Joystiq

THQ recently touted its original Wii games, saying that the company is creating titles especially for that platform, and pushing multi-platform, "next-generation" games on the PS3 and 360. de Blob is one of the first of these Wii-only games, although its origins go back to a student, PC project. Still, de Blob's strange style matches the Wii.

In this cute game, players splatter color over a whitewashed world. That's mostly it, all of the buildings, roads, trees, and other objects are blank, and its up to you to colorize the surroundings. The analog stick steers the blob character, while flicks with the Wiimote jump or perform other actions. The D-pad can change the camera angle, but it usually stayed in a clear position when I recently played.

As I rolled and bounced around the world, the blob trailed his current color. If I touched a building while red, the splotch would spread over the entire structure. Eventually I'd run out of paint, or if I fell into water, it washed away. So I'd find another paint bucket, bop it, and add more color. Most of the levels seem like a race to color the fastest, although a two-player match-up adds a little more depth.

de Blob looks like a cuddly Wii game, but it didn't hook me like Katamari. I think certain Wii owners will enjoy it, but the novelty didn't last long on me.