Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday is upon us, and that means it's time for some new games. This week, we're treated to the Q? Entertainment puzzler Meteos Wars and multi-directional shooter PowerUp Forever from Namco Bandai. The former has made a long journey all the way from the Nintendo DS and the latter ... has power-ups. Should you desire, you can pick them both up for 800 Microsoft Points. These are the only new releases on the Xbox 360 this week, so if you just have to have a new game, they're your only choice.

Download Meteos Wars trial game from Xbox Live Marketplace

Download PowerUp Forever trial game from Xbox Live Marketplace

Looks like the rumor was true, as both Meteos Wars and PowerUp Forever are officially heading to Xbox Live Arcade this week. Meteos Wars is an XBLA version of the Q Entertainment puzzler title with expanded multiplayer (including Xbox Live play), while PowerUp Forever is a shooter from Blitz (the folks behind SpongeBob Squarepants Underpants Slam) and published by Namco Bandai. PowerUp Forever features procedurally generated environments, a unique "growth mechanic" (whatever that is) and, get this, power-ups.

Both PowerUp Forever and Meteos Wars will be available this Wednesday for 800 points each.



Source -- Meteos Wars page on Xbox.com
Source -- PowerUp Forever page on Namco Bandai Games

Not many DS games could be adapted into watchable films. Can you imagine Spielberg Presents Meteos, a sentimental tale of three little colored rocks who dream only about visiting space one day? Or Nintendogs: The Movie, a three-hour epic of going for walks, finding a new collar, going for walks, chucking a frisbee, and going for walks? See what we mean? Rubbish.

Then again, the Professor Layton series has the potential to be a very fine movie. Level 5 thinks so, anyway, because it plans to release Professor Layton The First Movie. For now, only a Japanese version is planned, with January 2010 being mooted as a possible release window. This makes perfect sense, obviously, because the games themselves are already full of beautifully-animated, Studio Ghibli-esque cut-scenes. And who is currently working with Level 5 on a forthcoming DS game? Exactly.

Plus, this might be the ideal time to get rid of the stomach-churning pipsqueak that is Luke, preferably through very violent means. Maybe he's not even in the movie, and they've axed the little git once and for -- ah, dammit.

Q Entertainment is bringing an utterly unstylistic version of its two-times-released (well, maybe we shouldn't count the Disnied version) DS puzzler, Meteos, to Xbox Live Arcade. Dubbed, Meteos Wars, the console port will include a new multiplayer experience. The game will feature a two-player versus mode where each player has a gauge that fills as sets of blocks are launched and enemy attacks are thwarted. Filling the gauge unlocks a special attack that predictably spells disaster for the opposing player.

Meteos Wars will also include a few added extras, like customizable characters. It's due in Japan this October, but has yet to be confirmed for release elsewhere. Wouldn't this be the perfect tie-on for that rumored motion controller...? (We're just sayin'.)

Update: Q Entertainment just shot us word confirming Meteos Wars for US release in October, priced at 800 ($10). Check out first screenshots of the game in our gallery below.

According to 1UP the DS puzzle game Meteos is headed to Xbox Live Arcade in under two months. Developed by Q Entertainment -- the same folks that brought us Lumines Live, Every Extend Extra Extreme and Rez HD -- Meteos is a puzzle game that challenges players to match blocks and blast them off towards an opponents "planet." Like most puzzle games, it's more fun than it sounds. There's just one thing: according to 1UP, Meteos is only heading to the Japanese Xbox Live Arcade as "no US release has been announced yet." Given the track record of Q Entertainment, we're willing to bet that Meteos will release in the US as well. Let's just hope that the Lumines pricing fiasco doesn't come back to haunt us when it does.

Remember Meteos? The vertical block sliding? The fast, frantic action, and the maddening tick-tock of the clock at the top of your screen? The sweeping, dramatic story of taking your alien ship into the heart of madness and bombarding it with pretty squares and blocks? The others don't understand. They couldn't possibly comprehend the bloody tears you shed for every planet lost along the way -- every warrior that stood 'til the end and mumbled something heroic in whatever freaky alien language they knew.

It's pretty intense, man. But let's talk about this game called Planet Puzzle League, shall we? It's pretty similar to Meteos, minus the ecstatic hyperbole I threw it out above. But don't let the dearth of heart-pounding plot deter you! Planet Puzzle League may forgo the charm of its extraterrestrial brother, but the title more than makes it for its lack of emotional impact with a wealth of gameplay options. It also has the distinction of being pretty much perfect for a gamer on the go, a fact which should make my job a hell of a lot easier and your wallet just a little bit lighter. Grab your penny bank, ladies and gents, and come along with this week's edition of Gaming to Go. The Puzzle League awaits.

The end comes quickly. White fire screams out of the night, raining destruction down from the heavens. The populace is thrown into chaos, helpless to stop the assault. Five minutes pass. When the dust settles, the world is quiet. The only sound comes from a distance: a single anguished scream as one angry word flashes across the sky.

Annihilation.

This is Meteos.

That white fire? Call it Meteos, colorful symbols constantly plummeting towards the planet. The populace? Over thirty different alien races, each with its own unique world. And those five minutes? That, uh, isn't really a storyline element. No, it's a reflection of my skill, which typically dooms a planet to utter annihilation in the time it takes those poor aliens to start freaking out and hiding under tables.

Welcome to Gaming to Go, a shiny new feature devoted to the games best suited for our increasingly busy lifestyles. Only have a few minutes to spare on your daily commute? Bored with thinking deep thoughts whenever you're on the toilet? Read on to hear why one of the DS's oldest titles is still one of the best to spend your precious scant time with.

eBay seller putermcgee's batch of DS games really isn't that different from other used DS games up for sale. The current bids are commensurate with other auctions for the same games, even. But these launch-era DS games are somewhat rarer (and more awesome) because they're all promo copies.

How much would you pay for a copy of Pac-Pix or Meteos that was once used as a store demo? Because right now they're at $7.50 and $3.25 respectively. Kirby Canvas Curse and Nintendogs (with special Bark Mode gifts!) are at similar prices, as is a European version of WarioWare: Touched! These are the best kind of collectibles: cheap and not ridiculously impractical.

[Via GameSniped]

Gamers like download play. Hardly a shocking statement. But it seems that of all of the DS' amenities, the ability to share your games with nearby friends gets less attention than, maybe, it should.

Aeropause's George Walker discovered this while in line for the Transformers movie (the new one, not the good one), when he broke out his DS to ameliorate his 2+ hour wait and found himself accosted by kids begging for some downloadable games. He suggested some Meteos, they agreed, and an impromptu fun-having event occurred.

What can we learn from this event? First off, that Meteos is pretty great. We can also take away the notion that people like it when you can give them free games-- so much so, that they may even elect to play those free games with you. Try it next time you're in line for hours! Which we hope isn't soon. That sounds tortuous, even with a DS.

I may write about PSP gaming news, but I own and play every system (including the new and next-gen consoles). So while I do get to play most any game I want, I can't help but wish in a feverish state, that certain system exclusives went to other consoles. In this case, if I wanted to list 7 DS games I'd love to see show up on PSP (however unrealistic that may be). So here it is:

1. New Super Mario Bros (My favorite DS game, but I would like better power ups and more variety. It would also be great to see what the creators could do in 2D with the power of PSP)
2. SNK vs Capcom Cardfighters (Addictive and strategic gameplay that makes me giddy. Only if it comes to PSP, add back in free-roaming and take out the game killing bug)
3. Ace Attorney (Great characters, funny cases and it makes you think. That sorta game would work on any system)
4. Kirby (He may be cute, but the gameplay is classic)
5. Advance Wars (Because Field Commander is good, but not THIS good)
6. WarioWare(Because there aren't enough mini-game titles on PSP)
7. Meteos (Because every Q? Entertainment game should be on PSP)

What about you reader? Are there any DS games you'd like to see on PSP, or do you refuse to even entertain the thought?

All week, we've been sharing our favorite games with you, as well as snippets of our personalities outside the fanboy sphere. Now you know that some of us weren't really huge handheld fans before the DS, that at least one of us is terribly silly, and most of us seem to dig cats, in some way or another. But forget the trivial details -- how do our favorite games stack up against the critical darlings? We offer this side-by-side comparison to wrap up Fanboy Favorites week, and we hope you've enjoyed this closer look at not only the DS Fanboy staff, but some of the best that the DS has to offer.

All this week, the DS Fanboy staff is letting you in on a few of their favorite titles. Each day, a different member of the staff will present their personal top five DS games along with a snapshot of their gaming paraphernalia and habits, in an effort to provide our readers with a little more information on the tastes and personalities of our writers.

As the lead blogger of PSP Fanboy, one might be questioning why I'm here. It's true: I love my PSP and take it everywhere (except the shower). But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy Nintendo's handheld. I've grown up with Nintendo handhelds, owning every iteration of the Game Boy ever. My stash of Nintendo valuables would make any Nintendork jealous. Now that I'm older and spending less time arguing in message boards, I've learned that true gaming bliss comes from having access to all the games I can get. Hopefully, you feel the same way too.

So please, take my "top five" list as an olive branch to end the bickering between the two Fanboy sites.

All this week, the DS Fanboy staff is letting you in on a few of their favorite titles. Each day, a different member of the staff will present their personal top five DS games, along with a snapshot of their gaming paraphernalia and habits, in an effort to provide our readers with a little more information on the tastes and personalities of our writers.

I am absolutely the target market for a handheld system. I'm busy all the time, and I have weeks where the only times I really get to play games are when I can't possibly do anything else-- like when I'm on a plane, or waiting to pick my wife up from school. So I tend to carry my DS around waiting for opportune moments. Of course, with such concentrated play sessions, I want the most out of my game time. That's not to say that I want simplified games that I can always jump right into, but I need games that are basically going to be awesome every time I play them. I need games that are going to reaffirm my passion for gaming while I'm waiting for a bus.

(The picture doesn't have anything to do with the theme of my little essay. My cat Indiana Jones is just adorable.)

All this week, the DS Fanboy staff is letting you in on a few of their favorite titles. Each day, a different member of the staff will present their personal top five DS games along with a snapshot of their gaming paraphernalia and habits, in an effort to provide our readers with a little more information on the tastes and personalities of our writers.

I own a total of 19 DS games. Yes, just 19 games. I've never been too crazy about handheld systems, mostly because I'm the type of gamer that enjoys the escape of playing something more immersive, like console games. That's not to say the DS isn't capable of presenting games that allow me to escape, even some of which are in my collection, but gaming lends itself a bit more to pick-up-and-play, quicker gaming sessions on a handheld when compared with a console.

With that in mind, let me show you my top five DS games.