Meteos first impression • Gaming • DS • Eurogamer.net

pjmaybe 13 Apr 2005 11:00:16 70,666 posts
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Alrighty then! Meteos finally turned up from Play Asia (bless their little cotton socks) and fortunately I just happened to have my DS in work with me...

So I've just been having a quick go (thanks to Rhythm and his rather timely find) and...

Hell, this is definitely a DS killer app. It's simple, horribly horribly addictive and just when I'd managed to wrestle the DS out of Mrs Peej's hands now she's bored with Zoo Keeper I'm going to lose it all over again.

It's a pretty simple lumines/tetris/columns-esque puzzle game but graphically nice, sonically very nice and as per usual horribly addictive as these games always are.

So far the japanese text etc doesn't seem to be too much of a problem though certain things happen from time to time and you think "Whuh?"

Well worth an import, or at the very least well worth grabbing as soon as it hits the US (we'll probably still be waiting for it this time next year)

Shipping from play asia took about 12 days, no hit for import duty or anything, and 25 quid.

Peej

hulahoops 13 Apr 2005 11:08:06 2,311 posts
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It does sound good...

What's the situation language wise? Much Japanese text?

hulahoops 13 Apr 2005 11:20:40 2,311 posts
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Hyoushi wrote:
Blanko, the menus are in both kanji and kana. Startrip mission descriptions are all japanese. Ending texts have furigana on the kanji.

So basically no english at all.

Is that a problem, or is it simple enough for it all to make sense anyway?

hulahoops 13 Apr 2005 12:00:05 2,311 posts
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Hyoushi wrote:

BlankOBlank! wrote:

Hyoushi wrote:
Blanko, the menus are in both kanji and kana. Startrip mission descriptions are all japanese. Ending texts have furigana on the kanji.

So basically no english at all.
Is that a problem, or is it simple enough for it all to make sense anyway?
Well. I don't know really, since I at least read the kana and some of the kanji. But you'll figure it out I guess. It works for wasp, and he doesn't read japanese IIRC.

Oh OK, ta.

pjmaybe 13 Apr 2005 12:02:36 70,666 posts
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BlankOBlank! wrote:
Is that a problem, or is it simple enough for it all to make sense anyway?

Nahhh not really. I can get on OK with it. I know absolutely bugger all about Japanese and using that link in the first post I was able to suss out most of it. It does hamper you a bit when you don't get a heads up on gravitational pulls etc, but after a couple of hours play I haven't got to a point where I've thought "What the FUCK!" yet.

Lovely little game though, very nice little demonstration of what the DS is best at.

Peej

binky Moderator 13 Apr 2005 12:14:55 11,163 posts
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Better than Polarium?

I'm thoroughly bored/frustrated with that now.

pjmaybe 13 Apr 2005 12:46:18 70,666 posts
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Abner Cadaver wrote:

binky wrote:
Better than Polarium?
Yeah, a lot better. There's no comparing the two. Meteos is perfect.

So far even from a quick play, yeah I'd agree.

Polarium's good but it does get a bit boring and frustrating very quickly (and challenge mode does my head in!)

Meteos is a bit more immediate and with a much nicer tutorial section for starters. Plus it feels like a DS game too, something you wouldn't see anywhere else.

Peej

pjmaybe 14 Apr 2005 08:37:26 70,666 posts
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Oh well after an evening of playing this...

GET IT!

Fuck Polarium, fuck Project Rub, and yes, fuck even Zookeeper in its bloated whale-like arse...

Get Meteos and you'll be wondering if it's possible to hardwire the cart into your brain to cut out the startup time...

Many things have been said about killer apps for the DS.

Meteos is it.

Peej

Salaman 14 Apr 2005 08:58:11 24,162 posts
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Stop tempting me!
Not getting some japanese import.

I refuse to cross the line into geekhood without a fight.
/digs in claws

mentat 14 Apr 2005 09:09:07 5,613 posts
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is it available in the US yet?

pjmaybe 14 Apr 2005 09:22:22 70,666 posts
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Reader review here

Oh and cheers for the recommendation Hyoushi, you were indeed correct, it's bloody fantastic.

And anyone who's having second thoughts because of the language barrier - don't! If I can suss it out in 5 mins flat without a guide then you can.

Peej

binky Moderator 14 Apr 2005 10:04:03 11,163 posts
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Damn you Peej!!! DAMN YOU!!!!!

/shakes fist

pjmaybe 14 Apr 2005 10:09:29 70,666 posts
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Hyoushi wrote:
Correction to your review, Peej: Meteos was not done "by the same team that did Rez". It's the brainchild of Masahiro Sakurai. The only relation it has to the Rez team is that Tetsuya Mizuguchi heads Q Entertainment.

Cheers, must've misread that somewhere - hang on a minute, it was in Tom's review...

Same team as Lumines, right?

Oh well doesn't matter - some of the soundtracks are very "rez" like imho, and the game is easily as slick and pleasing to play.

Ab, good point about the star trip levels. I've only dabbled - as far as I can see there's that survival mode you're talking about where you can switch modes to attack one planet in particular (whichever poses the greatest threat)

Most of the jap/english translations and help guides aren't a lot of help (including the one posted in this very thread which made some mistakes about menus) - But for the most part you can figure it out enough to get some seriously good gameplay out of the game.

Peej

pjmaybe 14 Apr 2005 10:22:32 70,666 posts
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Arr OK I'll be slightly more careful about how I phrase things in future, thanks.

Odd though isn't it that the PSP is capable of all those whizzy 3D graphics, yet its killer app could quite happily run on a Gameboy with little fiddling

Peej

Machiavel 11 Jul 2005 10:27:11 5,964 posts
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Damn, this game is addictive. Received it on Saturday from Canadian VG+ (impressive service actually, ordered on Monday and carefully packaged to look like a gift from a friend) and although I'm not completely on top of the mechanics I'm finding it a lot of fun. The pace is usually so furious that I can't quite understand why sometimes when you link three meteos in a falling section they blast the whole section away, and other times not.

Seem to be a host of unlockables though I can't see the point in playing the mission games, since it's not even clear if you receive meteos points on completion.

Definitely worth picking up for (including packaging) �23!

pjmaybe 11 Jul 2005 10:32:08 70,666 posts
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Yup very good game. I wonder how long us "euro scum" have to wait for a release over here tho.

Peej

asphaltcowboy 11 Jul 2005 11:46:18 5,157 posts
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pjmaybe wrote:
fuck even Zookeeper in its bloated whale-like arse...

Possibly a quote too far there peej! That said, I can't WAIT for this! (and yes, I am waiting for a Euro release

)

Machiavel 11 Jul 2005 11:59:22 5,964 posts
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Madness! I'm seriously tempted to get the Kirby thing 'before the proper Euro time' as well.

/dreams of trying a four-player Meteos

Hullfire 14 Jul 2005 12:36:48 7 posts
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Quick question for you all..

Meteos, although fantastic, seems only to use your DS profile name on the highscore table (as in it doesn't give you the option to enter a name).

This is pissing my lovely wife off no end, as she obviously wants her name to be at the top of the highscore table instead of mine (just like in every sodding Zookeeper mode then).

I can't seem to find either;

a) A way to have more than one profile on the DS itself
b) A way to change the profile name on Meteos

Does this mean I'll have to change the DS profile name every time the missus plays the game? Or is there some setting somewhere I'm just not seeing?

Cheers in advance for any help you can give.

technos 14 Jul 2005 12:42:49 1,345 posts
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Nope, you can't change the name.. other than how you described. Would probably be less hassle to get another DS+Meteos.

Machiavel 14 Jul 2005 13:04:45 5,964 posts
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Another (minor) grumble - the stats don't record your impressive multiplayer victories if you're the only one with a cart! This sort of "I'm better than you because you haven't had much practice" is what multiplayer is all about

And anybody have any tips for 1000 meteos challenge? I've yet to get more than 500! (Apart from be less suckier, of course)

Time War:
2:00 36,540
5:00 68,650
100 meteo 28:56
1000 meteo not completed!

Hullfire 14 Jul 2005 13:46:57 7 posts
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technos wrote:
Nope, you can't change the name.. other than how you described. Would probably be less hassle to get another DS+Meteos.

That might actually be the only option. I barely have chance to have a go of the thing!

technos 14 Jul 2005 20:20:41 1,345 posts
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Machiavel wrote:
And anybody have any tips for 1000 meteos challenge? I've yet to get more than 500! (Apart from be less suckier, of course)

Start using the boost/speed-up button more, L or R should be pressed down through all the timeattacks for best results. As you start mastering that you'll have no problem whatsoever with the 1000. Seriously.

Hullfire wrote:
That might actually be the only option. I barely have chance to have a go of the thing!

You know you'll want to have two systems for multi when AnimalCrossing/AdvanceWars/MarioKart/NewSuperMarioBros (and other things I can't remember) turns up.

edit: wrong name in quote. heh

Edited by technos at 20:21:28 14-07-2005