Meteos Wars

The evil planet Meteos is laying waste to planets across the galaxy. It’s throwing different coloured blocks at them, and only you can help save them and destroy the threat. Yeah, the story behind Meteos Wars is a bit cack. But then, when you start playing you stop caring about that. The main thought in your head is “why are my thumbs so slow!”.

Meteos Wars is the latest addition to the match blocks in groups of three family of games available on Xbox Live Arcade. It’s also the most frustrating but in a “grrr, one more go” kind of way. Using just your opposable thumbs, you match up the coloured blocks into groups. When you make a match, the blocks will fire skyward, carrying up any blocks above them. If you’re lucky, you’ll blast the blocks off the top of the screen, if not you’ll have to dive in and try and make another match on the pile of blocks that are currently flying.

It’s a strange concept, because after a while you’re not only looking for matches to clear the blocks, you’re then looking for matches to make after the blocks are aloft, or for blocks you can match without too much baggage – all while bearing in mind that you can only move the blocks vertically! It’s this that makes the game frustrating in places, but you’ll always go back for one more go because you can’t let a poxy computer beat you! I have found that a lot of the time whether you win or lose is determined by how your initial three rows of blocks stack up. If you can’t find a match until a few blocks have fallen you’ll tend to find your opponent has sent a fair few blocks your way catching you on the back foot from the outset.

There are various single player modes available – I’d go for challenge mode first and play about a bit in there. The time/blocks/unlimited challenges available in there are a great place to hone your skills because even on Easy level the Mission Mode can hand you your coat and show you the door quicker than Dale Winton can say “Bring on the wall!”.

There are different planets to play along the way, with different block graphics – some of these are easier to make out than others. There is one particular block set, which has a kind of marbled look, that can be an absolute bitch to make the colours out on sometimes – and that was on a huge TV. Soundwise, the music is somewhat annoying in places but doesn’t distract you too much from the blocks, although some music over the developer idents at the beginning of the game would have been good to not make me think the sound on the TV was off!!

There is a multiplayer mode, but I couldn’t find anyone online when I tested it which was a little bit frustrating. But my thumbs needed a break by then!