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Meteos vs. Lumines - winner?

I've played both Meteos and Lumines to death and I love them both but I have to give the edge to Meteos. While I have nothing against Lumines' long play times, Meteos just have more depth IMO and can also be played in quick bursts. Lumines beats the crap out of Meteos when it comes to style and music however. Still, both are amazing games and I hope that Sakurai and Mizuguchi expand on both series.
 
borghe said:
I disagree with your last sentence, and your contradiction exists (too much phoenix wright) in your first sentence. damn straight the game puts you into a trance. and when you go to sleep mode you pretty much lose that entire groove to come back to. Lumines in short bursts is pretty weak. luckily I like playing longer sessions of puzzle games.
That would be your own fault for playing longer then what you want, when I don't have time for long sessions i can play it for a little bit and put it back on sleep seeing how it will taking quite a while to reach my highest score. Also Vs mode another player/cpu matches go pretty fast.
 
Meteos, handily and easily. Lumines is a nice distraction, but the lack of a skin shuffle mode in the main game verily killed the experience for me.

Meteos has better (IMHO) underlying gameplay, so many more features, thus much more replay, and that Sakurai level of polish to the menus, interfact, unlockables bonuses, replay, stat tracking, etc, that just make the entire experience more rewarding.
 
I have both, and even though I love the music and graphs from lumines... it was never an addiction like Meteos. (i think it was around 25+ hours)

I think were Meteos succeeds(like some others have posted here) is in creating a awesome portable game that can be played for short burts of time.

Lumines long sessions kill the game and I got bored very easily.

Meteos FTW
 
I like both, but I like Lumines a little bit more.

Sometime I prefer playing long sessions, meteos is best suited for short bursts. (Play until it gets too hectic)
 
Lumines, by far. Not only is it more fun and addicting, it's better looking, has better presentation, and much better music. Meteos is better in multiplayer though.
 
very disappointed to see some of this has in fact turned into DS vs. PSP. just rereading through the posts and seeing some things. :(

if there are two games that even I think transcend the handheld wars, it would be these two.
 
I only own Lumines and I like it.

I didn't know people looked at Lumines as a puzzle game that required long ass playtime sessions. I use it when Im in the mood for something simple and short.

It can be as long as you like really. There are modes that last 1 minutes- 10 minutes depending on what you choose. Then there's "vs. CPU" mode and the ability to shut off the PSP and continue later.

Or it can take you quite a while if you want to...
 
borghe said:
rubbing the screen, while it certainly can save you for a couple extra seconds here and there, is hardly broken mechanic. one thing I've found in meteos is that if you are at a point where you are needing to frantically rub the screen, you are probably going down not too long after that, even if rubbing the screen buys you a few extra seconds.

it goes back to button mashing in a fighting game. the fact that you can beat matches by mashing buttons does not necessarily make a fight game bad. nor does the lack of being able to mash buttons necessarily make a fight game good. same thing with meteos. frantically scrubbing the screen is a "tactic" that will only get you so far. you will need real skill to take you the rest of the way.
But the ability to button mash and be successful in a fighting game is a design flaw, there is no two ways about it. Screen scrubing is an exploit and an unintentional method at which to succeed in the game, and I don't care how much you want to downplay it, it can be and is a successful tactic. Should we only consider it a significant flaw if I can complete the entire game with it or not?

Your fighting game analogy is perfect, because Meteos is flawed in the same manner. It's not a bad game, and it isn't ruined by this flaw, but it still exists, and is detrimental to the overall crux of the game.

elostyle said:
This is not true at all. Don't talk down on a game you don't know in depth enough, there is no way scrubbing will get you anything close to a good score.
This is just pure fanboy-ish tripe. It's so ridiculous that you would assume I not only haven't played the game enough to 'know [it] in depth', but that my criticism is completely unfounded.

Would you like to explain why nearly every single professional publication has mentioned this flaw in Meteos' design? Just because it has this flaw doesn't automatically mean anyone who points it out thinks the game is shit, nor does it mean the game is anything less than awesome. But, just as I stated to borghe, just because I can't clear the entire game through this exploit doesn't mean it should be ignored.
 
Heian-kyo said:
This is just pure fanboy-ish tripe. It's so ridiculous that you would assume I not only haven't played the game enough to 'know [it] in depth', but that my criticism is completely unfounded.

Would you like to explain why nearly every single professional publication has mentioned this flaw in Meteos' design? Just because it has this flaw doesn't automatically mean anyone who points it out thinks the game is shit, nor does it mean the game is anything less than awesome. But, just as I stated to borghe, just because I can't clear the entire game through this exploit doesn't mean it should be ignored.
Do a 2 minute timewar game using it and post your score please.

The truth is that this is the first puzzle game that allows execution of moves that quickly for this to come up. Every puzzle game before is like a fighting game that restricts you to one move per second. Doesn't mean that button mashing will get you anywhere once you're allowed more than one move per second.
 
Meteos easily, but Lumines is really nice. Sakurai's influence has definitely given the game far more longetivity as well.
 
elostyle said:
The truth is that this is the first puzzle game that allows execution of moves that quickly for this to come up. Every puzzle game before is like a fighting game that restricts you to one move per second. Doesn't mean that button mashing will get you anywhere once you're allowed more than one move per second.

There are other stylus puzzle games, btw. Check out PalmGear. Meteos is not the first. Bejeweled is a quite popular one, and gets around the "try everything" flaw by penalizing mistakes, by deducting time. There are probably ways Metoes could have addressed the flaw.

I haven't played it, so I don't know if it's as good as Lumines or not.
 
Ignatz Mouse said:
There are other stylus puzzle games, btw. Check out PalmGear. Meteos is not the first. Bejeweled is a quite popular one, and gets around the "try everything" flaw by penalizing mistakes, by deducting time. There are probably ways Metoes could have addressed the flaw.

I haven't played it, so I don't know if it's as good as Lumines or not.
You're probably right about those games. Because of the competive nature of Meteos it is simply not an issue because it doesn't get you anywhere. If this was a "reach the end" type of game then it would be a problem - but it is not. The existence of scribbling is hardly even a flaw considering that expert players sometimes move the stylus around at a rate close to what others might call scribbling. A penalty would limit top end gameplay and would be even more of a flaw considering that scribbling doesn't have any effect on the game.
 
Meteos is too boring, there needs to be a lot more variety in the stages. I love the music and the zone out effect of Lumines, so Lumines for the win.

I think of it this way: Lumines is so good that I bought a PSP at launch solely just for this game. That's like a $300+ expenditure just to play one game. I wouldn't buy a DS just to play Meteos.
 
Both are a great, but Lumines was a lot more memorable so I choose that.

I'm not certain how anyone could argue that Lumines "lacks gameplay", though.
 
Lumines for teh win. Meteos disappointed me in that it didn't hold my interest as long as Lumines did. Everyone lied to me and said it would. Bah. Boring. LUMINES IS TEH WINNAR!
 
Both games are great for the first week or two, and then trying to play them after is a chore, especially Lumines. Granted, those first few weeks were really fucking sweet, but I can't play it anymore.
 
Heian-kyo said:
But the ability to button mash and be successful in a fighting game is a design flaw
bullshit. give me any fighting game and I can mash buttons in it. can I mash buttons effectively against a skilled opponent? only in a flawed game as you mention. the fact is that as long as buttons perform moves in a fight game, you can button mash in any fight game. the success in design is that a skilled player can still smack down a button masher.

and thus the same test fails for meteos. you can "mash buttons" in meteos, but it will get you nowhere against a skilled opponent (or time itself for that fact). it might gain somebody a few extra seconds of time, but any skilled player can destroy a screen rubber, whether competitively or just in score and/or time.

screen rubbing is something that people who have little to no experience with the game bring up to make an incorrect point. the fact that it is there is insignificant being it gives no PURPOSEFUL advantage to the game. you can't use screen rubbing to do well. at best it buys you a few seconds before you die, nothing more. certainly impossible to use it as a tactic, as you and others imply.
 
I didn't play Lumines but I saw threads about it at gamefaqs showing some lame stacking method to easily rack points, dunno how it works and it looked boring with it. (@ scratching "flaw" in Meteos. I never used it.) Meh; anyways...

I don't understand the rumors about Lumines getting a sequel and on the other side a cellphone version of Meteos. WTF? Should be the other way around.
Meteos online and more customization, World leaderboards; something like: "players from all over the world launch Meteos (all counted together on a server) and at certain limits, new download content is unlocked for everyone" or something like this. Meteos has much potential which I didnt see in Lumines at first view. Revolution Meteos please.
 
meteos for me. it ramps up faster, is more original, and is so physically satisfying to play that for its duration it makes you think the touchscreen has actual worth as a gaming interface. which it doesn't, really.
 
dark10x said:
I'm not certain how anyone could argue that Lumines "lacks gameplay", though.
the argument isn't that it lacks gameply. it is that meteos is a deeper game. "lacks gameplay" implies that it is somehow deficient. it isn't. but meteos is definitely a deeper puzzle game. lumines is pretty much the classic puzzle game refined to a T. Meteos is new with new strategies and ways to accomplish things (and I am not talking about the stylus). The whole launching the blocks, and then being able to modify your launched sections on the fly, the whole "resource mining" on top of all of that. multiplayer destroys multiplayer lumines pretty much (even gives puyo pop a run for it's money).

my sole tilt for lumines is being able to play for extended periods of time. but the better (or at least deeper) game is definitely meteos.
 
borghe said:
bullshit. give me any fighting game and I can mash buttons in it.
I don't know about you, but I've tried button mashing in VF4, and it is without a doubt the most futile effort ever, even against the A.I. Maybe, maybe I can get a couple hits in, but I wouldn't come close to winning even a single round, let alone a match.

I'm not the biggest fighting game player, so I can't speak that indepth about other titles. I have tried Tekken 5 though, and button mashing seemed kinda useless in that as well, though it still did seem to be quite successful on occasion.
 
:Motorbass said:
I didn't play Lumines but I saw threads about it at gamefaqs showing some lame stacking method to easily rack points, dunno how it works and it looked boring with it.
That's the heart of the game.
Heian-kyo said:
I don't know about you, but I've tried button mashing in VF4, and it is without a doubt the most futile effort ever, even against the A.I. Maybe, maybe I can get a couple hits in, but I wouldn't come close to winning even a single round, let alone a match.

I'm not the biggest fighting game player, so I can't speak that indepth about other titles. I have tried Tekken 5 though, and button mashing seemed kinda useless in that as well, though it still did seem to be quite successful on occasion.
So what's different with meteos then?
 
I love them both but I gotta say...I played Meteos much more because I could play it for 5 minutes, and get back to my busy schedule. With Lumines you have to clear at least half an hour just to accomplish anything.
 
Heian-kyo said:
I don't know about you, but I've tried button mashing in VF4, and it is without a doubt the most futile effort ever, even against the A.I. Maybe, maybe I can get a couple hits in, but I wouldn't come close to winning even a single round, let alone a match.

I'm not the biggest fighting game player, so I can't speak that indepth about other titles. I have tried Tekken 5 though, and button mashing seemed kinda useless in that as well, though it still did seem to be quite successful on occasion.
and thus my point. you can button mash in them. you can even get a few matches in if you are lucky, but it is hardly a worthwhile tactic. same thing in meteos. you can't use screen rubbing as a viable tactic. most of the time it will get you nowhere. once in a blue moon it might save your bacon for a few seconds longer. it is just as futile as button mashing in tekken 5 and vf4. the fact that you can do it isn't a design flaw (arguably you can screen rub in many DS puzzlers, and even in bejeweled on palm if you want to argue in it). on the other hand, the fact that it really doesn't get you anywhere is a testament to the design quality of the game.
 
djtiesto said:
Lumines... it's all about the music

Yes. The insanity that enshrouds your brain when you hear the freakin' first stage-song again for like, the thousandth time, it's unparalleled.
 
borghe said:
and thus my point. you can button mash in them. you can even get a few matches in if you are lucky, but it is hardly a worthwhile tactic. same thing in meteos. you can't use screen rubbing as a viable tactic. most of the time it will get you nowhere. once in a blue moon it might save your bacon for a few seconds longer. it is just as futile as button mashing in tekken 5 and vf4. the fact that you can do it isn't a design flaw (arguably you can screen rub in many DS puzzlers, and even in bejeweled on palm if you want to argue in it). on the other hand, the fact that it really doesn't get you anywhere is a testament to the design quality of the game.
This is where we disagree. Sure you can button mash in those fighters, at least in the physical sense, but at least in the case of one, it is completely useless. Screen scrubing in Meteos is not completely useless. When my wife plays, she scrubs at least 3-4 times a round, and it's effective.

Sure it won't win her the game, but it's hella more effective than randomly pushing buttons in VF4.
 
i've never played meteos, but lumines is definitely my favorite puzzle game ever. i dont think it will ever grow old, its always something i could pop in and pass away an hour or two.

and yeah, i'd pay a decent chunck of change for a 360/live arcade version
 
Can someone explain where's the "depth" in Meteos? This is not a troll, I really want to know it. I remember playing and finishing it even in the higher levels, but it just didn't seem to evolve too much for me.
 
SnowWolf said:
I think of it this way: Lumines is so good that I bought a PSP at launch solely just for this game. That's like a $300+ expenditure just to play one game. I wouldn't buy a DS just to play Meteos.
QFT.
 
Well you start out doing 3s, watching stuff go boom. Then you might be doing 4s and 5s. Soon you discover that you can also affect blocks that are in the air to give them an additional boost. You can also shoot up single meteos from below to merge them into a block. Soonish you'll discover that when you launch an incinceration from a block below an already floating block that they will merge. You'll play it that way for a while. Eventually you'll notice that blocks that fall down can incinerate if meteos at the foot of the block match up with ones on the sides (called step jumping). This will result in a larger block. It soon becomes clear that the real challenge is to do screen clears which you can do by having 1 floating block that has the width of the entire field. You have about 6-7 incinerations to form this block before the block's thrust gets too big and shoots off screen. The next step is to try to do step jumping on both sides of a block at the same time or make multiple blocks floating side by side fuse by lining up the meteos on the bottom. If you master this you can do screen clears pretty easily. Next up is doing all this while using 4 and 5 meteo incinerations for a higher score, which can be tricky at times because a block will destabilize itself into seperate meteos around 5 seconds after it hit the ground. You'll also want to wait for as long as possible after a block hit the ground to incinerate it again so that it racks up more meteos on top of it. This is where the L button comes in. You'll want to press and hold it as much as you can afford as it will make meteos rain faster giving you more stuff to work with and rack up the score with but it of course comes at a higher risk.

If you're really good you might want to do all this while trying to incinerate more than 5 meteos at once by aligning 2 different kinds in 2 rows such that 1 motion would incinerate 2 sets of 3 or more meteos. Even while doing this your goal should be to fuse blocks so that you can achieve as many screen clears as possible.

Honestly, the star trip mode is not that good. You just play along experiencing the different planets until you win. As said before, I enjoy highscore competitions in the time war modes much more.

I think of it this way: Lumines is so good that I bought a PSP at launch solely just for this game. That's like a $300+ expenditure just to play one game. I wouldn't buy a DS just to play Meteos.
Well, I would and I know 2 other people that did buy a DS for meteos after playing it on mine. I wouldn't mind having a PSP for lumines though.
 
I think Meteos absolutely destroys Lumines both as a multiplayer and single-player game. It's a leap forward in puzzle game design and execution where Lumines is more refinement than anything.

That said, I prefer Lumines. The sublime/zen style is exactly my taste.
 
DjangoReinhardt said:
I think Meteos absolutely destroys Lumines both as a multiplayer and single-player game. It's a leap forward in puzzle game design and execution where Lumines is more refinement than anything.

That said, I prefer Lumines. The sublime/zen style is exactly my taste.
umm.. wow.. exactly what I was trying to say, only much more concise. meteos is a better game in every way, but lumines certainly has it's extremely strong merits.
 
I've never even played Lumines and I'd vote for it instead of Meteos.


Meteos is gimmicky title. Once you're over the gimmick of dragging blocks around though, it's pretty much a columns (or many variations thereof) clone. I got sick of it pretty quick whereas something simple like Puzzle Bobble or tetris on my cell phone are still pretty fun every now and then.

Like Oli said, K.I.S.S.
 
Sounds like it was spoken by someone who judged the game merely from looking at screens and vids.

Meteos is just about nothing at all like Columns.
 
It is nothing like columns. However, it is a lot like tetris attack. Just turned by 270° and on crack with additional elements like the whole incineration thing.
 
Mejilan said:
Sounds like it was spoken by someone who judged the game merely from looking at screens and vids.



elostyle said:
It is nothing like columns. However, it is a lot like tetris attack. Just turned by 270° and on crack with additional elements like the whole incineration thing.

It's been a while since I've played columns. I could be wrong. I *know* I've played a puzzle game nearly identical to Meteos though. The only difference is the gamepad/stylus.

The stylus doesn't make Meteos any more special.
 
I never said you did/did not buy/play it, only that it sounded like you never played it.

Edit - Thanks for spelling my nick correctly, however! :lol
 
The Shadow said:




It's been a while since I've played columns. I could be wrong. I *know* I've played a puzzle game nearly identical to Meteos though. The only difference is the gamepad/stylus.

The stylus doesn't make Meteos any more special.
I think that would be puzzle de pon/tetris attack. In columns you control a falling object like in tetris, while in tetirs attack and meteos you manipulate the existing field. In tetris attack horizontally and in meteos vertically. Meteos however has added depth by the different mechanics and more speed because of the direct stylus control. I outlined the main gameplay elements above.

And let me just add this: Being like tetris attack is nothing bad at all.

Let me just also add that I didn't really have to buy the game because all I play is exactly what was in the e3 demo :lol
 
elostyle said:
In columns you control a falling object like in tetris, while in tetirs attack and meteos you manipulate the existing field.

The puzzle game I played involved rearranging a field of jewels. You couldn't actually rotate the field but you could flip the jewels inside around. It was very much like Meteos only that it was all jewels and it irritated me because the blue jewels and the purple jewels looked the same to me (I'm color-blind).

And let me just add this: Being like tetris attack is nothing bad at all.

Not bad but nothing special either. As I said, I tend to go back to Puzzle Bobble and Tetris whereas I really have felt no desire to go back to Meteos. I got sick of it pretty fast.
 
Lumines. It's remiscient of the greats Tetris, and Columns, where you just play constantly until you foul out. The gameplay itself just sticks with you, and pressures you to do better so you play longer. Meteos is way faster, and it's kinda broken up into levels, like Puzzle Fighter. Makes it a bit less superfluous. Seems a bit more to Swirl. Lumines' silky style FTW.
 
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