Meteos

Meteos

North American Nintendo DS box art
Developer(s) Q Entertainment
Publisher(s) Bandai
Nintendo
Director(s) Takeshi Hirai
Producer(s) Tetsuya Mizuguchi
Designer(s) Masahiro Sakurai
Composer(s) Takayuki Nakamura
Kaori Takazoe
Platform(s) Nintendo DS
Release
Genre(s) Puzzle
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Meteos (メテオス, Meteosu) is a 2005 puzzle video game developed by Q Entertainment and published by Bandai and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS portable gaming system. The game was released in Japan on March 10, 2005, in North American on June 27, 2005, in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2005 and in Australia on November 24, 2005. In Meteos, the player moves colored piece of blocks called Meteos, launching three or more of the same colored blocks back onto the top of the screen. Q Entertainment founder Tetsuya Mizuguchi produced the game while Masahiro Sakurai designed it. Sources of inspiration for Meteos included the video game Missile Command, TV series 24, and film The Matrix.

Meteos received critical acclaim upon its release and topped Chart-Track in its first week. The game was compared to other puzzle games like Tetris and Lumines, a game for PlayStation Portable by the same developer. The game received multiple awards and nominations from several gaming publications, including the "Outstanding Performance Award" from the CESA Game Awards. Later versions of the game were released for mobile phones and the Xbox Live Arcade. A sequel for the game, Meteos: Disney Magic, was released for the Nintendo DS.

Gameplay and plot

Gameplay of Meteos, featuring the player battling three other planets.

Described as a "shoot-and-lift-up puzzle" game,[5] the core gameplay mechanic in Meteos involves players moving colored blocks, called Meteos, that fall from the top of the screen with the Nintendo DS stylus. Aligning three or more of the same colored Meteo horizontally or vertically cause them to ignite and travel upwards, and if they or any other blocks above them move off the screen they are removed from the playing area.[6] The speed and frequency of falling Meteos can be slowed down or sped up by adjusting the "Speeder" gauge.[7] Power-ups can be used, which can either help or hinder the player or opponents. One example is a giant hammer that can destroy multiple Meteos with a few swings.[8] Each Meteo that is sent out of the playing field is collected and cached in a virtual bank, where they can be used to unlock new planets, aliens, and sounds.[9] The player can choose to play as one of thirty-two aliens and their respected planets.[10]

The game features multiple game modes: the "Star Trip" mode, "Simple" mode, "Deluge", and "Time Attack". "Star Trip" mode is the game's story mode.[11] The plot of the game centers on the evil planet Meteo sending its matter, the eponymous Meteos, to other planets, killing life and destroying worlds. After three Meteos fused together and launched both themselves and other Meteos back into space, civilizations from other planets plan a counterattack against Meteo. The player travels from planet to planet on The Metamo Ark, a warship constructed out of Meteos ore. The story features branching paths, with the last level requiring the player battle and defeat the planet Meteo itself.[7][11] "Simple" mode allows the player a quick play of the game while "Deluge" is an endless mode that ends with the player dies.[11] "Time War" has two separate modes for either getting the high score while on a time limit or a race to launch as many Meteos as possible in a set number.[12] The game also includes multiplayer, where the player can send up to four others a demo to play against each other with one game cartridge.[13]

Development and release

Meteos was developed for the Nintendo DS system.

Meteos was developed by Q Entertainment and published by Bandai and Nintendo, with Nintendo publishing it in the United States.[14][15][16] It was first announced by Nintendo in August 2004. Q Entertainment founder Tetsuya Mizuguchi was producer for the game, having been producer for Sega's Space Channel 5 and Rez. Masahiro Sakurai, formerly a director to the Kirby series, served as game designer.[14] Takeshi Hirai was the director for the game.[17] The soundtrack to the game was produced by Takayuki Nakamura and Kaori Takazoe.[18] The music used for each planet ranged from classical, country, pop, Bali, and music reminiscent of Space Invaders.[19]

The game was first conceived when Tetsuya Mizuguchi asked Masahiro Sakurai to make a falling block puzzle. Believing the genre hadn't evolved since Tetris Attack, Sakurai came up with the idea to have the blocks fall and be shot back up.[17] The prototype to the game was made in three days, created by a designer, a programmer, and a graphic artist.[20] Inspiration for the game included the TV series 24, film The Matrix and Missile Command. Mizuguchi explained the camera work in 24 was the basis of coming up with a concept for a puzzle game as well the opening in The Matrix with the green computer code dripping down.[21] The beginning of the game starts with a CG video that serves as explaining the backstory to the game. In an interview with Famitsu, Sakurai explained they made it to give a better sense of the game's world.[12] The game was demoed at Nintendo's booth at E3 2005.[22] It was later nominated for "Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game" at the Game Critics Awards.[23]

The game's original Japanese release was planned for February 24, 2005.[24] It was delayed for a March 10 release due to last minute changes, with Tetsuya Mizuguchi admitting to being "reluctant" to change the date and issued an apology to fans.[1] The game was later released in the United States and United Kingdom on June 27 and September 23, 2005,[2] and in Australia on November 24, 2005.[4]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic88/100[25]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Eurogamer9/10[26]
Famitsu38/40[27]
G4[28]
GamePro4/5[29]
Game RevolutionB+[13]
GameSpot8.5/10[30]
GameSpy[31]
IGN9/10[9]
Nintendo Power9/10[32]
Nintendo World Report8.5/10[33]
PALGN9/10[34]

Upon release, Meteos received critical acclaim from video game critics, with an 88/100 from the aggregate website Metacritic.[25] By the end of the week of September 24, 2005, the game debuted at number one on Chart-Track, having only been on sale for three days.[20][35] Chart-Track's 2005 sales report for the UK placed the game in 46th for the DS category, selling around 10,000 copies.[36] By November 12, 2006, the game sold 57,880 copies in Japan.[37] The game was compared to other puzzle games such as Tetris and Lumines, the latter also released by Q Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable.[8][26][13][30][31][34]

Meteos' gameplay was generally praised. G4's Shane Satterfield called the multiplayer "engrossing".[28] Despite the positive feedback on the game, the use of the stylus was criticized, with GameSpy's Phil Theobald considering it to be the game's major flaw as it could be exploited and be taken advantage of.[11] Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell noted the issue of "scrubbing", where scrubbing the lower Nintendo DS screen quickly with the stylus would cause Meteos to link together. While not seeing it as a big deal, Bramwell described this technique as a "fundamental flaw" and would be annoying for people playing in multiplayer.[26]

A writer for GamePro felt the soundtrack was fast and too heavy on the sound effects, but thought it added to the game's pace.[29] Greg Kasavin from GameSpot described the soundtrack as "outstandingly over-the-top" and felt the game's premise justified it along with its pace.[30] Jonathan Metts from Nintendo World Report thought that fans of music would find something they like from the music selection.[33]

Awards and accolades

Meteos has received multiple awards and nominations from several gaming publications. It was named DS Puzzle Game of the Year from GameSpy and IGN in their respective awards in 2005.[38][39] It was also named Best Puzzle for the DS by GameZone.[40] It also won Best Music at the Nintendo Power Awards in 2006.[41] It was also one of thirteen games selected for the "Outstanding Performance Award" in the 9th CESA Game Awards.[42]

The game has also been listed as one of the best Nintendo DS games on Eurogamer,[43] GamePro,[44] and Nintendo World Report,[45] with Eurogamer also naming it as one of the best games of 2005.[46] In 2005, Nintendo Power placed it as #52 for their list of the best games made on a Nintendo system.[47] In 2008, Pocket Gamer named it one of the best puzzle games for the system.[48] In 2011, IGN placed it at #71 on their list of the "Top 100 Modern Games".[49] After the announcement that the Wii U would be adding DS games to the system's Virtual Console, websites like GamesRadar and Nintendo Life listed the game as one of the possible title they wanted to see made available.[50][51]

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2005 CESA Game Awards Outstanding Performance Award Won [42]
GameSpy Game of the Year 2005 DS Puzzle Game of the Year Won [38]
IGN's Best of 2005 DS Best Puzzle Game Won [39]
DS Game of the Year Runner-Up [52]
Game Revolution's Best of 2005 Awards Puzzle Game of the Year Runner-Up [53]
5th Annual Louie Awards Sleeper Hit Runner-Up [54]
The 1UP Awards Best Innovation Nominated [55]
Best Puzzle Game Nominated
GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2005 Best Puzzle/Rhythm Game Nominated [56]
Spike Video Game Awards Best Handheld Game Nominated [57][58]
Most Addicting Game Nominated
2006 GameZone Best Puzzle (DS) Won [40][59]
Best Multiplayer Runner-Up
Nintendo Power Awards Best Music Won [41]
IGN's Best of 2005 Overall Best Puzzle Game Runner-Up [60]

Sequels and legacy

On September 7, 2005, mobile gamemaker Gameloft announced that they would be bringing Meteos, along with Q Entertainment's other puzzle game Lumines, to cell phones.[61] The game was released on March 30, 2006, under the title Meteos Astro Blocks.[62] In 2006, Buena Vista Games announced they would be publishing four Q Entertainment games, including the then unannounced Meteos: Disney Magic for the Nintendo DS.[63] A sequel to Meteos, Meteos: Disney Magic follows the same basic concept as Meteos, but makes many distinct changes, the most notable being that it features Disney characters as opposed to the various alien species from Meteos. Unlike the first game, Disney Magic was co-developed by Platinum Egg and Aspect Co.[64] The Nintendo DS would be held sideways, creating a taller playing field on the touch screen.[65] Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Jack Sparrow and Winnie the Pooh are featured as contents in the vault that hold their stories are rearranged.[66] One of the biggest changes in gameplay is the ability to drag tiles left and right, unlike the original Meteos whose tiles could only be moved up and down.[65] It was released in North America on February 22, 2007,[67] and later in Europe on June 1.[66] Meteos: Disney Magic received a more mixed reception compared to the first game, with a 74/100 from Metacritic.[68]

In 2007, Hangame released Meteos Online for PC in Japan. The game was free-to-play and offered online play for up to four players. The game was also planned for release on SoftBank cell phones.[69][70] In 2008, Meteos Wars was released for the Xbox Live Arcade. The game included a two-player versus mode and customization characters.[71] The game was originally planned for an October 2008 release but was delayed to December 10.[72][73] Two expansion packs were made for the game was made as downloadable content. The "Planet Pack" was released on January 21, 2009 and the "Galaxy Pack" on March 25, both offering nine new planets for the game.[74][75] It was nominated for "Best Family Game" and "Best Competitive Multiplayer Game" for the second annual Xbox Live Arcade Awards.[76] In 2011, Chinese developer ShangDiHui released Mini Meteors, described as a Meteos clone.[77] In January 2015, the rights to Meteos and Lumines were bought from Q Entertainment by Japanese smartphone developer Mobcast.[78]

References

  1. 1 2 Fahey, Rob (January 24, 2005). "qb's Meteos delayed; Lumines to be published by Ubisoft?". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  2. 1 2 GameSpy Staff (April 19, 2005). "Nintendo Sings the Electric Blues". GameSpy. IGN. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  3. ↑ Brotherson, Corey (August 1, 2005). "Meteos blasts into UK sight". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Luke (November 21, 2005). "Updated Australian Release List - 21/11/05". PALGN. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012.
  5. ↑ Kohler, Chris (October 7, 2004). "Meteos First Look". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  6. ↑ Torres, Ricardo (March 14, 2005). "Meteos Import Hands-On". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Meteos instruction manual. Nintendo. 2005.
  8. 1 2 Harris, Craig (June 24, 2005). "Meteos - IGN". IGN. Ziff Davis. p. 1. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Harris, Craig (June 24, 2005). "Meteos - IGN". IGN. Ziff Davis. p. 2. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Introduction of alien and planet" (in Japanese). Q Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Theobald, Phil (June 24, 2005). "GameSpy: Meteos". GameSpy. IGN. p. 2. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Gantayat, Anoop (January 16, 2005). "Meteos: The Movie". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 Silverman, Ben (June 28, 2005). "Meteos Review". Game Revolution. Crave Online. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  14. 1 2 Gantayat, Anoop (October 7, 2004). "First Details: Meteos". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  15. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop (August 1, 2004). "New DS Titles!". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  16. ↑ Orry, Tom (March 29, 2005). "Nintendo will publish Meteos in the USA". Videogamer.com. Candy Banana. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  17. 1 2 Harris, Craig (May 19, 2005). "E3 2005: Meteos Interview". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  18. ↑ Greening, Chris (April 13, 2013). "Takayuki Nakamura Profile". VGMO. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  19. ↑ G4TV Staff (March 9, 2005). "Tetsuya Mizuguchi Speaks!". G4. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  20. 1 2 Edge Staff (September 27, 2005). "Meteos man forms new studio, talks game design". Edge. Future plc. Archived from the original on January 1, 2006.
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  28. 1 2 Satterfield, Shane (August 17, 2005). "Meteos Review". G4. Archived from the original on December 12, 2005.
  29. 1 2 GamerGirl (August 5, 2005). "Meteos Review". GamePro. IDG Publishing. Archived from the original on December 4, 2005.
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  32. ↑ Thomason, Steve (August 2005). "A Space Oddity". Nintendo Power. Vol. 194. p. 84.
  33. 1 2 Metts, Jonathan (June 5, 2005). "Meteos Review - Nintendo World Report". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  34. 1 2 Sell, Chris (September 24, 2005). "Meteos Review". PALGN. Archived from the original on March 13, 2007.
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  41. 1 2 Nintendo Power Staff (May 2006). "2005 Nintendo Power Awards". Nintendo Power. Vol. 201. p. 54.
  42. 1 2 "9th CESA Game Awards" (in Japanese). 2005. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
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  47. ↑ Michaud, Pete (January 2006). "NP Top 200". Nintendo Power. Vol. 199. p. 43.
  48. ↑ McFerran, Damien (November 11, 2008). "The 10 best DS puzzle games". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
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  52. ↑ IGN Staff (December 2005). "DS Game of the Year". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 4, 2006.
  53. ↑ Ferris, Duke (December 31, 2005). "GR's Best of 2005 Awards". Game Revolution. Crave Online. p. 6. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  54. ↑ NWR Staff (December 30, 2005). "The Planet GameCube Louie Awards 2005". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  55. ↑ Pinckard, Jane (February 8, 2006). "The 1UP Awards". 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012.
  56. ↑ GameSpot Staff (December 16, 2005). "GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2005 awards kick off". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  57. ↑ Bangeman, Eric (October 26, 2005). "2005 Spike Video Game Awards nominees". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  58. ↑ Carless, Simon (October 25, 2005). "Spike TV Announces Award Nominees, Presenters". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  59. ↑ Kombo (January 7, 2006). "Best Multiplayer 2005". GameZone. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  60. ↑ IGN Staff (January 2006). "Overall Best Puzzle Game". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 26, 2006.
  61. ↑ Choi, Dan (September 7, 2005). "Gameloft to port Lumines & Meteos to cell phones in 2006". Joystiq. AOL. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015.
  62. ↑ "Review - Meteos Astro Blocks" (PDF). Hardcore Gamer Magazine. Vol. 2 no. 11. DoubleJump Publishing. May 2007. p. 31. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  63. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (April 27, 2006). "Lumines for PS2, new Meteos". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  64. ↑ Fletcher, JC (March 19, 2007). "Meteos Disney Magic outsourced". Joystiq. AOL. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015.
  65. 1 2 Kohler, Chris (October 19, 2006). "Impressions: Meteos Disney Magic". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  66. 1 2 Orry, James (May 24, 2007). "Meteos: Disney Magic Euro launch next week". Videogamer.com. Candy Banana. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  67. ↑ jkdmedia (February 22, 2007). "New Screenshots for Meteos: Disney Magic". GameZone. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  68. ↑ "Meteos: Disney Magic for DS Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  69. ↑ Spencer (January 24, 2007). "Introducing Square-Enix's new online game: Concerto Gate". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  70. ↑ Spencer (September 16, 2007). "Meteos Online going portable". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  71. ↑ Ransom-Wiley, James (August 27, 2008). "Meteos Wars to shower XBLA [update]". Joystiq. AOL. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012.
  72. ↑ Chester, Nick (December 8, 2008). "Meteos Wars hitting XBLA this Wednesday for 800 MS Points". Destructoid. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  73. ↑ Meunier, Nathan (December 8, 2008). "Meteos Wars Hits XBLA This Week". The Escapist. Defy Media. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  74. ↑ Spencer (January 21, 2009). "More Planets Wage War In Meteos". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  75. ↑ Williams, Bryn (March 25, 2009). "Meteos Wars DLC Now Available". GameSpy. IGN. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  76. ↑ r_pad (February 26, 2009). "Microsoft Announces Second Annual Xbox Live Arcade Awards". G4. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  77. ↑ Caolli, Eric (May 31, 2011). "Meteos Clone Releases To iPad". GameSetWatch. UBM plc. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  78. ↑ Handrahan, Matthew (January 27, 2015). "Mobcast acquires Lumines and Meteos IP". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
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