This site is about games, so I guess I'll post some impressions of the 2 DS games I picked up last week. Should you still doubt whether to get these ones or not, read on.

Meteos

I think most of you will have played this game by now. If you have not, I hope these impressions will gert you to play it. It's mighty fun.

At first this game reminded me a little bit of Puzznic. For those who are not acquainted with this game, it's a Taito game, originally released for arcades only but later featured on both NES and PlayStation where you had to move blocks around to make a pair. While Puzznic is more logic-oriented, Meteos is all about speed and a good ability to notice certain patterns. In Meteos you can move blocks either up or down and you have to get three in a row to make them ignite and have them float up in the sky. Depending on the level you are playing and the number of blocks involved the floating platform will come down after some time, meaning you have to give it another push with some more blocks. The blocks that reach the top of the screen are eliminated and you'll score points.

It's very simple, as with every puzzle game, but it can get quite frantic. The more blocks and the more floating platforms, the more impressed you'll be by the original way the game's tackling the old 'erase blocks' principle. It's accompanied by lush graphics and funky music that's really fitting the 'planet' you are playing on.

'Planets' are the levels in Meteos. You'll play a lot of different ones and get the chance to unlock them by completing more and more of the game. Every planet has a different them, different blocks and different music. They also have a different way in which the blocks go up and down. Some levels are slow and you can clear a lot of blocks, others are faster and you'll get more blocks at once. As a compensation the platforms float up very quickly. It's always giving you a change of pace as you'll never be playing the same game over and over again.

This game has a lot of replay value. I'm adoring it. This is a must-buy for everyone with a DS and a slight interest in puzzle games.

Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow

Upon walking into my local gaming specialty store I was surprised to find a copy of Castlevnia: Dawn Of Sorrow. Last time I checked the release date in Europe was still more than a week away. But well, they've been doing it before and it is not like this game is going to sell more than 10 copies anyway, so I grabbed one.

It's been a long time since I've last played a Castlevania game. I've stayed out of the 3D incarnations because I heard they were slightly above average at best. I also never got the chance to pick up one of the GBA released Castlvania titles, so this has been the first time since...Well, since a good 8 to 10 years maybe that I've booted up a Castlevania game. Expect impressions based upon the game itself, not upon the Castlevania legacy.

Well, a little bit on the legacy, maybe. The good news is that this game plays exactly like all the other 2D Castlevanias (the ones I played, at least). As you might know you run around in 2D fashion, clearing the sometimes confusing levels while slashing up enemies. The levels have been made a little confusing for a reason, though. The upper screen functions as a map, a very useful one at that, showing you where you've already been and the possible ways to go. The lower screen is where the action takes place. You control Soma (the game's protagonist) with the D-Pad and the action buttons. The whole button layout of the actions buttons is confusing sometimes, as you'll find yourself pressing the wrong button in the midst of the battle. You'll get over this soon enough, though.

Slashing up enemies grants you some of their abilities. You have to select a certain ability to use in the menu, and then press the buttons that accompany this ability in order to gain some extra features. Some of these abilites cost MP, others do not. Expect some mighty powerful abilities as you can also trade abilities with friends to cook up even better ones. I have not tried this yet, but I intend to find another person with this game.

So what does the touch screen do? Not much, really. The first info on this game was about how you had to draw figures around enemies to eliminate them. Well, the in-game use of the touch screen is limited. The slashing up is done by the regular buttons. They only have added a so-called 'Magic Seal' for which you need to use the touch screen. A Magic Seal can be used for all sorts of things. In the beginning you'll find yourself eleminating a boss with it (after you have pummeled it into oblivion anyway). What you have to do is draw a figure to complete the seal. The further you progress in the game, the more complicated these seals get. The thought behind it is that these seals seal away the evil that has been unleashed in that area of the game. It is a funny drawing excercise, but it feels a little forced, however.

For the rest you have the menu to use the touch screen in. While you might think this is another forced feature, it is more convenient than you think. Sure, it's nothing the D-Pad could not do, but the menu, keeping track of all your abilities, equipment and items works much faster with a stylus, greatly improving the speed of the game. The game feels fast and plays fast. It's not an easy game, either. Well, most of you 2D veterans will have little trouble beating the first parts of the game, but for those who haven't been gaming in 2D for some time it can be a little hard in the beginning, as the game leaves little room for error, the health bar is tight. Also the fact that there are fixed save points (a great plus) adds to the challenge.

The whole look of the game is very reminiscent of the SNES era, and while it is intended to be dark, the backgrounds are relatively colorful and the enemies are very detailed and have nice animations. The music is also reliant on 16bit themes, which is a good thing. It's fast, during the story parts it is appropriate and atmospheric and the stero sound is very nicely worked out. You'll immediately recognize a few nice touches to the 'stero image', even though the DS's speakers are so close together.

There are only a few minor downsides, like the sometimes cluttered screen when you're fighting a bunch of enemies at once, the rapidly decreasing MP bar and the fact they force you to use the map feature at times, which is on the upper screen and distracts you from the action.

Still, when you're first playing this game you immediately feel this is a good game. It is rock solid, I have noticed no annoying flaws yet. The way it looks and sounds shows there's been going a great deal of care into this game. This is classic 2D gameplay, you want to play this game, believe me. If you have been digging Castlevania ever since it first came out you cannot go wrong with this one. I, who is not so very much into 2D gaming have been playing this non-stop since I first got it. Go figure.