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It's Meteos... with a little bit of Tinkerbell dust. Is it worth a second launch?
March 15, 2007 | 9:47 AM PSTIf you’re a Walt Disney and/or Meteos fan, then your dream may have come true. Um, okay, so maybe not many of you have dreamed about this, but we're talking about a Disney-themed Meteos -- which is precisely what we’re getting in the form of Meteos: Disney Magic -- Q Entertainment’s latest puzzle title. For those who lack the necessary common sense (and we’re going to assume there aren’t many out there for the sake of humanity), this title mixes the addictive puzzle gameplay found in Meteos with the charm and magic that only Walt Disney can offer. But does this pseudo-sequel have enough new additions to guarantee a purchase from hardcode Meteos fans, or is it just an opportunity to cash in on an already successful license? Well, it may be a little bit of both.
Facts and Features:
Ready to Launch
First, let’s get things straight. If you played the original Meteos -- published by Nintendo, and released in 2005 -- then you are really not missing out on anything here. No, seriously, the first one is still great after all this time. However, if you are new and/or are one of the people who thought that the original looked a bit too generic or difficult, then a bit of Tinkerbell dust is all the incentive you need to try this interesting puzzle out.
Meteos: Disney Magic has the same structure of the original. Blocks will fall from the top of the screen, and you form groups of three or more blocks to fire them up into the air. Basically, clear the screen like you do on Puzzle League or Tetris, only instead of making lines disappear, you’ll be throwing the blocks up the air, fighting against a little force we like to call gravity. This is where the gameplay gets interesting. Horizontal lines (formed by blocks in horizontal order) will fly a bit slower than Vertical lines (naturally, formed by blocks in vertical order). Also, as mentioned before, gravity plays a crucial role here -- if the impulse wasn’t strong enough, the blocks will start falling again, so you better start creating another line to push up the line that’s falling. Also, if there are many blocks on top of the line you made, it will obviously be heavier -- so gravity will work against you. Sounds confusing? It’s not. Sounds frantic? It totally is. But that’s exactly what makes the game so compelling.
Meteos: Disney Magic has everything the original had plus one big modification: the way you move blocks. In the original, you could only move blocks vertically, but in Disney Magic, you can now move any block horizontally. Most gamers might welcome the change (especially considering how difficult the game got in the latter stages), but those hardcore Meteos fanboys might start grinding their teeth thinking that this world is unfair. But Meteos: Disney Magic also has an unlockable difficulty, which is based on the original “vertical only” rules, and when you play the game with this difficulty settings, that’s when you’ll think: “Oh, so that’s why they added horizontal movement.” Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Part of Meteos world?
That’s not the only change, either. Some improvements are part of this pseudo-sequel as well. For instance, you’ll have more viewing space because now you’ll play with your DS in a vertical fashion, giving you more room to see. You still use your stylus to move the blocks, but now there are some special powers that are implemented a la Puzzle League, like Boost and Slow. You don’t need to be a genius to deduce that “Slow” reduces the block speed and that “Nitro Boost” makes the blocks go off like there’s no gravity force against you. Oh, and there’s also an extra “power up” in the expert difficulty, which will allow you to move the blocks horizontally for a short period of time. Again, when you play it on expert difficulty, you'll be thankful that this was implemented as a default setup in the normal difficulty. We know we are.
Disney Magic? Eh.
Meteos: Disney Magic is a game based on, well, the magical world of Disney. Having said that, the game still lacks that Disney variety that games like Kingdom Hearts offered, and that’s where we kind of have a problem. For instance, there’s quite an interesting mix of Disney licenses in this game: some of them fan favorites like The Lion King and The Little Mermaid -- but others that aren’t so “favorites” like Lilo & Stitch. Now before you Lilo & Stitch fans start getting riled up, there’s simply no denying that franchises like Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, or even Pocahontas are simply more charming than the former. We could keep going on about how much more appropriate would’ve been to see Sleeping Beauty and Snow White characters than Lilo, but in the end, we realize that this “Disney Magic” is just an excuse to adorn the gameplay with a new coat of paint, and why should we mind if the meat of the game is its fantastic gameplay, anyway?
The game has several game modes for you to enjoy. The main one is the Story mode, in which you’ll find out how the “Disney Stories” have been altered, and how it’s up to you to fix them. Sounds interesting? It shouldn’t, because puzzles aren’t really known for storylines anyway. The next mode is Challenge mode, where you can play against a pre-established high score, or simply race against the clock. There’s a multiplayer mode too, which offers your friends a download option for them to play, in which you will also use special powers against each other. You will also get some unlockable Disney artwork, so if you’re a Disney collector, you’ll probably want to get them all. Nothing impressive or earth-shattering, but still a cool little bonus.
The Magical World of Meteos
Meteos: Disney Magic is at its core, the same addicting game that Meteos was back in 2005. Its improvements over the original are minimal -- it’s a bit friendlier for new players, it offers a better viewpoint -- but in the end, it doesn’t offer enough new material to guarantee an investment if you already own the first game. Make no mistake, though -- Meteos: Disney Magic is still a highly recommended, extremely addictive puzzler that has plenty of content to enjoy. The only real problem is that its “Disney Magic” is quite shallow, so if you’re buying this game specifically for it alone, then you’d be better off spending your money on The Little Mermaid DVD.
-- Miguel Yanez
Facts and Features:
- The classic Meteos formula fused with Disney magic!
- Fast paced puzzle action!
- Added “Horizontal Movement” for normal difficulty.
- Addictive multiplayer action!
Ready to Launch
First, let’s get things straight. If you played the original Meteos -- published by Nintendo, and released in 2005 -- then you are really not missing out on anything here. No, seriously, the first one is still great after all this time. However, if you are new and/or are one of the people who thought that the original looked a bit too generic or difficult, then a bit of Tinkerbell dust is all the incentive you need to try this interesting puzzle out.
Meteos: Disney Magic has the same structure of the original. Blocks will fall from the top of the screen, and you form groups of three or more blocks to fire them up into the air. Basically, clear the screen like you do on Puzzle League or Tetris, only instead of making lines disappear, you’ll be throwing the blocks up the air, fighting against a little force we like to call gravity. This is where the gameplay gets interesting. Horizontal lines (formed by blocks in horizontal order) will fly a bit slower than Vertical lines (naturally, formed by blocks in vertical order). Also, as mentioned before, gravity plays a crucial role here -- if the impulse wasn’t strong enough, the blocks will start falling again, so you better start creating another line to push up the line that’s falling. Also, if there are many blocks on top of the line you made, it will obviously be heavier -- so gravity will work against you. Sounds confusing? It’s not. Sounds frantic? It totally is. But that’s exactly what makes the game so compelling.
Meteos: Disney Magic has everything the original had plus one big modification: the way you move blocks. In the original, you could only move blocks vertically, but in Disney Magic, you can now move any block horizontally. Most gamers might welcome the change (especially considering how difficult the game got in the latter stages), but those hardcore Meteos fanboys might start grinding their teeth thinking that this world is unfair. But Meteos: Disney Magic also has an unlockable difficulty, which is based on the original “vertical only” rules, and when you play the game with this difficulty settings, that’s when you’ll think: “Oh, so that’s why they added horizontal movement.” Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Part of Meteos world?
That’s not the only change, either. Some improvements are part of this pseudo-sequel as well. For instance, you’ll have more viewing space because now you’ll play with your DS in a vertical fashion, giving you more room to see. You still use your stylus to move the blocks, but now there are some special powers that are implemented a la Puzzle League, like Boost and Slow. You don’t need to be a genius to deduce that “Slow” reduces the block speed and that “Nitro Boost” makes the blocks go off like there’s no gravity force against you. Oh, and there’s also an extra “power up” in the expert difficulty, which will allow you to move the blocks horizontally for a short period of time. Again, when you play it on expert difficulty, you'll be thankful that this was implemented as a default setup in the normal difficulty. We know we are.
Disney Magic? Eh.
Meteos: Disney Magic is a game based on, well, the magical world of Disney. Having said that, the game still lacks that Disney variety that games like Kingdom Hearts offered, and that’s where we kind of have a problem. For instance, there’s quite an interesting mix of Disney licenses in this game: some of them fan favorites like The Lion King and The Little Mermaid -- but others that aren’t so “favorites” like Lilo & Stitch. Now before you Lilo & Stitch fans start getting riled up, there’s simply no denying that franchises like Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, or even Pocahontas are simply more charming than the former. We could keep going on about how much more appropriate would’ve been to see Sleeping Beauty and Snow White characters than Lilo, but in the end, we realize that this “Disney Magic” is just an excuse to adorn the gameplay with a new coat of paint, and why should we mind if the meat of the game is its fantastic gameplay, anyway?
The game has several game modes for you to enjoy. The main one is the Story mode, in which you’ll find out how the “Disney Stories” have been altered, and how it’s up to you to fix them. Sounds interesting? It shouldn’t, because puzzles aren’t really known for storylines anyway. The next mode is Challenge mode, where you can play against a pre-established high score, or simply race against the clock. There’s a multiplayer mode too, which offers your friends a download option for them to play, in which you will also use special powers against each other. You will also get some unlockable Disney artwork, so if you’re a Disney collector, you’ll probably want to get them all. Nothing impressive or earth-shattering, but still a cool little bonus.
The Magical World of Meteos
Meteos: Disney Magic is at its core, the same addicting game that Meteos was back in 2005. Its improvements over the original are minimal -- it’s a bit friendlier for new players, it offers a better viewpoint -- but in the end, it doesn’t offer enough new material to guarantee an investment if you already own the first game. Make no mistake, though -- Meteos: Disney Magic is still a highly recommended, extremely addictive puzzler that has plenty of content to enjoy. The only real problem is that its “Disney Magic” is quite shallow, so if you’re buying this game specifically for it alone, then you’d be better off spending your money on The Little Mermaid DVD.
-- Miguel Yanez
November 20, 2009
