GamersReports

Forums

News

-Hottest News
-Xbox 360
-Xbox
-Playstation 2
-Playstation 3
-PC
-PSP
-Gamecube
-Gameboy / DS
-Software
-Nintendo Wii
-Dreamcast
-Neo-Geo
-N-Gage
-Mobile
-Misc
-Film & Media
-Web
-Industry
-Game Media
-Event
-Arcade

GR Store

Reviews

Articles

Media

Search

Contact Us

Links

Register!

Submit News >

Your Ad Here

Respected Sites

-Xbox Scene
-Vitalspeeds Hosting
-Final Fantasy
-Planet Xbox 360
-Free Games
-Buy Playstation 3
-Arizona Web Design
-Band Merchandise

Boom Blox

Written by DM on Tuesday, June 10 2008

As easy as the game sounds, you may be worried that you will finish with the title quickly. Well, EA has made sure that will not happen. The game has over 60 levels in the first game play category alone. Once you have finished that, though, there are two more modes you can play that mix up the structure types. On top of that, once you finish the first mode, there is even an expert mode option that unlocks itself. You will not finish this game in one sitting, folks, and that is impressive, especially for a Wii game.

Let me talk a minute about the blocks themselves, because they are a big part of the game. Not all blocks are created equal, my faithful readers! There are regular blocks, made of crystal, that you must destroy all of (most times) in order to win the level. There are blocks that are actually bombs, that explode outward with tremendous force when they are struck. There are blocks that have point values assigned to them, and when they hit the ground you get that amount of points. There are blocks that disappear when you hit them or knock them into one another. There are also blocks that explode like the bomb blocks, but only when they are knocked into another one of their type. There are immovable blocks, too, just to make things that much harder, and finally, there are blocks that are just blocks, they do nothing but be blocks.

What are the drawbacks of a game like this, you must be asking? Well, it is hard to find flaws with a simple puzzler like this, but there are some, unfortunately. The number one drawback is the fact that the Wii simply does not have the raw power that the other two home consoles do. There is no question that Boom Blox would have looked fantastic in 720p or 1080p. The textures on the blocks would also have used a dose of higher power, as most are just simple colorings. While this is less of a programming flaw, and more of a hardware limitation, it is still something that is worth mentioning.

I can also imagine that while the physics system is really impressive, the developers could have done so much more with the game had they been given the power that the Xbox360 or PS3 has. Longer domino reactions, more ricochet bounces – things like this come to mind. Once again, though, this is not a mistake in programming, it is simply another hardware limitation. Unfortunately, there is one place that the programming may be at fault – FPS slowdowns. When all of the blocks on screen start to move at the same time, you will notice a slowdown in the frame rate. It is inevitable. While it does not directly affect game play, and the programmers have done their best to play it down, it is still something that should have been corrected. Instead of having a bunch of cute, blocky-esque animals dancing in the background, may be the coders should have used some of that power to lock the FPS at 30.

1 | 2 | 3 | Next Page >>

Related Articles: