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Spielberg's "Boom Blox" is "best use of Wii controls yet"

1up.com — If this is the future of casual gaming, motion controls, and Wii, count me in. Boom Blox may not be the best Wii game, depending on your proclivities, but it's definitely the best use of the Wii yet. It's immensely accessible, wonderfully tactile, and stands as one of the best treatments of gaming in a 3D space.

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Blakovitch 61 days ago, made popular 60 days ago

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Topher06, on 05/07/2008, -56/+7K, so Nintendo gets 1 in 200 right. I'm still done waving a stick at my HD home theater system.
- KingGoonie, on 05/07/2008, -9/+151 out of 200? I can name over a dozen.... Best games of all 3 current systems.
  - Sedako, on 05/07/2008, -17/+5A dozen? Alright, start naming.
    - AndrewDB, on 05/07/2008, -8/+8I'll start, hopefully someone will finish:
      
      Smash Brothers Brawl
      Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
      Metroid Prime 3
      Boom Blox
      Mario Kart
      Super Mario Galaxy
      
      That's six.
      - mywhitenoise, on 05/07/2008, -12/+6You've already played Boom Blox?
        
        And dude, the reason why Mario Galaxy, Brawl, and Mario Kart are any good is because they hardly use any waggle...especially the last 2 since they're GC/classic controller compatible.
      - cesclaveria, on 05/07/2008, -3/+4Wii Sports
      - ParaSwarm, on 05/07/2008, -3/+2@mywhitenoise
        
        Hardly any waggle = good? You obviously haven't played No More Heroes.
      - mywhitenoise, on 05/07/2008, -2/+4I've played No More Heroes, at least up until the second boss, and about 30 or more other Wii games (It's modded). It isn't that great of a game, and most people would agree.
      - DAaaMan64, on 05/07/2008, -3/+7Hey ya'll suck.
        
        Here:
        Zach & Wiki
        Godfather
        Scarface
        Resident Evil 4
        SSX Blur
        Raymen Raving Rabbids
        Super Mario Galaxy
        Ware Ware Smooth Moves
        Zelda Twilight Princess
        Mario Kart Wii
        Super Smash Brothers Brawl
        No More Heroes
        Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
        Okami
        Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles
        House of the Dead 2&3
        Ghost Squad
        
        Blah Blah, there are still others. I have 30 games that don't suck and I can list those off if you want. We also already pretty much know Pikmin and Animal Crossing are going to work well too.
      - mywhitenoise, on 05/07/2008, -10/+3Godfather - sucks
        Scarface - sucks
        Resident Evil 4 - port
        SSX Blur - sucks
        Raymen Raving Rabbids - sucks
        Ware Ware Smooth Moves - sucks
        Zelda Twilight Princess - port
        No More Heroes - okay
        Okami - port
        Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles - sucks
        House of the Dead 2&3 - okay port
        Ghost Squad - sucks
      - DAaaMan64, on 05/07/2008, -2/+3Your crazy. whatever bud. Have a look at my collection. Your just trolling. Your calling some great games crappy.
      - AndrewDB, on 05/07/2008, -2/+6Whitenoise, you're just a troll.
        
        You've got a ***** pokemon on your avatar.
      - mywhitenoise, on 05/07/2008, -6/+2I'm a troll with a pokemon in my avatar? How does that make sense?
        I'm talking ***** about bad games that are on Nintendo Wii, Pokemon is a Nintendo game.
      - KingGoonie, on 05/07/2008, -2/+6Gotta love how whitenoise basically thinks his opinion is right and thousands of reviews wrong.
        
        Godfather - most agree best version and great game with the controls.
        Scarface - see above
        Resident Evil 4 - again see above
        SSX Blur - got mostly good to great reviews
        Raymen Raving Rabbids - see above (not the sequal though)
        Ware Ware Smooth Moves - see above.
        Zelda Twilight Princess - um.. and?
        No More Heroes - great
        Okami - again, best version with better controls
        Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles - got mostly good reviews
    - xutopia, on 05/07/2008, -3/+11Super Mario Strikers
    - Zamfir, on 05/07/2008, -11/+3Garbage.
    - redeyejay, on 05/07/2008, -3/+18Zach & Wiki
    - macweirdo42, on 05/07/2008, -2/+13Resident Evil 4 (yeah okay, it's a remake, but damn, the Wii controls really improved it in my opinion - I'm a terrible aim when it comes to operating dual-analogs).
      - redeyejay, on 05/07/2008, -2/+4I agree that the Wii version is superior simply because I am colorblind and had a hell of a hard time seeing the laser sight.in the original
  - Hammyton, on 05/07/2008, -2/+4okami
    - R0ck3t33r, on 05/07/2008, -5/+3It was on PlayStation 2 first. I've never been a Sony fan, but Okami was a winner. The Wii just got sloppy seconds.
Snuff99, on 05/07/2008, -3/+46The fact that this is not a game by Nintendo is the cool part. Maybe third parties can be intuitive?!
- citizenchan, on 05/07/2008, -0/+2If the game is successful, it may signal a change in trends for video gaming. In one way, it proves the movie guys do know how to make *good* games, it may also raise the level of expectation for future movie-games.
  - theGerhard, on 05/07/2008, -2/+1Don't count on it. Games based on movies (which boom blox isn't even in this category, unless I missed something when i deprogrammed the Disney channel out of my channel listing) are to make money on the franchise and don't depend on the quality of gameplay to sell. except for Alladin on SNES... you could throw apples.
- aladrin, on 05/07/2008, -0/+2Intuitive?? Innovative?
- Harbinger67, on 05/07/2008, -0/+1Intuitive? Maybe you mean innovative...
heysuburbia, on 05/07/2008, -5/+19My first 40 min. w/ Boom Blox, direct feed:
http://wiinintendo.net/2008/05/06/my-first-40-min- ...

MetaScore: 84/100

(as of 5/7/08)

——————————————–

1UP, 100/100
Boom Blox may not be the best Wii game, depending on your proclivities, but it’s definitely the best use of the Wii yet. It’s immensely accessible, wonderfully tactile, and stands as one of the best treatments of gaming in a 3D space.

Yahoo! Games, 100/100
BOOM BLOX is so simple and its appeal so universal that we’re hard pressed to think of another Wii game that can so effectively bring a room together… [it's] one of the most gratifying jump-in-and-play games you can get on the Nintendo Wii.

G4 TV, 100/100
Boom Blox delivers so much content, that it would be hard not to find something to love in this title. Give it a try. What looks to be rather simple is actually complex and will keep you playing for hours.

GamePro, 85/100
Boom Blox offers a great gaming experience with a ton replayability; you’ll have to excuse the pun but this is one title that truly does qualify as a “summer blockbuster.”

IGN, 81/100
Boom Blox is one of freshest and most enjoyable puzzle games you can this generation and it is an especially good multiplayer title.

GameTap, 80/100
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.

Nintendo Power, 80/100
The production values aren’t going to win any awards, and some of the mechanics work better than others(the hose is pretty lame), but Bloom Blox is an innovative and amusing piece of entertainment worthy of the Spielberg name. [June 2008, p.87]

Wired, 80/100
Boom Blox does what so many Wii titles wish they could, by splitting the difference between casual players and lifelong gamers. You can pass the Wiimote to your grandma or a 5-year-old and they’ll have a ball with its clever mix of brainy puzzles and satisfying explosions. But hard-core players like me will find a surprising amount of depth to the gameplay and a satisfying, addictive challenge.
- SSCrow, on 05/07/2008, -2/+8Why are so many games getting 100/100 scores lately?
  - Skahara, on 05/07/2008, -1/+2Pure marketing.
  - o0joshua0o, on 05/07/2008, -0/+13Inflation.
  - EtherGnat, on 05/07/2008, -0/+5Actually 1UP was an A+, Yahoo Games was a 5/5. Metacritic converts scores to xx/100. A perfect 100 score might seem excessive, but when you look at the actual scales used it seems more reasonable.
  - BlueSkyfish, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2Because what's the point of a 10 point scoring system if you only use 9 numbers?
    - asforme, on 05/08/2008, -1/+20-9
- mrgreen4242, on 05/07/2008, -0/+4Because reviews know that GTA4s 10's were inflated by all the hype and are tying to lower the bar for perfect scores to draw attention away from it. Inflation was a better answer, though.
Zipko, on 05/07/2008, -13/+2Inacurate, the Wii stripping game is the best use of the console yet
- natchiketa, on 05/07/2008, -8/+2meh... FAIL.
  - steviebaby, on 05/07/2008, -0/+2I digg you up for being so stupid for spelling inaccurate inaccurately
codemonkey314, on 05/07/2008, -1/+8If I had money to spend on this kind of stuff right now, I'd have it in a heartbeat. As it stands, I'm a poor college student and will stick with Brawl for the next umpteen months.
- Sirocco, on 05/07/2008, -4/+5Even those of us with money will still be playing Brawl for years.
  - mywhitenoise, on 05/07/2008, -11/+5Well you have since it's pretty much Melee with a slap of new paint.
- macweirdo42, on 05/07/2008, -1/+4I'm with you there man. I still need to pick of Mario Kart at some point (as well as Metroid Prime 3, actually - not as high a priority but I still want it), and now this comes out? Geez, c'mon!
  - mrgreen4242, on 05/07/2008, -0/+6Kart is awesome. Don't let the ~8.5/10 average steer you away from thinking this isn't the best game released in '08... other than the out of date graphics and kind of boring music/sound, the game is perfect (I guess that leaves just the gameplay overall game design, and just plain fun). The use of the Wiimote is fantastic - yes, other racing games have had better/as good steering controls in the past but NO game has ever done it with a consoles out of the box controller (though the Wii wheel does really add to the game imo - at least the first one is free).
    
    The online racing is great, but the online leader boards and downloadable ghost data are by far the best use of NWFC so far. I NEVER cared about leaderboards/achievement points/etc but being able to race against someone just a bit better than you and then see yourself bump up on the graph as you improve is extremely satisfying for some reason.
    - macweirdo42, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2Oh no, believe me, Kart is still definitely a "must own" game... But on the other hand, Boom Blox is just so unique, I can't help but be intrigued by it. Plus it's got my favorite feature in a game - random, wanton destruction.
- TheG2, on 05/07/2008, -5/+5I know this is gonna sound like an advertisement, but I just found Goozex.com and have been trading games around on there, pretty good so far and can save you money as long as you have some old games to get rid of.
  - Enasni1212, on 05/07/2008, -0/+5You're right. That sounds exactly like an advertisement...
    However, it's relevant, and it's a good site, so why not?
Plantagenet, on 05/07/2008, -16/+1If Obama was playing Boom BLox against Hillary, he'd whoop her good.
- mijelh, on 05/07/2008, -1/+6C'mon can't we just stop posting political stuff on unrelated subjects??
  - amirman, on 05/07/2008, -0/+1RAUN POL FOR THE WINNAR!
tanto, on 05/07/2008, -6/+1This isn't just my opinion, these games are the ones that those in the know have consistently rated as the top games available right now. http://topheadline.blogspot.com/2008/05/best-ninte ...
whitey9, on 05/07/2008, -2/+8You aim the ball, lock with A, do a throwing motion and let go of A.

I've played it for a few hours, and it's got some fun puzzle elements, but "best use of Wii controls yet" is total hyperbole. It reminds me of a really well put together indie game, not a 50 dollar Spielberg/EA blockbuster.
Cossa, on 05/07/2008, -4/+4Dugg for teaching me a new word, "proclivities".
insanewriters, on 05/07/2008, -2/+4I can see this being on a future "Best Overlooked Games" list, along with any other good game that game out within a month of GTAIV.
- GrampyWriter, on 05/07/2008, -0/+2Not really, Mario Kart managed to sell over 1.2 million copies during the GTA IV launch week, not too shabby. I can pretty well guarantee that Wii Fit is going to post some pretty awesome numbers. Amazon is completely sold out three weeks before launch and is desperately scrambling for more copies. You just have to realize that a lot of the world doesn't really WANT to spend time wandering around committing senseless acts of violence. Especially those of us that have seen the real thing. Apparently you can't give it away in Japan. It's a very successful game, awesome sales but it definitely is not for everyone.
  - mrgreen4242, on 05/07/2008, -0/+1I think MK might outsell GTA4 (worldwide) eventually (as in by the end of the year). 25m Wii owners vs. 30m PS3/360 owners and it's a lot more universally approachable game than GTA is. Which is more likely: half of all Wii owners buying MK (12.5m copies) or 40% of 360/PS3 owners?
MidnightRealism, on 05/07/2008, -6/+5Jesus, fifty bucks for this thing? At thirty I'd consider it but as it stands that's an awful lot for a physics toy.
CCricers, on 05/07/2008, -6/+2What's telling about the game's name is that 18 months ago I had an idea for a homebrew title called "Boom Blox" although it didn't involve wacky animals. Just exploding blocks in a puzzle-like setup.
- CCricers, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1I can't understand what's worth burying my post for. I have no contempt for Spielberg or his game. It looks awesome.
thanakar, on 05/07/2008, -1/+3OMG, "proclivities", guy must not understand the usual Digger.
Twenty, on 05/07/2008, -0/+2Trauma Center 1 & 2? SSX Blur?
Twilight Princess was a Gamecube game ported to the Wii. Everyone seems to forget those games above. I really enjoyed the control schemes there, and much more importantly, they were very precise. A lot of reviews I read said that SSX Blur's learning curve was too steep, but I disagree. The controls were tight and responsive. So in conclusion my question would be, wtf wiitards?
- modsuperstar, on 05/07/2008, -1/+1I can't support your assessment of SSX Blur. I actually gave up on the game after spending an hour on the tutorials trying to pull off 2 uber tricks without any success. Sure the controls worked for most of it, but SSX is really nothing if you can't pull off the tricks reliably.
  - erwanl, on 05/07/2008, -0/+1That's because you don't do it right. There are a few things you need to know to pull tricks:
    1. you don't need to point at the screen; it's using the motion sensor, not the IR
    2. make sure you move the whole remote (keep it parallel to itself) don't try to "draw" with the tip of it.
    3. the trick shown on the bottom is just a suggestion, you can just do any trick you want
    
    When you're aware of that, you can pull tricks 100% of the time. It's not hard.
    - modsuperstar, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1Obviously you figured it out and I wish I had this insight when I still owned the game, as I am a big SSX fan. The problem with the game is the fact that none of what you just told me is actually imparted to you in-game. I haven't had nearly the level of difficulty with any other game I've played on the Wii.
      - Twenty, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1You can practice a bunch in some training option in-game, where you just make the shape and the game tells you if you're right or not. I haven't played the game in a while 'cause I haven't had enough time. Apart from that, I feel that Blur (as with the rest of the SSX series) lacks the personality that really hooked me with SSX Tricky. It's sad but true. Did you ever feel weird when you won races in Blur and the game cut to your character standing awkwardly at the finish line to soft crowd applause? It seemed like your rider was supposed to say something or something was supposed to happen... unfortunately nothing did. It was weird.
ATLien74, on 05/07/2008, -2/+9This game was supposed to have Johnny Lee's WiiMote Headtracking as an Easter Egg but they removed it! I was really excited about this game, until they removed headtracking. That's messed up. There's barely mentioned it being removed only about a week before it comes out. EA's trying to do a bait and switch. ***** that. I'm not buying it.

Johnny Lee's WiiMote Headtracking - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw
Boom Blox to include Headtracking - http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/21/gdc08-boom-blox- ...
Headtracking Removed from Boom Blox - http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/head-tracking-fe ...
Egress99, on 05/07/2008, -9/+4I have been giving my Wii the benefit of the doubt for 1.5 years now, and now i just cant anymore.

I'm tired of telling myself that it was worth it, and the games are entertaining! (SMG and SPM, were actually).

The only thing I play now is Wii Sports when my home is filled with drunk people...please lets get some games meant for people who game, and not the 5 minutes of fun casual games.
- modsuperstar, on 05/07/2008, -2/+8Sorry to hear that. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
TwoKill, on 05/07/2008, -1/+3I'm not saying this game is a rip off from something else but check out the game Toblo that was made a while back.
http://toblo.csnation.net/
There are just too many similarities, I kinda feel like Spielberg should have pulled a Valve and talked to these guys.
- amirman, on 05/07/2008, -1/+2that's exactly what i thought. I AM going to go ahead and scream "RIPOFF!" I hope the guys who made Toblo are getting something out of this. On the other hand i'm glad someone is taking the game concept further since the Toblo guys pretty much abandoned the game.
  - TwoKill, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1I live with the Toblo guys, and I can guarantee that they won't see a penny (they don't even get the trophy they won from IGF)
tcpip4lyfe, on 05/07/2008, -6/+1Anyone want to buy my wii? I HAD to have it and now I haven't played it in months.
VinnieDaMac, on 05/07/2008, -1/+2I'd buy this if it wasn't $50.
Hydrohs, on 05/07/2008, -0/+1I'll definitely have to give this game a try.
joey368, on 05/08/2008, -0/+3Wow all those high scores are incredible. Wii's third party games are getting more polish now. Keep it up, Spielberg! And I'm not suprised if Nintendo would publish the sequel if there is one.
Topher06, on 05/08/2008, -3/+2Saw a review of it, and while the reviewer kept raving about it they were really short on details and reason for it being good. This is a sure sign that the distributor is forcing marketing hype without it truly delivering. What I saw was a semi-innovative game that is not quite a rip off of the upcoming Little Big Planet PS3 title, but almost close to being one. The idea of building your own levels is almost a direct result of the existence of LBP. As for Spielberg's first venture into gaming, its trite and dissapointing as he is promoting the fact that the Wii is only a good party game platform and not one that stands as a system for regular gaming.
This should have been a title sold as a WiiWare game too.
allthosemoments, on 05/10/2008, -2/+1The wii will always suck
dorveycheg10, on 06/06/2008, -0/+0http://www.wikio.com/user/incest-porn/bio
http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/member.php?u=24247
http://forum.birkebeiner.no/member.php?u=7510
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Spielberg's "Boom Blox" is "best use of Wii controls yet"

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