Boom Blox is definitely a game you need in your Wii collection
It's bound to be great, but what is it? An epic voyage into outer space, an action-packed adventure?...no a game where you have to blow up boxes!
With tongue firmly out of cheek, Boom Blox from Electronic Arts, is a real jaw-dropper.
Not because it looks cool, but the way it plays - it's so addictive.
Who'd have thought that throwing an imaginary ball or bowling ball with the Wii remote at a load of blocks and boxes hoping to knock them down in one throw would have been so much fun?
It is...trust me - this is a game you definitely want to have in your Wii collection.
For those that aren't familiar with the game, let me give you a brief insight.
There are two methods of gameplay - arcade-style and adventure.
Personally, I prefer arcade. This is a 300-plus puzzle-based set of challenges which requires you to knock down or destroy certain block and block types in the least amount of moves.
It sounds really boring, and I must admit that when I first started playing that's how I felt, but after you get the hang of the game, it's addiction personified!
You just have to keep playing to see what the next puzzle/challenge is going to be.
Spielberg, who teamed up with EA last year, decided he wanted to make a game to play with his kids - and he has completely succeeded - big kids and little kids love this game, although certain elements of the game should have remained on the cutting room floor.
The adventure element of the game is weird, to put it bluntly. I've got two young children and even they weren't impressed with the in-game characters, it even scared my youngest!
That aside, the gameplay itself is great and this title really comes into its own when you play with friends or family. It can get a little tedious blasting through the puzzles on your own, although there is a modicum of satisfaction knowing you've just obliterated the blox in one throw.
But invite some people around the challenge is on. You'll take great delight in working your way through a level by either completing the puzzle yourself or crippling your opponent - the choice is yours...either is a great laugh.
Where I think this game has really succeeded over similar titles is partly due to the realism in which the blox fall to the ground!
The real-world physics are incredible and should this ever make it into the 'real world' then I'm sure the bricks/blox what fall in exactly the same way - demolition here were come.
But it's not just about throwing a ball as the blox do different things and act in different was. Sometimes you'll be able to grab the blocks and throw them with a virtual hand, then there are the balls and bowling balls and once you start to progress further into the game then you'll be able to grab a hosepipe and shoot water at them!
I presume Spielberg's kids enjoy playing these sorts of games.
Another plus point about this Jenga-style game is that you can actually create your own puzzles. Admittedly, it's going to take some time to get used to setting up the perfect 'challenge', but a great addition to what is already a great game.
Personally, I found myself becoming immersed in the entire experience and desperately trying to complete each level so I could discover what what next.
Boom Blox may not be to everyone's taste, but from a pure gameplay perspective, I would advise people to get this one in their collection.
For more information about this game, check out www.electronicarts.co.uk/ and also my other blog pages on wordpress.com/gadgetspeak