Meteos E3 Preview

Q? Entertainment’s game Meteos was nicely displayed at Nintendo’s booth this E3 showing off Nintendo’s commitment to the title which they are publishing here in North America.

The game, developed by the highly acclaimed producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi shipped in Japan last March and has been eagerly awaited here in the west by many fans. Mizuguchi’s Lumines for the PSP was a title that garnered great acclaim from critics and it is expected that Meteos will equal or exceed that status.

The gameplay is simple, using the DS stylus, you drag the “Meteo” blocks that fall up or down in their respective columns until they match with three, four or more blocks in the same row. The result of this will launch that section and what’s above it into the air. If you continue to match blocks in the airborne section, it will launch even higher and go off-screen.

Gravity is also a factor in the game, as different planets will have different gravitational fields, therefore affecting the boost of how high your blocks will rise when you match them up. Lighter is not necessarily better either, as blocks will descend slowly after being boosted which can adversely affect the space you have in your bin. If you the blocks stack all the way to the top of the bin, then the world will explode and you’ve lost.

Controls are pretty simple as it is primarily the stylus that players will rely upon to control the action. Graphically, the game is simple looking with the lower screen used for the main game and menus and the top screen used for interesting cinematics that play between planets or during the game itself.

There are a couple of play modes available for use. There is of course a simple straight-forward game that takes you right into the action and allows you to play a “marathon” of increasing difficulty. Then there is even a story mode that lets players progress through different planets. Some types of progressions involve goals that must be met on different planets in order to continue on the more difficult path, if you fail those goals, you will instead proceed to an easier path.

Due to the ambient noise, it was impossible to hear the game’s sound, but that certainly didn’t detract one bit from the experience. After a few minutes of playtime it becomes quite obvious why Mizuguchi is held in such high regard and why this game is so anticipated here. Players can look forward to a lot of time playing single player. And of course, the wireless multiplayer mode will keep players occupied for hours on end.

Meteos is due out on June 27 here in North America, stay tuned to Advanced Media for a full review on the title as soon as it becomes available.