Joystiq impressions: Boom Blox ... a Steven Spielberg game
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Feb 13th 2008 at 10:00PM }
An idea so simple, it's really only plausible for Wii. You just pitch a baseball at blocks -- that's it (well, sometimes it's a bowling ball, bomb, or shotty blast ... you get the idea). But where so many mindless motion farts dissipate into the foul heap of Wii "mini-game" crap, Boom Blox stands tall, as a tangible actualization of what Wii games
Gallery: Boom Blox
Boom Blox possesses that expansive, LBP-like potential; a game of infinite, user-generated possibilities. Of course, it's also crippled by Nintendo's 'over-protective' online community system (friggin' friend codes!), which means all of us may never be able to share the ultimate fun. EA knows it though, and is pursuing a sort of workaround; something like an 'EA friend' every Wii owner can have. A friend who receives, and carefully distributes the best Boom Blox levels the community has to offer.
But what is a Bloom Blox level? As the game's various 'pre-installed' instances attest, a level can be many things. Compact, but not necessarily simple. Levels are contained in a circular arena, with players always looking inward, circling and gauging the angle at which to bean the blocks (or in some cases, fire away). There are goals to meet, usually point totals scored or highlighted blocks busted in a certain number of throws. There are filler blocks, special blocks (explosive, disappearing, etc.), negative blocks, and even moving, "character" blocks, like a chicken who lays bombs and a dog whose got his own set of balls.
Imagine a bottomless bag of these pieces, a virtual world driven by 'real,' responsive physics (how hard you toss the ball actually matters), and the freedom to create; to set your own rules to the game. Not in a building mood? Boom Blox has plenty built for you: towering Jenga puzzles, shuffleboard matches, shooting galleries, domino chains ... a 'reunite momma gorilla with her babies' mission -- and on and on ... Dare we say: Boom Blox is kid tested, hardcore approved. This May, put down Brawl, pick up those blox.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Guzzie @ Feb 13th 2008 10:05PM
Reminds me of Toblo a little bit.
http://toblo.csnation.net/
vidGuy @ Feb 13th 2008 10:05PM
I predict that half a million copies of this will end up in a landfill and/or recycled.
Shmil @ Feb 13th 2008 10:35PM
i see what you did there
DBuck_Eye @ Feb 13th 2008 10:09PM
Why doesn't this use EA Nation like the rest of EA's games?
DonWii @ Feb 13th 2008 10:21PM
I wondered the same thing.
James @ Feb 13th 2008 10:11PM
I'll get this. Looks fun and that's all I'm really after at the moment. Cheap slutty fun.
Jerk Face @ Feb 14th 2008 11:04AM
Speaking of that, my mom says "Hi."
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Feb 13th 2008 10:18PM
I have to say, based on trailers and impressions, this game looks damn awesome!!
Cyro @ Feb 14th 2008 11:22AM
I hope you are kidding...
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Feb 14th 2008 11:43AM
NO I'm not. This actually look pretty damn interesting.
I know I know, games have to have boobies and guns for you to be entertained by it, but this is something that I think the family and even hardcore gamers(aka not elitists) can actually enjoy.
DonWii @ Feb 13th 2008 10:21PM
If EA markets this, it could sell.
Otherwise, the hardcore won't get past the look of the game, and the masses won't know what the game is about.
I know I'm interesting, though puzzle games should never be full price, IMO.
nahworry @ May 2nd 2008 3:41PM
I don't think you're all that interesting, sorry mate! ;)
NukeAssault @ Feb 13th 2008 10:23PM
Looks like Jenga. XD
DonWii @ Feb 13th 2008 10:25PM
And this is the reason why EA must market the game.
BPM VII: Crisis Core @ Feb 13th 2008 10:50PM
Except, unlike the video game version of Jenga, this looks like fun.
Thierry @ Feb 13th 2008 10:34PM
The characters look funny, EA might milk a franchise out of it if it becomes successful.
Batzarro @ Feb 13th 2008 10:40PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NLrjVnMO7k
rokerovakero @ Feb 14th 2008 2:35AM
lol... so what you are saying is Steven Spielberg is just throwing money producing these games and calling them their own, where in reality are ideas bought out by his company and signed deals for a whole briefcase full of money which the know they will make in a sec because it has Steven's last name attached to them??
man, reminds me of Tiny Toons. How come he doesn't sponsor (buy) cartoons anymore? oh right, its a moneyhole these days...
darkeyez @ Feb 14th 2008 11:32AM
SWAT Kats was awesome.
Mr Khan @ Feb 14th 2008 5:41PM
Spielberg didn't have anything to do with SWAT Kats, iirc, SK was done by Hannah Barbera (one of the last original works created by that studio) and launched on TBS / Early Cartoon Network. I believe that Ted Turner now personally owns the rights to that show (which is why there are campaigns to bombard his snail mailbox with letters asking for DVD releases/show revivals)
+ for mentioning them at all, though
Thrallok @ Feb 14th 2008 1:57PM
THIS! IS! TOBLO!!!!
http://digipen.edu/main/Image:Toblo_title.jpg
samfish @ Feb 13th 2008 11:48PM
Every review I've read of this game has been positively glowing. I didn't think much of it when I saw it, and to be honest, I still don't.
...but when seemingly everyone starts raving about how awesome a game like this is you have to at least figure there's something right about it. I'm officially interested in it, now. I'd bet that EA will finally have a huge hit on their hands with this one.
Brello @ Feb 14th 2008 12:55AM
It'll definitely be something to enjoy with other people. Then again, the Wii already provides a lot of great people-games. Still! Looks pretty slick.
Dan CiTi @ Feb 14th 2008 1:21AM
Surfer Girl won't stop cumming over this title.
Cheezeman3000 @ Feb 14th 2008 3:36AM
+1 for mentioning cum in a Joystiq post.
samfish @ Feb 14th 2008 8:59AM
Good thing she wears a wet suit.
Knoxximus @ Feb 14th 2008 1:39AM
Wow...looks like Spielberg might be the Spielberg of videogames after all. :/
Questworld @ Feb 14th 2008 4:22AM
"Boom Blox stands tall, as a tangible actualization of what Wii games should, no, are supposed to be!"
Nothing against the game, but when I hear something like this I can't help but feel like I'm listening to a typical fanboy ridicule where they insist these are the games the Wii should get and all the while snickering in back about how lame the Wii is. And of course when Wii gamers want something with more depth and maturity (not necessarily an M-rated game, see Final Fantasy games), it's all about how the Wii shouldn't get it and that "real" games should be 360/PS3 only for whatever reason they'd like to play with (i.e. lack of 360/PS3 level spec is still bull in my opinion simply because the PS1 and PS2 got depth in their games, be it story, character, gameplay, and what not).
In many ways, this is what this game represents to me because the other systems are suppose to be getting some epic action/adventure game with drama or something the like. Simply put, it's an extension of the same annoyances we hear about the Wii only getting crappy PS2 ports (not a bad thing if they were ports of actually AAA PS2 games for the most part) and mini-game fests.
This game had better be really good as oppose to simply being another experimental de Blob kind of game.
Nick @ Feb 14th 2008 9:29AM
I take a different look at the quote.
I think that they're saying that this is what a Wii game is supposed to be because it actually incorporates motion controls well, and was built with the console and it's strengths in mind.
On a side note, I've been playing through RE4 on the Wii recently and it's amazing (I did play the cube version too). If RE5 or some variation of it doesn't come to the Wii, well... Capcom is retarded.
J.Goodwin @ Feb 14th 2008 5:14AM
It looks fun?
Fuck, my fun meter is busted again.
SoxFan13 @ Feb 14th 2008 6:53AM
A "dog whose got his own set of balls?" Count me in.
koehler83 @ Feb 14th 2008 2:04PM
It sure looks rough..
FoxHoundADAM @ Feb 14th 2008 9:22AM
even though this game looks to be as causual as you can get, I'm really excited about it. Looks like pure fun.
Cyro @ Feb 14th 2008 9:45AM
It doesn't look like a real game. More like a tech demo of what the Wii gimmick controls can do. It might have some good physics, but it looks freaking terrible. Those graphics hurt my eyes.
But I guess this fits the Wii demographic perfectly.
Yup, Wii you can keep it, its all yours.
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Feb 14th 2008 11:46AM
IKNOWRITE???
Because only "REAL GAMES" have guns and senseless violence. mhm, games must have sex and violence to be totally awesome.
WiNG @ Feb 14th 2008 10:18AM
So will we be seeing any Crysis level with 10,000 exploding barrels going off at once?
j5bergkamp @ Feb 14th 2008 11:28AM
I'm totally into this.
I just hope its a bargain priced game.
Powerlord @ Feb 14th 2008 9:00PM
This isn't the first time one of Spielberg's ideas became a game. See LucasArts's The Dig.
Mabui @ Feb 16th 2008 4:35PM
Do I have to like it? The screens look like crap, yet, everyone who has played it says it is good! *Looks at Screens* You wouldn't lie to me would you.. Would you.. Speak up!? What other games have you ruined for me!? Nooooo!!