which features dual screen action as well as touch screen capability? Yeah. This is definitely worth your time, as well as every penny of your purchase.

Meteos is a creative twist on a classic flash puzzle game, pumped up full of color, outstanding visuals, and innovative gameplay. In other words, this is Nintendo's next step at taking over the world.

STORY: 9/10

It's a puzzle game. Who cares about the story? Even so, Nintendo has given us fairly interesting storyline to back up this addicting game. The basic idea is that the evil planet Meteo is threatening other planets in some weird, crazy galaxy that Nintendo threw together, and it's your job to save the universe from the planet. Evil swarms of matter called Meteos flowed from the planet Meteo, zapping the life out of civilizations and threatening planets and ways of life. Civilizations discovered, however, that when three Meteos of the same type are brought together, or fused, they will launch back up towards the planet from which they came. Thus, a defense strategy was created. It's your job to act as this defense strategy for each planet, aligning the Meteos into groups of three of the same type, and launching them into space at planet Meteo.

GAMEPLAY: 10/10

If there's something wrong with the gameplay of a puzzle game, it's no longer a puzzle game. This is why several puzzle games on the market today fail. It's somewhat of a risk to release an innovative puzzle title, especially onto such a controversial system. However, fear not. Nintendo has delivered. You control little phantasms called Meteos which, explained above, are to be gathered together in groups of three of the same type and launched into space. You do so with the stylus on the touch screen. Once you have moved three of the same color into a row or column, they will launch into the sky. Once the Meteos are in the sky, you'll need to arrange them into at least one more group of three to complete the launch. If you can manage this, you'll launch the Meteos and all that were attached to it into space. Do this enough times and you'll defeat your opposing planet. Shoot for high scores and consistent wins as the going gets tough. You'll go through a series of planets, defending each of them with the Meteos. Meteos will change in appearance for each planet, so it's important that you are flexible enough to succeed regardless. Now, let's discuss the different modes of this game.

There are three gameplay modes and one tutor mode within Meteos: Star Trip (story mode), Time War, Deluge (play until you lose), and a helpful Tutor mode. Each mode will last you a long long time. I forgot to tell you, don't buy this game if you're just looking for a quick fun game to play and beat in a few hours. This game will last you months and months of fun and replay.

Also, there's the cool feature of the Fusion Room. This basically lets you fuse the elements of the Meteos you've launched in your games. You can use this fusion mode to create new features including Items, Planets, Rare Metals, and Sounds.

In short, the gameplay of this game is nothing short of perfect.

SOUND: 8/10

I'll be honest. When I play Meteos, I often times like to turn on my iPod Video and listen to random tunes. Puzzle games are perfect for such things. I don't know very many people who listen to the actual soundtrack of the game while they play it. When I do listen to it, however, it's very enjoyable, and it fits the theme of the game very well. The soundtrack is surprisingly good for a puzzle game, especially the opening theme. I have been known to enjoy video game music, and am especially partial to the old "beeps" and "clicks" of the Gameboy/NES era. However, that's not what you'll find when you turn up the volume on Meteos. A well-organized musical score that fits the theme of "Save the world from mass destruction!" will ring in your ears and inspire you to go kick some Meteo tail.

VISUALS: 10/10

Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

WIRELESS FLEXIBILITY/FEATURES: 10/10

What's that? You thought this game was fun by yourself? Ha! Just wait till you play Meteos with three other people! The Meteos wireless experience is simply brilliant. Features, modes, selections, variations...combinations are endless! Not to mention, the GENIUS feature of the DS which lets you play wireless multiplayer with only one copy of the game makes this a great experience for Meteos owners and players trying out the game.

REPLAY: 10/10

No way, man. 10/10 doesn't even cover it. I STILL play this game. It's great, it's addictive, and as I said in the title, it's like crack that you can do in public.

THE FINAL WORD: 10/10

So, ladies and gentlemen, I leave you with one question: why do you still not have a copy of this game? Click the little "X" at the top of the screen, get in your car, and take a nice drive to your local retailer. Once you purchase this game, I know you won't regret it. Thanks for your time, gamers, and keep on gaming!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/14/06