by YVG Staff
1. Spielberg.
As in, writer/director/producer Steven. As in, three Oscars, a dozen nominations and more hits than the NFL. Drawing its inspiration from the legendary filmmaker's fascination with the elegant simplicity of the Wii itself, BOOM BLOX is the first in a three-game partnership between the man himself and publisher EA. And unlike other directors who simply slap their names on game boxes, Spielberg is a self-professed gamer who has overseen BOOM BLOX's development from start to finish. If that's not high-pedigree, we don't know what is.
2. Destruction made easy.
Ever wonder why people flock to building demolitions? It's because we just love tearing things apart, and no game lets you enjoy the instinctual act of knocking stuff down like BOOM BLOX. There's nothing mindless about this destruction -- each level is a sort of 3D puzzle for you to solve -- and there's no need for the nunchuck, either: players can throw, grab, and blast blocks in an effort to knock down the game's elaborate structures simply by waving and pointing with the Wii remote. Thanks to clever use of the controller's accelerometer, throwing feels like throwing, grabbing feels like grabbing, and blasting - well, that always feels good.
3. Let's get physical.
The game's premise might seem basic, but one glimpse at BOOM BLOX in action shows off an eerily sophisticated physics system. You can replay the same level ten times and get ten completely different results based on how you try to solve it. Do you aim low and hurl as hard as you can, or should you focus on reaching the special blocks to blow it up from the inside out? Watching a tower teeter randomly for a few seconds before it comes crashing down in a hail of busted bricks is a singular joy, and that's just one of a million cool, unexpected things that might happen as you try to develop the perfect strategy for taking down a structure in one shot.
4. Kid-tested, gamer-approved.
If anyone knows how to craft a product that equally appeals to adults and children, it's Steven Spielberg. BOOM BLOX evolved from what he called a "moment of frustrated inspiration" while watching his kids immerse themselves in a game he couldn't quite understand, so to span the gap, he's aimed his sights on making BOOM BLOX both accessible and satisfying. For instance, the wee ones can charge through the game just knocking things down, while more experienced gamers can scratch their completionist compulsions by unlocking numerous challenge modes and acquiring skill-based medals.
5. The joy of creation.
We can't imagine tiring of the game's nearly 400 levels, but creative types longing to express themselves will be stunned by the game's built-in level editor. Using an uncluttered, streamlined interface, you can tweak any game level or craft your own from scratch in Create mode, toying with the rules to change block properties, size and scale, or even build your own destructible theme park by utilizing pre-set environments. You're really only limited by your own imagination - using a combination of tools, blocks and the game's weird cast of curious characters, amateur architects can whip together insane, Mouse Trap-style levels that would make Rube Goldberg green with envy. And if it's just too cool to keep to yourself, you can share it with others using the Wii online Friend Code system.
Posted: 28 Apr 2008
