Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/JoystiqThe Joystiq Podcast combines insightful commentary on the week's video game news and culture with several disembodied, often spooky, voices. Voices may or may not belong to Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann, Joystiq.com editors, or their guests. Spookiness not guaranteed where prohibited, please check local laws. More information available at www.joystiq.comEA announces Hasbro Family Game Night for Wii, PS2http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/ea-announces-hasbro-family-game-night-for-wii-ps2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/ea-announces-hasbro-family-game-night-for-wii-ps2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/ea-announces-hasbro-family-game-night-for-wii-ps2/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Electronic Arts has finally revealed the fruits of its recent partnership with board game evangelist Hasbro, announcing Hasbro Family Game Night, a collection of classic board games for the Wii and PlayStation 2. Shipping this fall, the game will include a wide assortment of Hasbro properties -- six in all -- from Battleship, Yahtzee, Boggle, and Connect Four to Sorry! and its more recent incarnation in Sorry! Sliders.

Purists will be happy to know that they'll be able to play the classic games as they remember, though EA notes that new versions will also be included as well for those looking for a different way to play. In addition, the collection will let players build and decorate a virtual game room, earn trophies, and play various mini-games once they tire of sinking each other's battleships. However, even with support for between two and four players, we doubt the compilation will have us tossing out our boxed favorites just yet, though at least with this game we know we'll never have to go searching though couch cushions for missing pieces before we can play.
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]]>battleshipboard-gamesboardgamesboggleconnect-fourconnectfoureaelectronic-artselectronicartshasbrosorryyahtzee2008-05-16T09:50:00+00:00First batch of free echochrome levels up tomorrowhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/first-free-echochrome-levels-up-tomorrow/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/first-free-echochrome-levels-up-tomorrow/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/first-free-echochrome-levels-up-tomorrow/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The PlayStation Blog announced today that 20 new user-generated levels will be available in echochrome between May 15-21, and those new levels may be replaced with even more content the following week. Despite our mixed feelings on the idea that the puzzles are replaced rather than added to a mega-list, it's still great to see how quick the promise of free extra content for the $10 Escher-iffic puzzler was fulfilled.

The additional levels will appear randomly in freeform mode if the difficulty is set to level 2 or 3 and there's also been a Flickr page created to give some recognition to the level designers. Definitely check out the demo for the game if you haven't tried it,
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]]>echochromelevelspsn2008-05-14T23:30:00+00:00Joystiq hands-on: Roogoo (XBLA)http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/joystiq-hands-on-roogoo-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/joystiq-hands-on-roogoo-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/joystiq-hands-on-roogoo-xbla/#commentsFiled under: ,


Heard of Roogoo? Don't worry if you haven't. It's fallen a little under the radar, but our recent hands-on with this XBLA title has us hankering for more. Describing the game's premise does it little justice, simply because it seems like something that would barely entertain a three year old. However, under the game's cute exterior and almost-mindlessly simple gameplay lies a lot of depth and fun.

Roogoo follows one of the cardinal rules of the puzzle genre: inexplicably, things are falling from the sky. Blocks of various shapes will descend from above, and players must rotate platforms to allow these shapes to continue their journey downward. We're certain you've played with preschool toys that are similar to this: star goes in star, triangle goes in triangle, box goes in box, etc. The shoulder buttons rotate the platforms, and the A button lets you accelerate the falling piece.

As we warned, this description does little to make the game sound very entertaining. Trust me, I had the same reservations as you're probably thinking when approaching this title. However, things get surprisingly (almost embarassingly) difficult later on. Enemies will spawn in holes, and can only be knocked off by accelerating blocks on their heads. Blocks won't only come down faster, but they'll come down more than one at a time, forcing players to look at multiple levels of play at the same time. Jumping to one of the later levels had us reach miserable failure in a matter of seconds, as we collapsed under the overwhelming weight of colorful children's blocks.
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]]>hands-onroogooxbla2008-05-09T22:15:00+00:00Metareview -- Boom Blox (Wii)http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/07/metareview-boom-blox-wii/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/07/metareview-boom-blox-wii/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/07/metareview-boom-blox-wii/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


They're tiny, they're toony, they're all a little looney, and in this video game they're exploding your TV. Steven Spielberg's first foray into video games brings us Boom Blox for the Wii. Reviews have been pretty glowing or just good. Don't expect some Spielberg epic here, it's definitely a casual title designed for the Wii, which apparently uses the Wiimote quite competently.
  • 1Up (100/100): "Boom Blox is simply a laundry list of great features and options wrapped around an incredibly fun, expertly designed, and well-tuned puzzle game. Sure, its cute veneer won't do it any favors with the more intense console crowd, but I found it charming and refreshingly cheery. It's a casual game made for a casual crowd, but it's far and away the best one I've ever played. Buy this game."
  • IGN (81/100): " If you're looking for a game you can play with friends and family - - one that everybody will be able to pick up and enjoy in a matter of minutes -- look no further than EA Boom Blox. It's a fun puzzler and also a game that really puts Nintendo's controller to great use."
  • GameTap (80/100): "In Boom Blox, however, you might complete one level that is pretty challenging only to unlock a new level that's strangely simple, which is particularly odd in a game that requires you to finish one level in order to move on to the next. ... Nevertheless, Boom Blox is still a worthy purchase for Wii owners. It's one of those rare family games that doesn't fall into the genres of minigame collection or rhythm title, and your seven-year-old kid will have as much fun as you do."
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]]>boom-bloxmetareviewmetareviewssteven spielbergstevenspielbergwii2008-05-07T21:00:00+00:00Dr. Mario charges $10 fee to play on WiiWarehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/07/dr-mario-charges-10-fee-to-play-on-wiiware/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/07/dr-mario-charges-10-fee-to-play-on-wiiware/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/07/dr-mario-charges-10-fee-to-play-on-wiiware/#commentsFiled under: ,


Dr. Mario has been priced for WiiWare and given a new name. Dr. Mario Online RX will cost 1000 Wii Points ($10), but there's still no word of an actual release date. Wii Fanboy noticed the price and name while meticulously scouring the video introducing the Nintendo Channel.

Now, would somebody please prescribe us a pill to get the "Fever" theme song to stop playing in our heads after someone so much as mentions Dr. Mario? Don't know what we're talking about? Feel our pain after the break.

Continue reading Dr. Mario charges $10 fee to play on WiiWare

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]]>dr-mariodr-mario-online-rxdrmariowiiware2008-05-07T14:30:00+00:00Pokémon Puzzle League, Renegade on Virtual Console todayhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/05/pokemon-puzzle-league-renegade-on-virtual-console-today/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/05/pokemon-puzzle-league-renegade-on-virtual-console-today/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/05/pokemon-puzzle-league-renegade-on-virtual-console-today/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Do you know what we really, truly and utterly despise about Pokémon games? It's the fact that every time something Pokémon related pops out of Nintendo's red-and-white capsule, we have to go hunting for that "é." You know, the one with the thingy on top. That's a period of 45 minutes we could spend being super effective and writing about this week's Virtual Console releases.
  • Pokémon Puzzle League (N64, 1-2 players, 1000 Wii Points): Pit those encapsulated creatures against one another in a battle of manic block rearrangement! Way to go!
  • Renegade (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Clean up your city by punching and jump-kicking every thug, gangster, villain, lowlife, miscreant and suspicious loiterer you can find. So, pretty much everyone in the game then.

Continue reading Pokémon Puzzle League, Renegade on Virtual Console today

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]]>N64NESPokemon-Puzzle-LeagueRenegadeVirtual-ConsoleVirtualConsoleMonday2008-05-05T10:30:00+00:00Echochrome's free updates will add more levelshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/05/echochromes-free-updates-will-add-more-levels/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/05/echochromes-free-updates-will-add-more-levels/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/05/echochromes-free-updates-will-add-more-levels/#commentsFiled under: ,


Kumi Yuasa, associate producer of echochrome, has revealed on the PlayStation Blog that future free updates of the title will add hand-picked user-generated content selected by the developers. The new levels will be available on a "regular basis" by signing in online with the game; however, these levels will only be available until the next group goes up. The PlayStation Blog details how players can create and submit levels for consideration.

It's too bad about the time limit on the content, but it all depends on the frequency of the updates. Of course, for some people it'll be too short, while for echochrome addicts aficionados even a weekly update would be too rare. We'll try to give warning about the new content in our PSN Thursday posts.
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]]>echochromepsnupdates2008-05-05T10:00:00+00:00PSN Thursday: Echochrome and Canadian equalityhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/01/psn-thursday-echochrome-and-canadian-equality/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/01/psn-thursday-echochrome-and-canadian-equality/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/01/psn-thursday-echochrome-and-canadian-equality/#commentsFiled under: , ,


It's time for North America to experience the full perception contorting reality of echochrome with this week's PSN update. For those not sure about putting down $10 for the 56 MC Escher-inspired levels, don't be afraid to try out the demo first.

Also, Happy PSN Canadian Equality Day! Today's the day that Canada begins getting charged the same price as the United States for PSN titles.

Europe has an update too ... we're sure they aren't happy, but there's an update. Check it out -- or not -- at PS3 Fanboy. This week's North American PSN update can be found after the break.
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Continue reading PSN Thursday: Echochrome and Canadian equality

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]]>echochromepsnpsn-storepsn-thursdaypuzzle2008-05-01T18:30:00+00:00Rest Eschered, echochrome on American PSN tomorrowhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/30/rest-eschered-echochrome-on-american-psn-tomorrow/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/30/rest-eschered-echochrome-on-american-psn-tomorrow/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/30/rest-eschered-echochrome-on-american-psn-tomorrow/#commentsFiled under: , ,


This is not a good week in games for anyone who has finals or works from home. The PlayStation Blog announced this afternoon the full version of echochrome will be available tomorrow from the PlayStation Store, which is just one glorious week after the demo release gave the general populace a taste of the game's MC Escher-inspired addictive madness.

The game is available on the PS3 and PSP for $10, and comes with 56 levels on PS3, along with 56 "completely different" levels for PSP. The game will also feature a "Canvas mode," allowing players to create their own levels and share them online. In the parlance of the internets, "Do want now!"
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]]>echochromepsnpsn-storepsnstore2008-04-30T17:30:00+00:00Portal rejected from XBLAhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/portal-rejected-from-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/portal-rejected-from-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/portal-rejected-from-xbla/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Considering Valve released Portal as a separate title on its Steam digital distribution service, gamers might have been confused as to why the developer didn't pursue a similar avenue with the game on Xbox 360, via the Xbox Live Arcade service. As it turns out, it did, but the title was rejected due to size limitations and other unnamed reasons.

GamesIndustry.biz reports that during Portal's development, Valve did approach Microsoft to make the title available through XBLA, but several factors made the title an undesirable candidate for the service. Still, marketing director Doug Lombardi does state that the company is always happy to renegotiate. Maybe we'll see Portal on XBLA one day, after all.
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]]>microsoftportalsteamvalvexbla2008-04-28T14:14:00+00:00Valve's Lombardi: No Portal 2 in 2008http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/26/valves-lombardi-no-portal-2-in-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/26/valves-lombardi-no-portal-2-in-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/26/valves-lombardi-no-portal-2-in-2008/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


We're making a note here: huge disappointment -- since Kim Swift's February interview with X-Play, where she mentioned the existence of a Portal 2 project, we've been salivating at the thought of the continued adventures of Chell, GlaDOS, WC³, and the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. Unfortunately, it seems we'll be wearing our spit guards for quite some time -- according to a recent Eurogamer interview with Valve's Doug Lombardi, any sort of continuation of the beloved franchise will not be hitting store shelves this year.

Lombardi expressed Valve's desire to create an equally "revolutionary" successor to the lightning-in-a-bottle first person puzzler, rather than cash in on the franchise at the height of its popularity with a quick and dirty sequel. Oh, Lomby, can't we have both? We're all about instant gratification -- especially gratification involving cake, and a particular silent, springheeled heroine.
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]]>douglombardihalf-life-2lombardiorangeboxportalportal-2sequelvalve2008-04-26T18:00:00+00:00Boom Blox could go multi-platformhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/24/boom-blox-could-go-multi-platform/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/24/boom-blox-could-go-multi-platform/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/24/boom-blox-could-go-multi-platform/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


We know that, if you haven't played it, the charms of Boom Blox don't immediately reveal themselves. But trust us when we say that to play this "tangible actualization of what Wii games are supposed to be" is to love it. So it should come as good news that Amir Rahimi, senior producer on the game, recently told VideoGamer that "there's definitely the possibility of going to other consoles."

Though it might be passable with the SixAxis/DualShock 3, we're concerned with how the package would translate to the 360. Unless of course, you work for EA and you know that Microsoft is developing a motion control device ... Not that Amir Rahimi knows that, of course. We're just saying.
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]]>boom-bloxea2008-04-24T13:25:00+00:00Echochrome demo puzzles North American PSN tomorrowhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/23/echochrome-demo-puzzles-north-american-psn-tomorrow/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/23/echochrome-demo-puzzles-north-american-psn-tomorrow/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/23/echochrome-demo-puzzles-north-american-psn-tomorrow/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The PlayStation Blog twisted our perceptions today with the announcement that an Echochrome demo will be contorting PSN tomorrow. Of course, enterprising individuals have already played the demo via the intertubes, but here's the opportunity for us less tech savvy plebs to get in on (a sample of) the Echochrome fun.

Prepare to savor every MC Escher inspired level of the demo for now. There's still no actual date for the full version of Echochrome, but it's apparently due sometime in May.
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]]>echochromepsnpsn-store2008-04-23T19:30:00+00:00Fan-made Tetris: The Movie trailer surprises us with qualityhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/19/fan-made-tetris-the-movie-trailer-surprises-us-with-quality/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/19/fan-made-tetris-the-movie-trailer-surprises-us-with-quality/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/19/fan-made-tetris-the-movie-trailer-surprises-us-with-quality/#commentsFiled under:

Web video gurus Black 20 (remember the PG version of 300?) have released a surprisingly well-made fake trailer for Tetris: The Movie. It sports a heavy, 300-level dose of blue screen CG, some cheap acting and an over-the-top soundtrack. The sad part of all this is that we're infinitely more excited about a fake video game adaptation than we ever have been about a real one. Our fingers are crossed on a movie trailer for the sure-to-be-torture film Dr. Mario.
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]]>black-20tetris2008-04-19T20:00:00+00:00Konami bringing animals, music, and sandcastles to WiiWarehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/18/konami-bringing-animals-music-and-sandcastles-to-wiiware/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/18/konami-bringing-animals-music-and-sandcastles-to-wiiware/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/18/konami-bringing-animals-music-and-sandcastles-to-wiiware/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Konami has become the latest company to throw its weight behind the impending North American WiiWare launch, announcing that it has "several" WiiWare titles in development for the region, the first of which is a four-player puzzle game called Critter Round-Up.

Known by the equally cute title Saku Saku Animal Panic in Japan, Critter Round-Up will have players building fences to keep animal species separated while avoiding "predators and other mischievous animals." The game is being created by fledgling developer Epicenter Studios, a company whose only other credit is the as yet unreleased Real Heroes: Firefighter for the Wii. And if corralling animals doesn't get you going (what's wrong with you?), Konami notes that future WiiWare projects include an arcade-style music game called Crescendo (working title) and a sandcastle building sim tentatively known as Fresco Beach. Excited yet?
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]]>casualcritter-round-upcritterroundupkonamipuzzlewiiware2008-04-18T10:57:00+00:00Separated at birth: Wii Fit Balance Board and Aperture Science turrethttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/16/separated-at-birth-wii-fit-balance-board-and-aperture-science-t/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/16/separated-at-birth-wii-fit-balance-board-and-aperture-science-t/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/16/separated-at-birth-wii-fit-balance-board-and-aperture-science-t/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Is Nintendo an ancestor of Aperture Science? A dummy corporation? We recently recorded the North American voice of the Wii Fit Balance Board, and it bears an uncanny resemblance to Portal's happy little turrets. Even the hierarchy of henchmen follows Portal. Aperture science has GLaDOS, and Wii Fit has a male- or female-voiced personal trainer.

Yes, there are still a few differences. The Balance Board voice -- and we presume nefarious AI -- comes through the Wii and out a TV, while the turrets are all self-contained. Plus the balance board might not be trying to kill us. The verdict is still uncertain, but be warned.

Aperture Science turret


Wii Fit Balance Board
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]]>aperture-sciencebalance-boardgladosnintendoportalvoicewii-fitwiifit2008-04-16T06:55:00+00:00Joystiq hands-on: Pop (Wiiware)http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-hands-on-pop-wiiware/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-hands-on-pop-wiiware/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-hands-on-pop-wiiware/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

WiiWare will include casual, simple, and hopefully cheap titles with its upcoming release outside of Japan. While some of the Wiiware efforts on display at the Nintendo Media Summit impressed and surprised me, I was more ambivalent about Pop.

The simple game is just about pointing and clicking on bubbles that drift by. Click a bunch of like-colors in a row, and rack up a bonus score that's activated when you pop a different-colored bubble. Miss the bubbles completely, and the count-down timer jumps ahead, moving closer to the end of the game. The only other catch is that your potential points and time keep rising with bubble-popping combos, but they aren't added to the game until you break the run. Get too greedy, and you'll run out of time.
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]]>casualnintendo-media-summit-08nnooopopwiiware2008-04-15T19:30:00+00:00Joystiq hands-on: Zenses: Ocean (DS)http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-hands-on-zenses-ocean-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-hands-on-zenses-ocean-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-hands-on-zenses-ocean-ds/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The Game Factory showed off its upcoming DS puzzler, Zenses: Ocean, and the Nintendo Media Summit. This publisher has made a business out of licensed titles -- Bratz, Garfield, Build-A-Bear Workshop -- but is trying to break into original games with Zenses.

Pitched as a relaxing, almost trance-inducing ride -- some bundles of the game will include earphones to play back its mellow soundtrack -- I found few of its six game modes that didn't feel repetitive. Especially at a $30 price, I hope that the game gets tweaked or the price drops before its October, 2008 release.

Continue reading Joystiq hands-on: Zenses: Ocean (DS)

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]]>nintendo-media-summit-08the-game-factoryzenseszenses-oceanzenses-rainforest2008-04-15T18:30:00+00:00Joystiq impressions: Boom Blox (Wii)http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-impressions-boom-blox-wii/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-impressions-boom-blox-wii/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-impressions-boom-blox-wii/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


In our previous coverage of Boom Blox, we highlighted the basic way you toss baseballs, bowling balls, and other objects at the blocks. But this casual game has even more game modes that have gotten less coverage. I sampled some of the lesser-know variants at the Nintendo Media Summit.

The game's adventure mode introduces other mechanics. Players move through successive levels, trying to initially knock down structures with as few throws as possible. But following levels give gamers unlimited baseballs to toss at a pack of bears, for example; these cranky creatures try to amble off with your gem blocks, and you have to knock them down. Another change on later levels forces you to protect an advancing group of sheep. Monkeys throw items from their own block-built castle, and you need to knock them all down before the sheep are wiped out.
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]]>boom-bloxboombloxeaelectronic-artssteven-spielberg2008-04-15T10:00:00+00:00Joystiq hands-on: World of Goo (WiiWare)http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-hands-on-world-of-goo-wiiware/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-hands-on-world-of-goo-wiiware/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-hands-on-world-of-goo-wiiware/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Cute graphics and sounds: Check. Clever puzzle mechanic: Check. Irresistible gameplay: Check. World of Goo hits the required bullet points to be an indie game darling. And comfortable Wii Remote controls make it a perfect fit to be in Nintendo's WiiWare lineup.

Players build simple structures by pointing and dragging living, bouncing goo balls. These spherical wonders extend a few arms to their closest neighbors, becoming rigid when the Remote button is released. Gamers have to figure out how to build bridges, towers, and other structures without toppling them over, all while trying to use as few balls as possible. In the end, they're trying to lead the remaining balls to a mysterious pipe that sucks them away at the end of the level.

I tried the action-puzzler at the Nintendo Media Summit and am anticipating its release sometime this year. (Developer 2D Boy says its work will be complete in the Summer, and Nintendo will schedule the release after that.) World of Goo felt great and could be poised to be an indie game that crosses over into commercial success.

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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

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