Customer Reviews

Meteos: Disney Magic

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Back in 2005, a year after Nintendo originally launched the successful Nintendo DS system, there have been numerous puzzle games that have either thrived, or have been a hit or miss. Although there have been some classics back on the shelves like Tetris and the loop puzzle game Magnetica, which was declared by some as a welcomed knockoff to Zuma, there is one that really was a must for any DS owner, Meteos. When the game came out, it was definitely one of the most dynamic and definitive puzzle games that shined so well, it still is addictive more than most other games. Now, a newer addition has made its way to DS owners, but can it be just as fun as it was before.

Meteos: Disney Magic for the DS, brings out a feeling of classic Disney feeling, to a addictive video game, with images of cartoons and classic movies like The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Toy Story in the background, as you work your way trying again to launch meteos into the air. Like before, the object is for you to make three of more in a row of the same color or shape, to bring blocks up like rockets into the air. The gameplay has improved well, you can now move shapes across the row horizontally, and up and down like before. The graphics and sound try to gear more to a younger audience, rather than die hard addicts of the earlier version, but it does stick to the theme of the game well. The control has improved well, when you move your stylus smoothly across the board, and without any flaws.

All in all, Meteos: Disney Magic is a very challenging game as it was before, and I definitely recommend the game a lot. I've played the original one before which was a lot of fun, and this version as a spin-off is really almost as fun as it was before, but almost as appealing to die hard puzzle addicts. It is a must for animation fans of all ages.

Graphics: B+

Sound: B

Control: A-

Fun & Enjoyment: B 1/2+

Overall: B 1/2+

I got the original meteos game for a friends birthday, later I decided to get it for me but it was sold out in walmart and ebgames so I took the easy way out and bought the disney magic meteos. I regret this!!!! unlike the original disney has levels to beat, instead of just unlocking items. These levels are SHORT and get hard fast. There is hardly anything to unlock and the story stinks. With the original you will never get stuck. Don't be lazy and take the easy way out by the original because the original deserves 5 stars

If you are a fan of the original Meteos, this takes the basic play mechanic of moving blocks up and down and also ads horizontal movement. You'd think this would make the game easier, but as the game ramps up in difficulty, you are forced to think fast on your feet.

Most of the game gets unlocked pretty quickly, but the game modes ramp up in difficulty quite a bit quicker than the original. I've yet to get through the hard mode, let alone expert mode, even though I've unlocked everything on the original.

I was thinking, from reading the instruction booklet first, that this game might be like "Dr Mario" (a game my family LOVES). Well...let's just say that I beat the whole thing by moving my stylus up and down the touch screen madly. And I did it in an hour. My son said, "this is the dumbest game I have ever played!"
Maybe I'm too stupid to get the strategy of it all. Or too impatient. I don't know. Don't waste your money...rent it first if you really want to try it.

I really like this game. It makes me feel more balanced because you can move vertical as well as horizontal while in the original Meteos you can only move vertical. I prefer this much more over the original Meteos. The graphics are great and so is the music. It really makes you feel like you're a little kid again at Disneyland.

I like this kind of puzzle game. I'm a fan of Tetris, Zuma, and a host of others. I'm also a fan of Disney, and I wanted a Nintendo DS game that was Disney-themed to play while in line at Disney theme parks for a recent trip. Enter Meteos: Disney Magic.

I'd never played Meteos before. I can say now that I understand how to play, but I played all the way through easy and normal without having a clue of what I was supposed to be doing aside from matching blocks in a Bejeweled block-swapping way. The instructions, both in-game and booklet, are not that helpful. I'm not sure if this is because they assume you've played Meteos before or because Meteos just doesn't give good instructions.

So, for anyone considering this game who, like me, hasn't played the original Meteos, this is what the game is:
1) You can move any unlocked block horizontally or vertically within its group of blocks (not across empty spaces) any number of spaces.
2) If you match 3 or more blocks, those blocks and everything above them will fly up. The blocks that matched turn into a "locked" state (and look like a platform, kind of). You can't move the blocks that matched, but you can move other blocks through them.
3) When the matched blocks fly up, any blocks (whether they're the ones you matched or not) that cross the top of the screen will disappear and presumably get added to your score.
4) Gravity is in effect, in varying levels. So, on some boards, it will take 3-4 launches to get a pile of ten blocks over the top line. On other boards, it will take 2. Vertical matches seem to launch better than horizontal matches, but vertical matches also generally carry less for you, even on a full column. (The varying gravity and launch effects are really what make each board unique and fun.)
5) The board ends either when you meet the goal (success) or when any column of blocks becomes so tall that a block that falls on top of it falls off the screen (fail). (Columns in this state flash to warn you; you don't actually lose until a random block falls on that column, but you can't see when that is going to happen.)

Sounds simple, right? Well, there's some further ambiguity. The goals on each level are things like: launch 500 blocks, launch 100 specific blocks. But, it's never clear what "launch" is. Is launch getting them above the top line? Or is launch making them into a match set so that they fly up? If it's getting them above the top line, do ones that I match that turn into the temporary "locked" state count or not? Sadly, I'm not meticulous enough to count them and get the answer to my question, and the rules are no help here. It's this kind of thing that continues to frustrate me. I even tried googling for "Meteos rules" and "Meteos tips" but I had no luck. Most people on the internet want to talk about the varying gravity on the levels rather than the goals. Again, I don't know if this is because the goals are unique to the Disney version or if it's just something Meteos players all know before they buy this game.

One other frustration point is that the game does not self-pause or go into standby if the DS is closed. That is, if you're in the middle of a level and have to close the DS, you have to remember to hit the pause key and THEN close the DS. Otherwise, the game goes on even with the DS closed. (It will also kill your battery for you.) This is REALLY annoying, and it's a basic expectation of a DS game. That's just lazy programming, to not properly consume the close event.

That problem becomes particularly bothersome when you realize that the game doesn't save your progress! Each difficulty level in story mode (the main game mode) consists of a series of boards, anywhere from 4-12 depending on difficulty, I think. You have to play through the WHOLE difficulty level in one sitting. You can't leave it and come back to it later. You can't even just pause and close the DS because it will keep the screen on and suck your battery while it's closed. I can just see the argument between a parent and child, "But MOM, if I stop now, I have to START ALL OVER and I'm almost through difficult!" Again, I feel that this is lazy programming. It does not add to game play.

Now, you may wonder why, given all my complaints and frustrations, I'm still giving this game 4 stars for fun and 3 stars overall. It is a very fun game. I wouldn't have had these frustrations if it hadn't sucked me in and had me playing it often. I love the Disney theming. They did a great job incorporating the characters into the Meteos game, and I really like watching the Disney animations. Also, there's even some logic to the gravity/launch effects; they make sense with the character in use. Also, the gravity/launch effects are consistent for each character. A Pirates-themed board behaves the same in terms of gravity/launch no matter where you encounter it or what the goal is. The gameplay does start feeling repetitive, and I think there's something bad about being able to play through as much of the game as I have, without really understanding it fully. There have been times when I've cleared levels without thinking, just randomly scooting blocks around, almost scribbling on my DS screen. (That's pleasurable, too, in its own way.)

Overall, I recommend the game, but the problems I mention are something to consider. If you're giving this as a gift, you might want to give the person a primer on Meteos, too, and warn them about the lid-closing, lest they kill their battery unexpectedly.

I am great at puzzle games but not this one. I ended up trading it in because it was too hard. If you love a huge challenge then this is for you....have fun with it and let me know how you did.

If you don't have Meteos for DS, then this Disney version is a must-have for puzzle fans. I bought it for my kids and they love it, althought it's still a bit too deep for their abilities yet. One of the most original puzzle games anywhere, and it adds new features over the first Meteos.

Now that I've played this game awhile, I love it. I think it's creative and enjoy the Disney theme. It is a challenging bugger when you first start, but that's half the fun! I haven't played the original Meteos game so I can't draw a comparison. But this has become one of my favorite games to play.

Meteos: Disney Magic is a fun game for the Nintendo DS Lite and original DS. Granted this is a product placement game based on all things Disney, so if you don't like Disney characters you might not like this concept. I personally am a Disney junkie, so I enjoyed working through the different boards. Each board is based on a Disney character theme, from Mickey Mouse, Lilo & Stitch, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and The Nightmare Before Christmas just to name a few.

The difficulty level of using all the various blocks may be too much for young children to learn on their own. In addition, the blocks start accelerating very quickly as you move through the boards. Kids who are shown how the game works and have a longer attention span can definitely be hooked on this game too. I am a grown man and I'm not ashamed to admit I loved playing through this game. Even though my gaming hours are limited these days, I still pick it up from time to time and the enjoyment level is still very high.

While this is considered a puzzle game, I'm not quite sure that description is adequate. Maybe it's more of an active puzzle game. It is certainly a puzzle game in that you have to combine similar blocks to get them to jump in tandem. If you do that in several combinations, you get points and gain some extra time. And if you use the extra rocket squares properly and at the right time, you can launch the entire grid off your screen. The trick is to move the blocks as the grid is moving down the board so you can position them to combine in more than 3 blocks and also to combine multiple combinations. Of course, if you don't make enough combinations in time, the blocks will pile up and you will lose.

True, it's possible to make combinations by accident. But if you make them by accident, it's much more difficult to make multiple combinations or completely launch all the squares, which is really the point to this game.

So this game will help you improve your hand-eye coordination. The game is designed to make heavy use of the stylus. It would have been nice if there was a way to play it using the directional controls more.

When you are playing in solo mode, the only thing that is a little underdone is the way the graphic on the non-touch screen reflects the board and game-play. Throughout most of the game-play on each board, the non-touch screen has a simple graphic of the Disney theme.

Only when you either lose or win the board is there a significant change in that screen. Yes I have gotten Winnie's head stuck in the honey pot more than once! It just would have been nicer if the graphic pane responded more to combinations or block levels on the touch screen. The graphics are good throughout, but when you end the game you get a very well done credits sequence.

And there are a few technical weaknesses in the game where it may seem to not respond to your stylus when you are on expert level, thus causing you to lose. So there are some flaws. But if you take the time to play through this game a few times, you will hopefully come to enjoy it as much as I did.

Despite a few hiccups, this is a very fun game that can be enjoyed by all, including lefties.

Pros:
+ Fun and challenging game, especially on harder settings
+ Well designed to take advantage of the touch screen
+ Great boards for Disney fans with most well known characters represented
+ Cool multi-player challenge mode to play against your friends
+ Cool combination possibilities with special blocks and setting up multiple combos

Cons:
- Graphics only minimally change with game play
- Stylus response time seems too slow sometimes on the hardest levels
- Gameplay is not obvious enough for younger kids to figure out on their own
- Perhaps less enjoyable for non-Disney fans


This is a very fun DS game even with its flaws. While you would think this one was more geared towards kids with the Disney characters, adults may enjoy it more due to challenging levels. So as long as you are into Disney characters and are a kid at heart, you will probably like this game. Give it a try and hopefully you will like it.

Enjoy!