Tetris Attack was a first for me. It was the first time I became enamored with a Tetris game. It was also the first time I could beat my sister at a puzzle game. (Women may not make up the bulk of gaming purchases, but get them addicted to a puzzler and you're as good as dead in multiplayer.) Tetris Attack had the perfect blend of action, strategy, and voice-heightening excitement.

"No, not more bricks!" Now I sound like Pikachu.

"No, this can't be happening! I can't lose, not now, not ever, no!!!"  Now I'm Jar-Jar Binks.

It was challenging to all, and to all a good night, whether played on Christmas or in the middle of summer.

A Tetris Attack sequel will never be made, but I do have good news.

"You just saved 15% on your car insurance by switching to Geico?"

Yes actually I did, but this isn't about that. Meteos, the Tetris look-alike that has been promoted heavily on TV for the past month, has been released. Old news, you say? Let me share with you a juicy tidbit you might not be aware of: according to Us Gamers, the nation's leading tabloid on gaming gossip, when Brad and Angelina hook up for some late-night fun, Meteos and the Nintendo DS are their first choice for entertainment. Tom and Katie appear to be happily in love, but Us Gamers says it's Meteos that makes the relationship exciting. Associate Editor John Marksman comments: "Nintendo was right – touching is good."

Why all the gossip for one DS game? Meteos is the spiritual successor to Tetris Attack; the evolved form of a masterpiece you never thought you'd get. Blocks (Meteos) don't rise up from the ground, they fall from the sky (individually) at a constantly increasing pace. Again you're probably thinking, "Old news, let's move on." Pessimists will have to swallow their naysay and deal with the fact that Meteos isn't a knock-off. No one's going to deny that the falling block-style gameplay is overdone in the puzzle genre. But did you really think for one second that "falling blocks" was all there was to it?

An interesting thing happens when you play this game for the first time. You try to line up three blocks of the same color. You touch the screen, tapping the blocks, wondering why they aren't moving. Finally the realization sets in: Meteos cannot be shifted left and right. Their direction cannot be changed while falling (unless you hit them enough times to send them back into space).

Thus the only place they have to go is up or down. As restrictive as this sounds, the game feels very free. The touch screen controls make it possible to touch any of the blocks, drag it where you please, or push it upward to launch it into space. (It will fall back down, but launching individual Meteos is an integral part of survival. More on that later.)

At least three blocks (of the same color) must be aligned, vertically or horizontally, before anything will happen. Upon completing this task the Meteos bind together, becoming one large block that's launched into space ... if you're lucky. There's always a catch. Otherwise the game wouldn't be challenging.

The catch is that the Meteo cluster cannot handle much weight. If the three aligned blocks are on the bottom of the screen, launching the cluster will not be easy. As more blocks fall from space, the cluster will get heavier and start to fall.

Three things can be done to save yourself: (1) align as many of the blocks sitting on top of the cluster as possible. The more that are aligned, the more that will be ignited. Depending on how big the cluster, it may break apart and send half into space while the other half continues falling.

(2) Align nearby blocks to launch additional Meteo clusters. If any of the new clusters are underneath the falling cluster, they'll collide and be more likely to reach space. (This also increases the weight of the clusters, but there's nothing that can be done about that.)

(3) Launch as many individual Meteos as possible.

The single-player experience is limited to the Star Trip mode, where you face off against several different planets (computer-controlled opponents). Tutorial teaches you what to do with on-screen demonstrations. Deluge is an endless mode where you play until one strip of Meteos touches the top of the screen. Time War and Meteo War modes are a battle against the clock, or against the number of Meteos launched. Players can also add new items and new planets by fusing together launched Meteo pieces (don't get too excited though, it's more of an unlocking mechanism than a creation feature). These modes are greatly entertaining, satisfying the needs of any puzzle fan on the go.

The real excitement happens (and the addiction kicks in) when you and a friend (and a sibling and a cousin) get together for a heated multiplayer session. Remember how Dr. Mario and Tetris Attack's multiplayer worked? The more blocks you eliminate simultaneously, the bigger the bombs that'll be dropped on your opponent. Meteos follows this rule, but you don't have one measly opponent - you have three.

Players cannot attack more than one opponent at a time. Targeted opponents may be changed at any time during battle. It wasn't long before my friend's family realized that instead of fighting each other, they could go a lot further if they all ganged up on me. In time I will crush each and every one of you like tiny insignificant bugs! But for now I'll accept my loss under the potency of three adversaries.

Just one game card is needed for a four-player match, allowing your evil opponents to test and become obsessed with the game before opening up their wallets.

Meteos isn't a gift from Heaven, but it did come from a Heavenly place. This inspired puzzler of panic and excitement is the greatest invention since sliced bread, and the greatest puzzle game released since Tetris Attack. Meteos: you complete me.

Gameplay: 9.0
Wait for the Meteos (tiny block-shaped meteors) to fall from space; send them back to where they came from the minute they land. That’s the goal of this.

Graphics: 7.5
Meteos is one of those games that doesn’t necessarily need two screens. The touch screen was a must. It wouldn’t have worked without it. The top screen shows the Meteos as they launch into space, attacking the designated planet. This effect is pretty weak; when the Meteos hit the planet we expect to see at least a little destruction, and a little is all we get. Furthermore, I have no desire to continually look up and down to try and view what’s happening on both screens.

Sound: 7.0
Ranging from fairly good to ultra annoying, Meteos’s music doesn’t quite capture the essence of Tetris or Tetris Attack’s outstanding soundtracks. It carves a name for itself by having a unique sound throughout every battle, but it’s not a sound I wish to spend a great time listening to.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Easy to learn, very hard to master. Meteos’s single-player mode is a short run of fun. Connect to another DS and the real fun (and real challenge) begins.

Concept: 9.7
This is the third time that Nintendo has said to themselves, “Tetris is good, but let’s change the formula.” Developed by Q Entertainment (with the help of Bandai), Meteos is an amazing creative concoction. The act of eliminating falling blocks is nothing new, but the way that Meteos drops the blocks, and the way players are asked to remove them, is more of an action than a puzzle solution. The idea was brilliant and the execution is flawless.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Meteos is a game of decisive decisions and precise actions. The touch screen works perfectly. Touching those tiny blocks, and making sure they’re launched and stay launched, is three-fold for us. Male and female gamers will unite as they find reward in this addictive and challenging game. All in favor of a nationwide Meteos tournament, say “I.”

Overall: 9.0
Tetris with a twist. Tetris Attack evolved. Tenaciously tantalizing the-sky-is-falling gameplay. Meteos is puzzle perfection. What it lacks in the single-player experience it makes up for in multiplayer with the most frantic four-player battles the world has ever seen. Back in its day Tetris Attack was pure madness, pushing blocks up from the ground at a feverish rate. Meteos is the new king of madness, and will drive its multiplayer adaptors insane with entertainment. Going crazy never felt so good.