In fact, Meteos Wars doesn't do much to distinguish itself from the 2005 game it's based upon. The color-matching block puzzle mechanics are the same as they ever were, with little beyond a new, higher resolution graphical upgrade and new "Planet Impact" special attacks helping Meteos Wars stand out. Thankfully, there was little need for a change to the game's frenetic style, so we can't fault Q Entertainment for its rather rote remake.

Is Meteos worth revisiting on the Xbox 360? See what we loved and hated about the game in our micro-review.

Loved
Works Without The Touchscreen: The touchscreen controls of the Nintendo DS original obviously aren't going to work on the Xbox 360 and, fortunately, the transition to a standard control pad works just shy of splendidly. Navigate your pile of brightly colored blocks with the left stick, rearrange them vertically with the right stick (or X and A buttons). While it's not as quick or simple as using a stylus, it's serviceable — and you can adjust your cursor and block movement speeds to suit your tastes.

Great Presentation: Catchy, funky music on par with Q Entertainment's other soundtracks meets beautifully clean graphics and intuitive menus. Meteos Wars greatly benefits from more powerful hardware, giving the wee aliens from each planet a lovable style. A full suite of modes adds plenty of variety and the new accessories finally give players a chance to put a piece of meat on your character's head. Yeah, meat! On the head!

Hated
Multiplayer: Playing Meteos Wars against the CPU is a gas, but trying to find a competitor online is a struggle, let alone one who will provide a lag-free match. While it might be unfair to knock the game for its lack of an online community, be aware that you're not going to find much in the way of competition on Xbox Live. Local multiplayer works just fine, but it's limited to two players, down from the four supported by the Nintendo DS version. The new Planet Impact techniques used in head-to-head games, while they add a new layer of strategy, annoyingly interrupt your gaming flow in order to show off a superfluous animation.

Meteos Wars does right by the original, making a mostly smooth transition to the Xbox 360, keeping the original solid gameplay intact. Where it fails is in its disappointing Xbox Live multiplayer support, largely due to its barren online community and lag-prone matchmaking. If single-player and local multiplayer Meteos is all you're after, Wars does that just fine.

Meteos Wars was developed and published by Q Entertainment, released on Dec. 10 for Xbox Live Arcade. Retails for 800 Microsoft Points ($10 USD). Played all modes, online and offline.

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Is that it, Q Entertainment? No Peggle DS? Guess we'll have to wait until the dust has settled from everyone's TGS keynotes to see if Mizuguchi and crew have anything else up their sleeves.

Don't you wish game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi would've brought PSP game Lumines to the DS, instead? He doesn't have to. Germans are doing it for him! Well, not exactly. Germany's bhv Software is releasing Luminator DS third quarter 2007 in Europe. This DS title has only fifteen skins and 15 "CD quality" songs. I'm no lawyer, but it seems as though we've moved beyond flattery into the gray area of copyright infringement. Brian Ashcraft

Luminator DS [Siliconera]

This painfully awkward interview-slash-commercial for Q? Entertainment's Meteos cash-in for the Nintendo DS is as cringe-worthy as it is confusing. Look, I love you, Miz, but the once stellar name of Q? is desperately in need of something fresh. How about fewer ports and more original content? We're all out of Lumines goodwill at this point. Michael McWhertor

If sex doesn't sell games, then cookies just might. To promote Meteos Online a troop of girls in go-go boots barged in on the Famitsu offices and stuffed chocolate meteos (meteoses?) cookies in dude's faces. Hit the jump for exciting feeding pics! Brian Ashcraft

Think this guy is funny, check out the one below.

It's like he's getting a diploma or something.

Meteos Girls Visit Famitsu [Famitsu]

While the port will feature online functionality, the original was all about the stylus action, and I've heard wonderings and grumblings about the potential difficulty of playing such a monster with a mouse.

Speaking of mice and Meteos, apparently Meteos: Disney Edition came out not too long ago and according to one of the commentors at GAF, Disney Edition may have multiplayer capability too. After some poking around, I can neither confirm nor deny this, but it doesn't seem likely. Eliza Gauger

More here [Games Are Fun]

Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Q Entertainment is moving into the online realm. The good folks at Gizmodo Japan just kicked a press release our way, announcing Meteos Online and Angel Love Online. Previously appearing on the Nintendo DS, Meteos was described by Mizuguchi as a "mutli-tasking puzzle game." The online version will a six-player mode as well as extra content not featured on the DS version. Angel Love Online is a Taiwanese-produced MMORPG, and there are plans to do an online beta test in China. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Q Entertainment]

The question isn't what inspires Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, but what doesn't inspire him? Giving a speech at the Develop Conference in England, Mizuguchi stated:

You can use influences from anywhere and create anything you like. There does not have to be any shape or format, all you need is inspiration.

Case in point. Ninty-Nine Nights was inspired by the television coverage of the Iraq war and the Kurosawa film Rashoman. His puzzle game Lumines was inspired by the PSP, while Meteos was influenced by multi-tasking and the Fox drama 24. MTV music videos, surreal art, jazz and stomp all influenced Rez and Space Channel 5.

So what influences his upcoming Lumines 2? Why, the mega-selling prequel of course. Now that's inspiration. Brian Ashcraft

Mizuguchi Talks [Next-Gen]

Whoa! Excellent! Not only is Lumines getting a sequel but the excellent freeware quasi-SHMUP Every Extend (or as I like to shout along with the game as the opening screen flashes up on my PC, "Aybarrry Eggtend!") is also getting a PSP version, Every Extend Extra.

Better yet, they'll both be released Stateside by Buena Vista Interactive, a gaming company governed by the directives of the cryogenically frozen head of Walt Disney Sr. Said frozen reanimated head has also ordered the release of Meteos: Disney Edition for the DS.

Lumines Sequel Dropping on PSP [1UP]

This is so exciting! I'm going to head downtown tonight and see how old my brain is! Check the official site for a DS Download Station store near you.

Share the DS love! [Official Nintendo Site]

Best Buy [Official Site]

Now you can decide for yourself which puzzler is better. Both the Playstation Portable s Lumines and the Nintendo DS s Meteos are going to the mobile phone. Both games were designed by Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Rez and Space Channel 5) and will be ported to cellies by Gameloft. The games will hit the cell in the first quarter of 2006.

Lumines and Meteos head to mobile phones [Gamespot]