I should have been a pair of ragged claws

Q Entertainment's Lumines has become the outstanding game of the PSP launch, and their Meteos looks to deliver a complimentary experience on the DS. Where Miziguchi's Lumines creates Rez-like synesthetic epiphanies by merging sight, sound, and gameplay, Sakurai's Meteos appears to be a more workman-like piece, true to the designer's Nintendo heritage, that looks to be a faster, more tactical puzzle game. Both titles are distinctly appropriate for their platform; Lumines provides a spectacle on the PSP, Meteos utilizes the DS touch screen for its main game mechanic. 1up has a lengthy preview of the title and a Tokyopia interview with Miziguchi provides a bit of insight into the development of Meteos. I've also dug through Meteos's Japanese web site to get more information. These translations are using Google's translation tool; while it could hardly be considered readable English, the combination of images allows you to get an idea of how the game works. Te...

With Nintendo's recent revealing of the DS lineup , Miziguchi's Studio Q released screenshots for its upcoming title, Meteos. While I was willing to give Lumines the benefit of the doubt, the studio announcing another handheld falling-block puzzle game has erased all my optimism. Take a look at the screenshot below; it is frankly embarassing. And the knife to the belly: the lead designer is none other than Kirby creator, Masahiro Sakurai . Oy vei.

Miziguchi called my bluff and did have something in the bag. While Rez was a music/shooter, his new development team (Q-Entertainment) is seemingly mixing a Tetris-style puzzle games with his electronic music vibe. SPOnG reports: [F]rom what we can make out, the player interacts with a set of blocks in order to manipulate a graphic equaliser, therefore impacting on the game?s soundtrack in some way. I'm somewhat disappointed to find that the gameplay appears to be one of the least interesting in any gaming genre. Falling blocks is so 1988. Still, Miziguchi turned a rail shooter into one of the most enthralling experiences, so there's more than a chance he can pull through again. I'm quite disappointed that this is going to be a PSP title. With an awesome Christmas season and the DS being released, the thought of burning $400+ on a PSP just to get some personal time with Miziguchi's latest is torture on the pocketbook.