Games for Lunch: Boom Blox
In a nutshell: The best game ever made about booming Blox.
7/22/2008 8:43 PM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 3
Developer: EA Los Angeles
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: May 6, 2008
System: Wii
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web site
0:00 This game has Steven Spielberg and some decent critical acclaim behind it, so I don't see how it can go wrong. Then again, so did the new Indiana Jones movie, and that was awful...
0:01 Rectangular, block-shaped cows by in the title screen's background, mooing all the while. An automatic attract mode tells me to "Meet the Blox" and shows block-shaped jungle natives, skeletons, chickens and more. "Throw, Grab & Blast your way to victory." An on-screen remote shows Jenga-like gameplay mixed in with ball-throwing explosions. The level creation tool is shown in a few time-lapse seconds. If only it were so quick in real life.
0:03 I can choose from a gopher, a sheep, a penguin, a chicken, a cow or a dog for my file. They're all equally block-shaped, but the penguin is cutest. Everything but the "Throw 'Em" Training is locked, so I guess I know what I'm starting with...
0:05 "Welcome! It takes good aim and strong throws to blast your way through BOOM BLOX (TM)!!" Two exclamation points look very odd after a trademark insignia.
0:06 Aim with the pointer, then hold the A button to hold the aim, then make a throwing motion and let go of A. This throws a ball that knocks the relatively lightweight blocks around rather realistically. Neat, but I can't seem to get a weak throw, even when I try. They're all "power throws" or "strong throws."
0:08 Holding the B button and moving the pointer moves the camera for new throwing angles. The beginning of a basic strategy is starting to show itself.
0:09 Red bomb blox explode when hit. Did I really need an entire training stage to tell me that?
0:10 Purple blox vanish when hit while green chemical blox explode when they hit other chemical blox. I love the explosion effects... dozens of blox flying around the screen beautifully without a touch of slowdown.
0:12 Apparently I can pick up some blox and swing them around into other blox. Lots of fun, but seems too imprecise for much strategy. We'll see, I guess.
0:13 I can also pull some blox out of piles, Jenga-style. It's much easier than in
Jenga: World Tour, and much more natural, too. I unlocked a medieval forest! That's like the awesomest prize ever! Explore and Adventure modes are unlocked, too.
0:14 Adventure mode it is, and I dive into the Gem Kingdom level. "Greedy Bears steal the Gems of Woolington Kingdom. Lead the Sheep to Victory." Sounds a bit totalitarian, doesn't it? Leading sheep into battle, I mean.
0:15 "The Bahhs of Woolington went on a quest/for magical gems to fill their chest. Atop the ancient ruins found/but now they need to get them down." The rhyming leaves a little to be desired, but the cute, soft-focus drawings don't.
0:16 It takes me three throws to completely topple a basic tower, enough for a bronze medal only. I think I can do better...
0:17 On my second try, a well-angled throw knocks everything askew easily for the gold medal! I unlocked the Duke of Woolington and Sherman Woolington III. Or perhaps I should say the world-famous billionaire and play sheep Sherman Woolington III.
