Welcome to Modojo, 
Meteos: Disney Magic Review
Written by Ryan Morgan on Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Pretty much still Meteos, easier to find than the original
Less engaging, bad music, doesn't feel as polished
Meteos is the best original puzzle design available on the DS, a blend of simple concept and addictive gameplay that nearly everyone can enjoy. Unfortunately, finding a copy is almost impossible, so it was great news to hear that Disney would be releasing a new version this spring. Now that it's out, the question is whether you should still be chasing down the original.
For those who haven't played Meteos before, it's basically another puzzler about falling blocks. What sets it apart is that lining up three or more pieces will cause the row or column to ignite, rocketing skyward and hopefully making it into orbit. The objective for each level revolves around this mechanic, such as battles where launched meteos come crashing down on your opponent's playing field. To make things even more interesting, each locale has its own physics, meaning a large stack that floats gently on one world may barely leave the ground on the next.
While the original only allowed vertical block movement, Disney Magic opens up the core design by adding horizontal motion. Equally new is the book-style DS orientation, much like Brain Age and the more recent Hotel Dusk. The resulting playing field dimensions combine with the freer movement to make this an action-packed sequel that is a lot less complicated at first glance. Unfortunately, this quickly fades into frustration as the difficulty increases through the later levels.
In addition to the movement and orientation changes, the sci-fi plot of the original is replaced with a somewhat silly tale about re-organizing the library of Disney stories. The update comes complete with a 'magic wand' cursor and 'book worlds' based on various licenses, each with unique block designs, music, and goals, as well as a simple animation for the mostly unused second screen. Sadly, due to the game's fast-paced nature, you won't get much of a chance to enjoy those animations while you're playing. This kind of oversight is quite representative of the game as a whole, as it all feels somewhat rushed and unpolished. The menus and levels are colorful, but nowhere near as uniquely pretty as the many worlds of the original Meteos. The music proves even worse, annoying and repetitive for nearly every single level. It's clear they were trying to emulate the feeling of the licenses, but they didn't succeed.
The simple downfall of Meteos: Disney Magic is that it's no longer about puzzle solving. The action is fast-paced and entertaining, but lacks the addictive quality that makes the original something still worth owning. Combine that with the cute, somewhat unpolished look and feel of a license cash-in, and you get a game that's fun to play but nowhere near as good as the source material.
