WB thinks Scribblenauts will have 'Layton appeal'
by Justin McElroy 
{ Sep 17th 2009 at 8:30AM } 
He seems to be making a logical argument until dropping this bon mot: "Many forum users are saying the game is the biggest incentive they've had to revisit their dormant DS in a long time." So ... umm ... did they not know Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box was out or what?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
The Baron @ Sep 17th 2009 8:38AM
http://www.creepygif.com/images/full/10.gif
I think it could but I wonder how the watermelon controversy will go..
Chris @ Sep 17th 2009 9:03AM
The "watermelon" controversy is dead. Kotaku has already addressed in an article.
Kotaku
A commentor named DwarfP responded to the article, "Sambo is a name for a fig leaf gourd." And included this link in his comment: Wikipedia
This whole so-called "controversy" is plain dumb. Someone was looking for something stupid in a game and found something that they thought was what they were looking for, without thinking that just maybe - it might mean something else, like what it really is, which is a sambo. This is as dumb as the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, a triple A associate of the Philadelphia Phillies, have a mascot and named it "Porkchop" after a competition to name the mascot was won by an eleven year old girl. However, the mascot was renamed Ferrous after it was discovered that some viewed "Porkchop" racist. Porkchop
MrKlorox @ Sep 17th 2009 9:34AM
Yes, DwarfP kinda nailed it. Kotaku doesn't like criticism, as noted by the repeated censorship of my posts. Fuck those ignorant editors.
Rocketboy @ Sep 17th 2009 10:50AM
Yum, pork-chop sandwich.
Kurt @ Sep 17th 2009 11:11AM
@ Chris
So, you are equating the well-known harshly derogatory term, Sambo, which has been around for decades and has clear imagery with a spurious claim about the name "Porkchop" sounding racist to someone from somewhere. Thus insinuating, since one claim of "racism" is dubious all must be.
"A commentor named DwarfP responded to the article, "Sambo is a name for a fig leaf gourd.""
No, "sambo" is the highly regional Ecuadorian Spanish term for a fig leaf gourd. Here, "fig leaf gourd" is the name for a fig leaf gourd. Most of us Hispanics call it "calabza"
If there are other local obscure Spanish terms in this game, then this has been all blown out of proportion. If not...
Rocketboy @ Sep 17th 2009 1:16PM
And someone used the word "Spade" would you have a problem with that as well?
I wouldn't be offended if the word "Cracker" was in there.
Adam @ Sep 17th 2009 2:46PM
Guys guys guys! .... I just made a cracker in Scribblenauts.
Rocketboy @ Sep 18th 2009 8:40AM
Racist.
sandwiches @ Sep 18th 2009 5:01PM
@Kurt
Get out of here with your racism. There's some other uncommon, regional words such as the this one viking ship whose name escapes me, at the moment. There's also the word 'sarape,' which is a very Mexican name for a large cowl, shawl, or poncho.
Sounds like you're just looking for drama, is all.
Dan @ Sep 17th 2009 9:15AM
After watching my rooster hat wearing 5 and 6 year olds run around the house pretending to be Maxwell I'm thinking they need to make a cartoon based on the game.
acefondu @ Sep 17th 2009 8:47AM
I'm still split on whether to get this game. It seems like half the words turn out to give the same results just with different sprites. I also hate when clever solutions are found, but the game doesn't want you to use that anyway. Like using a bulletproof vest and yet bullets still kill you. So what's the point of even having the bulletproof vest? None. Like MOST of the words in the game, they seem useless. But it still looks charming...
captainprotonx @ Sep 17th 2009 8:47AM
Get it.
samfish [is sad there is no Gene in Tats v Cap =( ] @ Sep 17th 2009 8:52AM
It's not perfect, but it is still very much worth buying. I say buy it.
Rob Bourne @ Sep 17th 2009 8:56AM
What captain said.
Yeah it can be a little lame in places and it's not as great as the Hype-motron 3000™ made it out to be, but it's still a solid game that beats 95% or the absolute shitpaste already on the DS.
acefondu @ Sep 17th 2009 9:02AM
Indeed....I just wish Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story didn't come out in the same week! And Kingdom Hearts is right around the corner....Stupid DS having good games come out for it all at once...
WREturns(There was once a dream called Rome) @ Sep 17th 2009 9:20AM
Buy it now. I bought my wife a DS and another copy of this game just so that I wouldn't have to share. Like samfish said, it's not perfect, but it is a ton of fun.
MrKlorox @ Sep 17th 2009 9:41AM
Agreed. Day-one purchase. I just wish I still had a DS. Oh well my friend has a couple.
Massmass @ Sep 17th 2009 10:40AM
Rent first. Trust me.
The game isn't as smart as people like to make it. And for most it gets old after the first "world". If you still want more after that, then it's well worth the purchase as there's quite a bit left to do.
It's a novel idea, but it certainly could be implemented better. Perhaps the inevitable scribblenauts 2 will be more refined.
That said, I don't regret my purchase.
HotLimit @ Sep 18th 2009 10:26AM
You've got it right, any time you come up with a solution that's actually creative, the game is like 'nope, that's not OUR answer', or 'sorry, we just put those sprites in there to add to our word count, the items don't actually do anything'. Then it's back to helicopter + rope, fan + wings, etc.
The fun isn't in seeing how far your imagination can go, it's seeing how far the developer's imagination went.
Jawmuncher (PSN & XBL:Jawmuncher) @ Sep 17th 2009 8:49AM
Loved the end to that article Justin.
samfish [is sad there is no Gene in Tats v Cap =( ] @ Sep 17th 2009 8:56AM
If I had to pick only one, I would pick Professor Layton over Scribblenauts. I can sit there for an hour if I want with Professor Layton mulling over a puzzle or question. Scribblenauts kind of encourages me to rush through and come up with a solution.
I suppose that is the point since that's how the two games were designed, but I guess I just like feeling like I have time to think about puzzles and riddles...if that makes sense.
Also, Professor Layton I find to be more charming and likable.
WREturns(There was once a dream called Rome) @ Sep 17th 2009 9:25AM
I disagree, samfish. I love me some Layton, but his puzzles only have one answer. I am constantly surprised by the things that Scribblenauts allows me to do. From the simple solution of tying 3 balloons to a starite to keep it from falling through a trapdoor, to the extreme solution of making an army of mermaids, arming them with stun guns and having them wipe out the local shark population, Scribblenauts lets me solve problems on my own terms. If I had to pick, I think I'd pick Scribblenauts almost every time. Almost.
Storm Eagle [Resident Capcom Megafan] @ Sep 17th 2009 9:35AM
I can understand feeling a bit rushed in Scribblenauts when you're trying to get more points for taking less time to solve each puzzle.
I don't know if it REALLY helps (haven't really investigated it yet), but hitting the pause button really makes me feel like I sit at a puzzle and think it out.
Moschetto @ Sep 17th 2009 9:13AM
Anyone who's had a "dormant DS" for "a long time" probably has just about zero interest in Scribblenauts.
eugaet @ Sep 17th 2009 9:41AM
Or zero interest in DS games in general. The only DS in our house that stays dormant at any length on time belongs to my wife. She's not a gamer. Mine and my kids' however, rarely go a couple days w/o being used.
Mr Mobius - the wandering artist @ Sep 17th 2009 11:42AM
To be fair my DS and Wii are dormant atm, but not due to not looking any DS games, but just being busy. I know that I'm an exception (being on Joystiq for a start means I'm not your normal dormant gamer), but I'm still thinking of picking up Scribblenauts as it allows me to game for 10-15 mins at a time which is all the time I really have free at a time.
ElStefio @ Sep 17th 2009 9:30AM
Almost a year ago i moved from the UK to NZ, and along with several other items i sold my DS to raise some funds. About three months ago I first heard about Scribblenauts. About two months ago i had my Mother-in-law send me her DS across from back in the UK in preparation.
So although not revisiting my dormant DS, i'm kind of revisiting someone elses.... if that counts.
Storm Eagle [Resident Capcom Megafan] @ Sep 17th 2009 9:33AM
I just wanted to pop in and profess my love for this game. I'm half way through the advanced stages of the first "world" and it's really fun trying to think up new ways to solve each challenge.
This game succeeds both as a game and as a toy. Though I will agree with initial reports that the controls can hinder the experience; constantly needing to tap to do so many different actions can really cause some issues. However, this is a minor issue and the good far outweighs the bad here.
Protip: "Anti Gravity Boots" solve 100% of your jumping problems.
GewurztraminerX @ Sep 17th 2009 9:37AM
Not having played Prof. Layton, Scribblenauts IS the biggest incentive I've had to revisit my dormant DS in a long time. And by "long time" I mean since December '08.
So, that makes at least one of us.
Mr. Joe @ Sep 17th 2009 10:49AM
i literally wiped a layer of dust off my ds to play this game.
that makes two of us.
WREturns(There was once a dream called Rome) @ Sep 17th 2009 12:08PM
You wiped a layer of dust off of your DS? Clean your fucking house, dude.
Mr. Joe @ Sep 17th 2009 12:36PM
stfu, my house is clean. i put my ds on top of a bookshelf and hadn't reached for it in months. hence, the dust! it's not like it was on the dining table or something.
Warlock @ Sep 17th 2009 9:49AM
In other words... $$cha-ching!$$
gLitterbug @ Sep 17th 2009 11:12AM
Dormant DS lol.
Morning Toast @ Sep 17th 2009 11:46AM
Layton = Overrated.
Scribblenauts has kept me interested far longer than either Layton did.
Mr Khan @ Sep 17th 2009 12:10PM
Doubtful. Professor Layton is about reason and logic, while Scribblenauts is about imagination. Layton is to Scribblenauts as the Crossword Puzzle is to Pictionary, more or less. Not that one is better than the other, but they employ very different faculties
Scribblenauts' brand of silliness won't give it appeal with the same crowd, though it could definitely find it's own place in a wider world. Children should eat this sort of thing up, but it might require a bit more literacy than a kid might have.
Preston @ Sep 17th 2009 12:21PM
I haven't really touched my DS in a few months since I moved (I mostly played it on the train to work, don't take the train anymore), and I have to say Scribblenauts is easily worth dusting it off for. It's a bit rough in some ways but still plenty of fun trying to figure out the challenge levels.
aristokrat @ Sep 17th 2009 2:38PM
I bought my DSi just for this game (though I'm also playing Layton as well), and I'd forgotten how much unnecessary reliance on gesture controls there are (just like my Wii, which I also got frustrated with and basically gave up on). It's amazing how they eschew buttons in favor of stupid gestures with the stylus and ultimately make the game more frustrating.
I want to tie these developers (and others like them) to a chair and make them use a computer where I've substituted mouse actions for normal keyboard stuff, and see how they like. Bang the mouse twice to activate space bar, turn the mouse upside down and spin it clock-wise or counter-clockwise to activate application switching, move the mouse to the right side of your desk if you want to use left-hand keys (asdf etc.) and move the mouse to the left side of your desk to use right-hand keys (jkl; etc.). This is how I feel when I'm playing this game.
I'm still able to enjoy the game despite these flaws (like trying to use lightning and a shrink ray to solve every puzzle), but it's so disappointing when simple design flaws detract from a great idea. Why couldn't they just have left the stylus to word choice and object placement and actually made use of those precision thingies on either side of the screen...what are they called? Oh yeah, BUTTONS! If people can operate a modern smartphone, they can figure out how to use both buttons and a stylus, and I know damn well that kids can figure that out because their brains are still plastic.
I find it a sad irony that a game that encourages creativity, imagination, and problem-solving is afraid of letting users figure out how to implement this stuff on their own ("better not confuse them with too many options at once!").
Akashic @ Sep 17th 2009 4:21PM
I've tried it, he moves so fast, wish i could use directional buttons.
Is this like Layton? Or even feel like Layton?
Thats what I felt before playing it, that if I liked Layton I would like this.
Turns out not so much for me.
Special Agent Steve @ Sep 17th 2009 5:02PM
argh, my copy isn't coming until at least the 22. Wish Amazon would do what Newegg does and give free 3 day shipping (Pre-order from Amazon gave me the copy for free thats why I ordered from there).
RupeeClock @ Sep 17th 2009 5:16PM
So Warner Brothers think they pull off the same shit as Nintendo by marketing an original idea and hyping it as much as possible?
Yeah, nice try, Drawn to Life didn't exacty succeed in the end.
aang1818 @ Sep 17th 2009 10:36PM
Drawn to Life is worth it's current going price (15 bucks at Wal-mart is fair I'd say).
It's a fairly decent platformer where you can play as anything from a giant penis to missingno.