Boom Blox Review

By Ellie Gibson Published 12 May, 2008

The game your Wii was made for.

Version tested: Wii

Play Boom Blox for a few hours, or ten, and making a cup of tea becomes a whole new experience. Normally, you'd pluck a mug from the higgedly-piggedly pile in the cupboard without thinking about it. Now you're wondering whether you can pull out the red one from the bottom without smashing the lot. Normally, while the kettle boils, you'd mull over mundane topics like the weather or the broken drawer or the fate of Patrick Kielty. Now you're wondering whether throwing a bowling ball at the microwave would knock the toaster into the sink. This is one way you know Boom Blox is a great puzzle game.

But Boom Blox isn't just a great puzzle game. It's a great Wii game, which isn't a phrase some of us get to use very often. In fact, it's the best Wii game I've ever played. (Bear in mind Wii games I have played include AMF Bowling Pinbusters, Cruis'n and Game Party, I don't care for Super Mario Galaxy and I still haven't played Okami, Super Smash Bros. Brawl or forthcoming rodeo sim Professional Bull Riders.)

Too many Wii titles feel like traditional videogames with remote and nunchuk bits tacked on for the sake of it. This is a particular problem with multi-platform titles such as Tomb Raider Anniversary, but it also occurs in Wii exclusives. Shaking the nunchuk to make Mario perform a spin move feels a bit pointless, jerking the remote around so Link will fire an arrow a bit silly. Wii Sports makes excellent use of the controllers, offering an experience you can't really get from any other console at present, but the novelty wears off and what you're left with doesn't have much depth.

'Boom Blox' Screenshot 1

Boom Blox is Steven Spielberg's first EA game. He's not brilliant at anti-aliasing if you ask us.

Boom Blox has novelty and depth in spades. Along with instant accessibility, long-term challenge, immense scope for creativity and monkeys wearing cowboy hats. It's all about physics. Each level presents you with a structure built out of blocks, and an objective. This might be to remove a minimum number of blocks without toppling the structure, Jenga-style. Or to knock it over by lobbing balls in the right places and with the right amount of power. Or to protect it from approaching enemies by throwing bombs at them.

There's huge variety in the blocks the structures are made out of. Wooden blocks will wobble when you hit them, perhaps causing the load they're bearing to fall, while steel ones won't budge. Vanishing blocks will disappear on contact with a ball, bomb blocks will explode. Chemical blocks also explode, but only when they come into contact with one of their own kind. There are many more different types, but it would be a shame to reveal them all here.

Then there are the tools you get to solve the puzzles, such as different projectiles with different properties - for example bowling balls pack more power than baseballs, obviously. There's the grab tool, used for pulling out blocks in the Jenga puzzles. A hose which can be used to spray blocks as they fly through the air and change their trajectory. Again, there are many more.

The different elements combine to create more than 300 diverse and entertaining puzzles. Some are more entertaining than others, but few feel like filler. Some can be solved on the first go while others will take many attempts, or for someone else to come in the room and instantly see the trick you've been missing for the past 40 minutes (thanks, Oli).

The brilliant physics technology is what pulls it all together to form a superb game. Blocks wobble, see-saw, fall and knock each other over in exactly the way you'd expect. It's incredibly rewarding to watch a tower topple into another tower because you lobbed the ball at precisely the right block. You'll hold your breath as you nudge a beam from the bottom of a structure with the utmost precision, then sigh with relief as you pull it clear. And, best of all, you'll smile with sheer joy and satisfaction when yet another huge pile of blocks comes crashing to the ground.

The throwing physics work too. To lob balls you aim the remote at the screen and press A to lock your target. Then you flick the remote and release the button to throw. The recognition of whether you went for a soft or hard shot is excellent, and balls never fly off in directions you didn't expect. At first the on-screen pointer feels a little too sensitive, but it becomes apparent that lining up shots just right and pulling out blocks with careful precision are all part of the challenge. Similarly, when you first start playing the Jenga puzzles the physics don't feel quite right; the blocks seem too light and floaty. However, once you've gotten used to this (which doesn't take long) everything makes sense.

Before you know it, you're addicted. All you want is to be left alone to make things fall over and stop things falling over and watch things explode. But then real life comes blundering in and someone's standing next to you saying, "Can I have a go?" When this happens, say yes.

'Boom Blox' Screenshot 2

Knock over the gold ones, avoid knocking over the black ones. Sounds simple. Isn't.

Do not be afraid that you'll have to spend ages explaining what all the different blocks do and how the physics work and why they're not doing it properly (even if they're one of those people who still couldn't throw a Wii Sports bowling ball after 48 minutes of patient tuition), because Boom Blox is the very definition of pick-up-and-play. Everyone's played Jenga, and everyone understands the concept of throwing a thing at another thing to make it fall over. The game's control system is so intuitive and the gameplay so appealing they'll be hooked instantly.

Boom Blox features both co-operative and competitive multiplayer modes, and both are brilliant. As anyone who's played Jenga knows, it's great fun working out which block to pull to leave the tower standing but your opponent in shtuck. But there's a whole different kind of fun to be had discussing which block to pull with your partner, then berating them for a tiny mistake in the moving which just cost you the game. Again, not all the puzzles are equally entertaining; the ones where you have to knock over a huge number of point blocks go on too long. Almost all the rest, however, are superb.

Pleasingly, Boom Blox doesn't require you to possess any nunchuks to enjoy multiplayer. In fact you don't even need more than one remote, as many of the puzzles are turn-based. There's no nonsense about unlocking things in single-player; the co-op mode is entirely separate, and all the competitive levels are available right from the start. There's even a sampler option where you're given a selection of throw, attack, blast and grab levels, so you can work out which type you and your friend prefer (or friends - there's support for up to four players).

Once everyone's gone home, which might not be for some time, there's the level editor to play with. This is almost fantastic. There's a terrific thrill when you first view all the toys there are to play with. (Your reward for completing puzzles in the main game is more elements for the toybox, but there's a decent selection from the start.) You choose what type of puzzle to create, which blocks to place where, the tool the player gets, whether there's a time limit and so on. You can playtest your level at any point before returning to the editor to make refinements.

There's just one problem - the pointer's high sensitivity. This might add challenge when you're playing through levels, but it adds frustration when you're trying to create them. Getting the arrow in precisely the right position for where you want to place a block is fiddly enough. You then have to press the A button to actually place it, and all too often this movement causes the arrow to nudge out of position and the block to end up in the wrong spot. What should be an exercise in exploring your creativity ends up being more about trying to keep your hand as steady as possible.

There is an option to share your creations online, but it's limited - you can only send levels to people in your Wii Friends address book and play ones friends have sent you. It's a shame there isn't a Boom Blox channel where you can try out the best levels other gamers have come up with, as is the plan with LittleBigPlanet. However, online sharing is the only feature of Boom Blox that feels like an afterthought. Both the solo and multiplayer modes are solid and highly entertaining, and I can't think of another Wii title you can say that about.

'Boom Blox' Screenshot 4

Boom Blox is cute, but stays just the right side of sickening.

The game isn't without flaws. The cartoon visuals are cute, but not quite charming enough; the characters don't have the same unique appeal of a character like, say, Sack Boy. There's something a little bland and corporate about the whole thing. It's more obvious in some areas than others, like in the puzzle where you have to knock down a wall which has the letters EA spelled out in gems. Companies with pedigree like Nintendo and SEGA can get away with this sort of nonsense; sorry, EA, but you can't.

But these tiny grumbles mean nothing when the birds have started singing and the dawn is peeking through the curtains and you don't care because you've just worked out if you hit the vanishing block at the bottom of the left tower the small chemical block will hit the big chemical block which should send enough concrete bricks flying to topple the tower on the right and smash the gems. Nor when you're watching someone who claims to hate videogames take sheer delight in throwing a virtual bowling ball around. Boom Blox is brilliant alone, fantastic with friends, a superb addition to the puzzle genre and a game that will make you glad you own a Wii. Here's hoping it's only the first of its kind.

9 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (106) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ChrisTop #1 4 years ago

    LoL, what the heck is that?

  • SeesThroughAll #2 4 years ago

    You should have cut off a couple of points off the score, because the game lacks enough AA and runs at less than 720p!

    That makes a game shit! Really!
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/08 @ 13:50

  • AtomicBanana #3 4 years ago

    Ellie, reviewing a game that isn't shit? What is the world coming to!?

  • Psychotext #4 4 years ago

    Wow... that's a surprisingly good score.

  • Krelle #5 4 years ago

    Boom Blox has got rather great scores all around.

  • Toonster #6 4 years ago

    hooray for Spielberg!

  • Scrumhalf #7 4 years ago

    @Psychotext: surely it is only surprising if you haven't played it :)

  • Benno #8 4 years ago

    Better than gears then?

  • SeanLB #9 4 years ago

    Did Spielberg have any real involvement in this other than name value (apologies if it is mentioned in the review as I went for the glance and quick question here first before reading)? I've seen things like on Gamer.TV/Plyer (whatever it's called now) with Spielberg playing the game, but nothing that couldn't have just been Steven visiting once a year to film some promotional vid's for TV/Internet to pretend he had an active part.

  • symmetry #10 4 years ago

    What about the head-tracking? Did that make it into the game?

  • Psychotext #11 4 years ago

    @Scrumhalf: Mostly surprising as I haven't seen any hype for it so I didn't know it was coming.

  • hula hoops #12 4 years ago

    Boom Blox has got rather great scores all around.

    Apart from in China, where the reviewers there are in a crusade to demean any products associated with Spielberg.

    Game factor: 9/10
    Speilberg factor: -10/10
    Total score: -1/10

  • melatonin #13 4 years ago

    Woah, woah, woah...

    "I don't care for Super Mario Galaxy"

    All my sympathy for 'crap game Ellie' has suddenly gone straight out the window...

  • CallousB #14 4 years ago

    It's a really great game but it won't sell unfortunately (and that's EA's own fault).

    The art style is bland (EA could have done much better), it's £40 (which is too much for a puzzle game)...and it's the type of title that needs heavy TV marketing to get the casuals to buy it (I have seen no tv ads at all). It's a game that doesn't really hook you until you actually play it.

    Edited by 1 at 12/05/08 @ 14:17

  • AmpH #15 4 years ago

    It's 32 euro's in the Netherlands. That's even less pounds...

  • M83J01P97 #16 4 years ago

    @SeanLB

    Yep, he was involved in the games development since day one. Basically he 'directed' the game by pitching ideas and seeing if they could be implemented into the game and so on. So no, he hasn't just out his name on it to generate a bit of hype, he has been involved in the bulk of it's development.

  • morriss #17 4 years ago

    Nice review, Ellie. Still don't agree about Tomb Raider: Anniversary but I'll let you off! ;)

  • Killerbee #18 4 years ago

    Sounds great. In fact, I was seriously thinking about going out to buy it but... £40. That just seems expensive for what seems to be screaming out for a nice £20-25 price tag to place it into that "impulse buy" bracket.

  • JonFE #19 4 years ago

    You've got to be kidding me!!! Ellie of all people...

  • smugla #20 4 years ago

    its £29.99 on play and amazon and blockbusters have it at £35 and so most game and gamestaion stores will price match blockbusters

  • Muddtallica #21 4 years ago

    Huh?! I had this pegged as being a pointless piece of shovelware, but I'm seeing great scores coming in everywhere, and more to the point, it actually sounds like a lot of fun. The price tag is prohibitive, unfortunately; still, it might be worth a look in when the price falls a little.

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #22 4 years ago

    Bloody hell, I was expecting a positive 7 and hoping for an 8 from this, but a 9?! Fantastic! AND I was sent a copy at work today, too!

  • Tonka #23 4 years ago

    Hayya....?
    O_o
    I used to love building towers and crashing them by the clever removal of abrick at the top when I was a kid. This game always seems like it could become the modern hasslefree version of that. Now it sounds like a buy.

  • secombe #24 4 years ago

    Great news, will wait for it to get a bit cheaper though.

    Slightly disappointed with the "doesn't have much depth" comments directed at Wii Sports though, I still strongly disagree with that statement (particuarly with regards to Tennis)

  • InsoFox #25 4 years ago

    Told you so, whoever-that-guy-in-the-forum-who-said-this-would-be-crap-wa s.

  • richardiox #26 4 years ago

    Can't believe Wii games like this and Bust-a-Move retail on the high street for £40 - same price as most 360 games. What ever happened to Nintendos promises to keep Wii software prices low? If this was £30 I would have picked it up at luncthime.

  • Machiavel #27 4 years ago

    I'll buy it! (When it's £20)

  • drumbaby #28 4 years ago

    Was expecting a ten, seeing as pretty much anything gets it these days.

  • peterfll #29 4 years ago

    I actually saw footage on Playr (on Bravo) at the weekend and was instantly charmed by the sound effects alone (very Nintendo sounding).

    It was lucky I heard the game at all because the presenter of Playr is so appalling it really encourages you to watch it on mute.

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #30 4 years ago

    I thought that this idea had great potential and it's good to see that EA have knocked the ball out the park on this one. Another nail in the crap, misguided "Wii has no games" coffin!

  • byron_hinson #31 4 years ago

    Been playing it far more than gta 4 in our house. Excellent game just a shame it lacks online multiplayer

  • Oli Verified Reviews Editor, Eurogamer.net #32 4 years ago

    "Some can be solved on the first go while others will take many attempts, or for someone else to come in the room and instantly see the trick you've been missing for the past 40 minutes (thanks, Oli)."

    40 minutes? Yeah whatever. Two hours, more like.

    As an aside, why do you think people are reluctant to pay full price for puzzle games? You will get more hours' enjoyment from a good one than you will from most action games, especially if it has a good multiplayer mode.

    I do agree with Ellie on this (not about Super Mario Galaxy, though). Boom Blox is excellent.

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #33 4 years ago

    the man has no talent

    Indiana Jones, Jaws, the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and ET say you are wrong!
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/08 @ 15:20

  • Ignatius_Cheese #34 4 years ago

    Anyone know how much this is going for in-store at Tesco's...?

  • rhubarbandcustard #35 4 years ago

    ulov3 - Spielberg has more talent than you could dream of.

    And when you say you worked on his movie in Budapest, I think we can safely assume you were a fairly minor crew member at best.

    Tea boy, per chance?

  • Darkedge #36 4 years ago

    Woo! Ellie totally right about Mario Galaxy - the spin mechanic is rubbish and thats not all.

    Nice review but still I'd pay £25-30 for this tops not £40.


    "Companies with pedigree like Nintendo and SEGA can get away with this sort of nonsense; sorry, EA, but you can't."
    they could 15 years ago when they were actually very good until they started with all the shovelware

  • Oh-Bollox #37 4 years ago

    As an aside, why do you think people are reluctant to pay full price for puzzle games? You will get more hours' enjoyment from a good one than you will from most action games, especially if it has a good multiplayer mode.

    Development costs assumed to be less? Puzzle games don't often have the best graphics or sound. In fact, quite often the audio is distinctly shite, and drives you up the wall when you get stuck on a puzzle for x-amount of hours.

  • Nikanoru #38 4 years ago

    I had this pegged as being a pointless piece of shovelware,


    Why?

  • InsoFox #39 4 years ago

    I don't really get why everyone's suddenly all defensive and suspicious when the name Spielberg crops up. First of all, I don't get how it's so inconcievable that he could have some ideas for a fun, cute puzzle game. I mean, why not. But also, how many games has be been involved with? There's The Dig (which perhaps isn't the greatest Lucasarts adventure, but is also not half bad) and then there's this.

    Too many people have dismissed this thing before even seeing it. If it was Uwe Boll, I'd kind of see the basis for their suspicions. But yeah, this game is great fun. The cutesy element hasn't bothered me at all... in fact, the only part that caused me to cringe at all was mentioned in the review... the level with the EA logo in blocks made me roll my eyes - it's just not what I want to see. (Speaking of that level, I must have played it about 15 times before realising I was missing the totally bleedin' obvious 1-hit solution.)

  • smugla #40 4 years ago

    Anyone know how much this is going for in-store at Tesco's...?

    I think its £34 instore

    best price is play and amazon £29.99 online

  • BiscuitBase #41 4 years ago

    But which version has the best framerate for christ's sake!

  • InsoFox #42 4 years ago

    Actually, on reflection, about that 'EA' level, the thought of actually toppling EA to the ground in a big heap is in some ways pleasing...

    ...then again, if there are people there making games like this then I'm happy for them to stay. If only we could do something about their publishing arm.

  • Loser #43 4 years ago

    @richardiox

    All the first party titles are 35 notes. I think it's up to EA/retailers how much they will charge for it.

  • spidermanalf #44 4 years ago

    Wasn't Spielberg involved in the early MOH games as well?

  • Tiger_Walts #45 4 years ago

    Spielberg was also involved in The Dig, insofar that it was going to be a short and then a movie at one point but the budget would have been too big. The writing development was thus transferred to a game production.

  • charliemouse #46 4 years ago

    Hooray! I had high hopes for this and will get it on the way home tonight.

    Sod the sun! There are way too many good games at the moment...

  • stampax #47 4 years ago

    Another "i'll buy it at 20 quid" comment here

  • Muddtallica #48 4 years ago

    Nikanoru: Why did I peg this as shovelware? Now that I think about it, I think it's pretty much entirely because of the name; there's just something very uninspiring about the concept of a modern console game with "blocks" (or, er, "Blox";) in the title. I know it's a perfectly fair thing to call the game, but words like "brick" and "block" just make me think of cheap Tiger-handheld-level crap that uses blocks as their interface because the developers were incapable of programming anything more elaborate. Combine that with its status as a game for the Wii, a system often known for attracting just such talentless developers, and I guess I jumped to conclusions.

    Basically, I'm an enormous blockist bigot who couldn't look past his deep-rooted preconceptions about blocks. Hopefully quality block-based titles such as this will help me overcome my prejudices and lead my down the path towards spiritual rehabilitation.

  • gingerlink #49 4 years ago

    Typical spielberg's way: made to make money. The man has no talent but he turns everything he does into someting very very good. (i worked with him in a movie in budapest btw).

    I dunno, that sounds like the description of talent to me, just at a lack of effort maybe?

  • FenderMaster #50 4 years ago

    There's something a little bland and corporate about the whole thing. It's more obvious in some areas than others, like in the puzzle where you have to knock down a wall which has the letters EA spelled out in gems. Companies with pedigree like Nintendo and SEGA can get away with this sort of nonsense; sorry, EA, but you can't.

    !!!

  • Double0_Jensen #51 4 years ago

    "The man has no talent but he turns everything he does into someting very very good. "

    Haven't you just, in trying to say he's got no talent, said he's got talent? I reckon Spielberg would see your comment and raise you an Oscar, one of the most successful movie franchises of all time, a great artistic vision and a whole pile of cash!

    Wish I hadn't sold the Wii now, this actially does look like a lot of fun!

  • FenderMaster #52 4 years ago

    and didnt Ellie review Mario Galaxy?

    i thought she liked it?, it got a 10

  • InsoFox #53 4 years ago

    Not that I haven't posted on this enough yet, but I'd also like to chime in among those who don't understand the problem with the price tag. I suppose the perceived value of this, when a game like GTA 4 just came out for the same price, might be a touch low. This might look a little lightweight in comparison. But nowhere in the review does it suggest that the experience is shallow, even if it plays to a 'casual' market.

    It seems like people just don't want to pay full price 'on principle'. On exactly -what- principle I'm unsure, though. Not the principle of 'it's not a great game,' obviously. There seems to be some vague and meaningless principle of 'it's a puzzle game, so it should be cheaper, uh, for some reason' floating around, too.

    Oh, and someone mentioned wanting the price lower because it cost less to make than a big budget game, which seems like a strange argument to me. It's not as if we expect this price model to translate particularly to other types of product. You go to see a film and you pay exactly the same high cinema ticket price plus 100% popcorn tax whether you see John Rambo or Son of Rambow. In fact, with a few exceptions, it's very rare to see a game released at budget price unless it's exactly the sort of shovelware release that this is -not-.

    Buy.

  • Derblington #54 4 years ago

    People don't want to pay £40 because it's a Wii game.

  • Eighthours #55 4 years ago

    Buy this, and more games like it will get made.

    Ignore it, and the shovelware will continue.

  • DrDamn #56 4 years ago

    We are constantly told games are expensive because they cost a hell of a lot to make. So why is it unreasonable to assume a game which costs a lot less should be cheaper?

  • Machiavel #57 4 years ago

    By some folks arguments, a mini cooper should cost the same as a ferrari, as it's the same driving experience and there's no perception of value.

  • NickD7 #58 4 years ago

    Wii has been serving the casual market 24/7 365 days a year since it was released. It won't matter if you buy this game, Wii is the king of shovel ware and kiddy party trash. 2008 looks bleak for the system, Rare making better old style Nintendo games than Nintendo now.

    I'm happy that Wii owners have a good game like this, but splooging over a casual puzzle game that costs the same as GTA IV, Bioshock, Gears, 2 Banjoe , MGS4? Game should be 20 quid tops, not buying until it's in teh bargain bin, which won't take l;ong as most Wii owners are only interested in first party shit like Wii fit.

    Not trying to derail this thread, carry on with your casual game fapping frenzy.
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/08 @ 17:04

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #59 4 years ago

    CDs/MP3s often cost the same no matter the cost of production. Cinema tickets/DVDs generally cost the same no matter how much the film cost to make.

    Why should games be any different?

  • jonsaan #60 4 years ago

    A bit harsh on the Wii's software library I think! This game sounds great however.

  • InsoFox #61 4 years ago

    "We are constantly told games are expensive because they cost a hell of a lot to make. So why is it unreasonable to assume a game which costs a lot less should be cheaper?"

    1) Because that's a completely faulty argument as to why games cost so much in the first place. The price of games hasn't changed much in 15 years but the cost of making them has skyrocketed. Sure, demand has increased too which might be a factor in keeping price down, but the real reason games cost what they do is because that's what people have been willing to pay for them. Otherwise people would go the other way and start charging £60 for games with huge budgets.

    2) Because, again, this doesn't happen in other walks of life. People charge based on what they think they can get for something, not what it costs to make. Obviously production costs enter into it, in that you have to sell for more than it costs to make a profit, but if you can make something for £1 and charge £50 for it then as a businessperson you will - and businesspeople frequently do! Why should you expect -otherwise-? I'm not disagreeing that it would be lovely if things were priced in a way that is closely linked to production costs... I just don't know why you'd -assume- it should be that way, because except in cases of non-profit organisations, it never happens!

  • tastenking #62 4 years ago

    You can enjoy a little Boom Blox taste with the Boom Blox Flashgame on the german page of EA: <a href:"http://boomblox.e lectronic-arts.de/">http://boomblox.e lectronic-arts.de/</a> Quite entertaining. Beat my highscore of 567! :-)

  • Muddtallica #63 4 years ago

    NickD7: That's weird...that message you posted there in an attempt to not derail the thread read strangely like an attempt to derail the thread. Funny how that happens.

  • red_shift #64 4 years ago

    I want it.

  • YourMessageHere #65 4 years ago

    Buying a game and cinemagoing are not comparable. Cinema visits are one-off events, games are revisitable whenever you like. A much closer analogy would therefore be video/DVD releases, which do in fact vary in price a lot, with high-budget, high-gloss releases analogous to big games like GTA costing more on first release than low-budget straight-to-video films analogous to this.

    Plus, if a product costs £1 to make and they sell it for £50, their competitor (if they had any sense) would sell a competing product for £30 and sell more - like Wiis and PS3s, in fact. What people are willing to pay is defined by the price range they observe, and I for one have seen some damn cheap games, which is why I shop around very carefully for stuff like games and often delay my purchases until something comes down in price. I think looking at other responses I'm not the only one with this attitude.

    This habit of selling a game for £lots and later dropping the price is also a contributing factor. If people percieve that a game sells for less money later than it does at launch, it's only natural to wonder at that. Why pay more? It's not going to go off if you leave it on the shelf for a month or two, after all; if games launched at a lower price and stayed at that price, maybe you'd see better initial sales.

    I for one also expected this to be crap (still not convinced. Physics puzzles? A bit 2004, no? Oh, but it's on a Wii!), given that I'd trust a film director to make a good game as much as I'd trust a game developer to direct a film, and given that nothing Spielberg's done would translate well into a game without a revolution in game design. I'd love to hear from the devs quite what this game would have been if they'd not had any involvement with Spielberg.

  • rashes #66 4 years ago

    1st game that's actually made me want a Wii !

  • seasidebaz #67 4 years ago

    THIS GAME SOUNDS FOOKIN MARVELLOUS

    sorry about that, but when i first heard about it, i laughed like a fool.

    now i feel like a fool, because i MUST own this game.

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #68 4 years ago

    YourMessageHere.

    If you want to stretch your analogy then this game is like a low-budget indie smash. When those come out - such as Little Miss Sunshine or Sideways - on DVD they cost the same as Spider-Man or Pirates of the Caribbean.

    Anyway, what the fuck does it matter? As the review says;

    "Boom Blox has novelty and depth in spades. Along with instant accessibility, long-term challenge, immense scope for creativity and monkeys wearing cowboy hats."

    If that doesn't appeal, don't buy it!
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/08 @ 19:33

  • YourMessageHere #69 4 years ago

    Pac-man ate my wife:

    Again not really comparable; EA's hardly an indie studio, and the involvement of Spielberg is much more like a film trading on the involvement of a popular actor than using a hardly-known cast as most indies do. That analogy applies more to stuff like Audiosurf which, by comparison, does cost a lot less. This game is more like a film the studio funds because it's only modestly expensive but isn't really sure it'll be good, gives it a punt anyway on the offchance, and when it turns out popular and successful, they milk it for all it's worth.

  • mcmothercruncher #70 4 years ago

    £25 and I'm sold, until then, I'll practice with the wifes' ornaments.


    And practice balancing stuff.

  • smelly #71 4 years ago

    I dont believe this..

    Surely you need a super duper powerful console to do physics properly?

    The wii is just 2 gamecubes stuck together - it's not powerful enuf..

    etce etc.

  • smelly #72 4 years ago

    "given that I'd trust a film director to make a good game as much as I'd trust a game developer to direct a film"


    I personally liked the wing commander movie...

  • smelly #73 4 years ago

    As for the price of this game.

    Yes it's obviously going to be cheaper to make a game like this than a majorly huge fps/gta extravaganza.

    But yet a puzzle game isnt going to sell 5 million copies in it's release week either.

    I'd imagine that a game like this would struggle to sell 1 million in it's whole life time (regardless of how good it is), so the price is to offset the lack of sales.

    Also there's the price vs quality argument. A lot of people look at cheaper products as being inferior and wont buy them. On the other hand a lot of people (especially europeans) seem to prefer to buy the more expensive things regardless of how good they are (look at how well the ps3 sold at launch in europe - way before it got any games worth buying).

    So in this case the price IS probably justified.. But (like you) i'll wait to buy it cheap second hand (same as i'm doing with gta 4 in fact as there's going to be thousands of those available very soon!)



  • Azazel #74 4 years ago

    lol @ "Speilberg has no talent", thread delivers.

  • smelly #75 4 years ago

    oooh.. i'm at #8 in the highscore table!

    http://boomblox.e lectronic-arts.de/

  • OrgasmicMutton #76 4 years ago

    It's an enjoyable game but I'd like to add that the shooting puzzles are a tad tedious. Plus there's a couple of levels where you have to defend kittens from hordes of undead using only baseballs, in which the camera is less than helpful and the difficulty seems to stacked against you leading to a bit of frustration as it follows after several levels of the same sort which had been boringly easy.

    Still that criticism and the awful "Dr Seuss light" storytelling aside (it's not like I bought the game to be told a wonderful tale) Boom Blox is a well crafted game and great to play with friends and on your own; it has certainly made good use of the Wii remote and I'm glad it has finally given poor Ellie something fun to play after all the horrible mini game compilations that she gets forced to endure when all sane people wouldn't touch them with a bargepole!

    As for price - you can easily buy it for 30 quid from the usual internet shopping sites. Personally I wouldn't have paid 40 quid for it (there's not many games I would considering I'm used to paying 30 quid max for PC titles) but 30 while initially seeming a bit steep is perfectly acceptable considering the amount of hours I can see myself playing it. Considering back in the day I paid 30 quid for 8 hours of Max Payne and had no qualms I'm definitely happy enough. Although if any game ever beats either Audiosurf, Puzzle Quest or good old Deus Ex for value for money I'll eat my hat.
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/08 @ 21:58

  • Sid-Nice #77 4 years ago

    DickN7 wrote:not buying until it's in teh bargain bin, which won't take l;ong as most Wii owners are only interested in first party shit like Wii fit.

    Surprisingly shit like Metroid Prime, Mario Galaxy, PES 2008, Mario Strikers, Zack & Wiki, Battalion Wars, Mario & Sonic, and Zelda etc. All seem to retain a high asking price.

    I won't pay any more than £20 for a game that has last generation graphics; my Wii isn't only gathering dust, I can't see it for dust as I only have Wii Sports which I got free.

  • figaro7 #78 4 years ago

    ^ i agree with the shooting puzzles, the bright side to them is that they dont take very long to do, otherwise its a fantastic game! Its a budget price in AUS too, well worth it imo!

  • mcmothercruncher #79 4 years ago

    "Its a budget price in AUS too, well worth it imo!"

    So it IS a budget title in some zones... interesting. Shaft the dopey euro gamers a bloody gain eh?

  • smelly #80 4 years ago

    "Surprisingly shit like Metroid Prime, Mario Galaxy, PES 2008, Mario Strikers, Zack & Wiki, Battalion Wars, Mario & Sonic, and Zelda etc. All seem to retain a high asking price."


    I rate your trolling 8/10.. As everyone knows none (with exception of mario & sonic) of those games are shit.. But well done for trying.


    "my Wii isn't only gathering dust, I can't see it for dust as I only have Wii Sports which I got free."

    So you dont buy games (because they're "too expensive";).. and then complain about the machine (which i doubt you even own) allegedly gathering dust... Surely if you're THAT tight the machine was therefor a waste of money?

    As for the games being "shit" with "last gen graphics" as you've never played any of them, how could you possibly know?

    Brilliant trolling.. 10/10



    Edited by 1 at 13/05/08 @ 00:03

  • smelly #81 4 years ago

    I do love the way the trolls have gone from "all wii games are shit" to now saying "all wii games are too expensive"

    Talk about desperately scrapping the barrel...

  • Charlie_Miso #82 4 years ago

    MrZ - try your local JB.

    It's there in mine - at $64

  • smelly #83 4 years ago

    $64?!?!

    What's the Aus/Us exchange rate like? that sounds like a hell of a lot?

  • Sid-Nice #84 4 years ago

    Come on smelly; you know as well as I do that the Wii is just a gimmick; fair play to Nintendo for brainwashing the general public into buying their console, but Nintendo knew that there would be a gap in the market to exploit with only a small percentage of the populous owning HDTV's. Nintendo have cleaned up on the casual gamer market; taking over from the PS2, sadly the success of the Wii could have an adverse effect on us hardcore gamers if developers start shovelling shovel-ware at the 360 and PS3 to make a fast buck.

    In all honesty Boom Blox is nothing more than an Xbox live Arcade game; a mediocre one at that, the game should retail around the £5 bracket not 40 quid.

  • OrgasmicMutton #85 4 years ago

    IRT Sid Nice

    You're living in a fantasy world if you think that it's just the Wii that gets shitty titles. While I definitely agree that it has got more than its fair share when compared to the other consoles when I look at the shelf in any games store for any format; whether console or PC, at least half the games are utter shite and another quarter mediocre at best.

    However personally I'd rather just enjoy the 25% that are good fun, quality titles and get on with it. Most games are pretty poor or mediocre it has always been that way and always will be; fortunately there's a shit load of games out there and so there's always enough to go on.

  • Sid-Nice #86 4 years ago

    Most PS3 and Xbox 360 titles are mutton done up as lamb.

    @smelly $64 AUS is the equivalent of £31 GB Pound sterling.

  • Charlie_Miso #87 4 years ago

    '$64 AUS is the equivalent of £31 GB Pound sterling.'

    $100 normally for the pleasure.

    GTAIV - $120

  • Muddtallica #88 4 years ago

    Person Who Has Never Played Boom Blox: "In all honesty Boom Blox is nothing more than an Xbox live Arcade game; a mediocre one at that."

    Person Who Has Played Boom Blox: "Boom Blox is brilliant alone, fantastic with friends, a superb addition to the puzzle genre and a game that will make you glad you own a Wii."

    Hmmm, whose opinion shall I trust? Honest to God, Sid Nice, how can you still pretend you have an argument? You've already said yourself that you don't own any of the games that you're criticising.

  • smelly #89 4 years ago

    Sid Nice: Welcome to my ignore list!

    Someone who states blindly a game is crap without even having played it = troll


    As for the aussie games prices.. just checked.. $64 australian is $60 american?!?? And you consider that to be "budget"? Sheesh.. and i thought europeans got ripped off!

    (I dont pay more than $40 for a brand new full priced game!)

  • stallion185 #90 4 years ago

    This game sounds great. One of the reasons I bought the Wii was to get games like this. There is only so much FPS "UBER GRAFIX!!!" and seriousness that I can take.

    Better graphics has never automatically meant 'better game'. Besides, I can actually play this and many other Wii games with my girlfriend, so its a buy for me.

  • stallion185 #91 4 years ago

    Aussie games prices have always been pretty steep at release. It usually doesn't take long for prices to fall though.

  • figaro7 #92 4 years ago

    Indeed our AU pricing is a joke, when you can import games from play-asia, especially region free 360 games for 55+ delivery charges, which is $70 AU at most. Its painful how expensive games are here, even boom bloxes discounted price, between 70-80 retail is still steep compared to overseas. Games that cost $120 Au almost puts me off buying a game. Its good to see that most chain stores have an introductory offer though. I bought Wii fit for $120 at Kmart last week, RRP is $150 after the introductory offer.

  • Toonster #93 4 years ago

    Sid Nice, I can never tell if you're being serious. In the forums, you seem to like Nintendo, but on the comments section, it's the other way round. Do you enter through some portal to a parallel universe every time you switch between forum and comments? I mean, all your top wanted games are for the Wii!

  • Charlie_Miso #94 4 years ago

    Think Sid was in mocking mode


    Hello, Aussies;

    Waz Up my Diggers?

  • MyPointIs #95 4 years ago

    You know the original idea had to come from Steven, to get a deal on a pack pack of games.

    Otherwise something like this would've NEVER been done in todays world. And much less by EA.

    Come on. On a market focused on impressing the young gangsta ... a game with cute bricks.

    I'm sure it'll be ace, but sell 10 copies, therefore sending the confirmation to EA that they should stick to impressing the young gansta.

    We all loose.

  • MGG #96 4 years ago

    @Sid Nice: if you really are a "hard core gamer", why do you give 2 figs about the graphics being "last gen"? Its all about the GAME-PLAY if you are a "hard core gamer", if its only about the gfx then you are not a gamer - go join the cinema or camera buffs instead.

    Or did you refuse to play games like Tetris cos they had crap gfx too?

  • knocker #97 4 years ago

    Can't really understand the desperation of people wanting the wii to fail. 'The wii has no good games' then 'the wii has no good 3rd party games' now 'wii games are too expensive' ... What next ?

    I have always had a soft spot for quirky cartoony games - and for a long time it felt like these would die out cos of Fps and driving games - but I really can't recall the desire to go and shit all over every single fucking thread discussing them still the melodramatic hissy fits are quite amusing.

    Gta - £40
    boom bloc - £30
    Enjoying them both - priceless
    great time to be a gamer - especially if you want variety !

  • charliemouse #98 4 years ago

    My arm hurts from playing it last night. It's like Wii Sports injuries all over again.

    It's a great game, am worried about its length though as it already says 40% on my save.

  • InsoFox #99 4 years ago

    @charliemouse

    Mm, I dunno, i'm at 40% too but it seems there's plenty there... I've hardly delved into the advanced challenges yet - regular explore mode seemed largely like a tutorial to me. I've still gote half the 'story' mode to go too, and there's an advanced version of that, too, so it seems just right to me.

    I think sooner or later I'm going to have most fun on multiplayer (which I'm yet to try) and create mode (which I've dabbled in and is incredibly well-designed) - and I suspect those two things are going to be the real mark of longevity.

  • asphaltcowboy #100 4 years ago

    "I don't care for Super Mario Galaxy" - Heretic!

    Anyway, this sounds great. Oh and congrats on being allowed to review a good game ;)

  • DrDamn #101 4 years ago

    @BuckA51

    I found it silly - not pointless as such, but more an obvious work around for the fact there aren't enough buttons. Using gestures for the sort of stuff which requires immediacy introduces unnecessary delay and recognition factors. Would much rather just press a button.

  • cyber_nicco #102 4 years ago

    Sounds interesting.

    That's it.

  • sirtacos #103 4 years ago

    Spielberg strikes again. Awesome.
    Edited by 1 at 14/05/08 @ 00:00

  • BiscuitBase #104 4 years ago

    Got this at the weekend. It's one of the most fun and original games I've played for absolutely ages.

  • smelly #105 4 years ago

    >My arm hurts from playing it last night. It's like Wii Sports injuries all over again.

    You need to do a bit more exercise...

  • lovely2cu #106 4 years ago

    Who would have thunk it, from EA of all devs. Fair play, keep up the good work!

  • gourry #107 4 years ago

    Have played this game for the last few days. The single player is great fun and while a few levels are a bit irritating, its still worth giving it a go. (where else can you be happy making a tower of blocks fall that takes out 5 sheep and cows in the process) The game really comes into its own in multiplayer. Its right up there with Wii Sports for pick up / play and getting non-gamers involved. There is lots of variation too in the multiplayer levels and the sample bag works well to mix things up. Not tried the level editor yet.

    I'd agree its probably not worth £40 but if you have any friends :p I'd say its well worth £30 from the on-line retailers