Boom Blox

10 Review to this product

• 

  Halicon5
  May 8th, 2008 on 6:10 am

  Rating

  Boom Blox is the perfect example of what a good Wii game should be. It is innovative, intuitive, and most of all, fun. Gamers and non-gamers alike will be able to pick this game up and start playing within seconds.

  First off, I’ll get the bad news out of the way. Graphically this game isn’t going to wow anyone. The graphics are adequate and never go beyond that. The sound and music is instantly forgettable. The characters are saccharine cute, uninspired and half of them make weird grunting noises like a puppy with a bad case of painful gas. Hardcore gamers will likely dismiss this game as a throw-away cutsie/kiddie title. I wouldn’t blame them, but that would be their loss. On a side note, if you’re a fan of Happy Tree Friends, the characters bear a striking resemblance… except they are block-shaped.

  The good news is that just about everything else in this game is very well designed and fun. To truly grasp how the gameplay works you have to see it in action, but I’ll try to describe it as best I can. The premise of this physics-based puzzle game is that each level will have a challenge, such as destroy every gem block or carefully unstack a pile of rectangular blocks much like you would as if you were playing Jenga. Some levels will have you throwing tennis balls, bombs, or bowling balls at to interact with the level while others may have you spraying fire hoses and blasting things with lasers. Some levels encourage you to operate with delicate precision and others encourage reckless, destructive behavior. Overall, the game has a good balance. The gameplay is varied and the use of the Wii controls is very impressive (with one minor exception being the light-gun style mini-games which are very rare). This game really could have been terrible. Too many developers would have slapped some half-baked control scheme onto this game and called it good, but this is one of those rare games where the developer obviously put a lot of thought into the control.

  I haven’t played multi-player very much, but what I’ve played is very fun and enjoyable. Single player is addictive, so much so that I was late to a dinner meeting because my friends kept urging me to check out the next level. Most of the levels are clever and leave the player with a great sense of accomplishment when completed. After every five or six levels a new feature or function is opened up, which keeps the gameplay from getting stale. From what I can tell there are hundreds of levels built into the game PLUS the game includes a full featured level editor allows you to modify existing levels and create your own in addition to being able to share your creations with others on the internet.
• 

  John D. Torres
  May 9th, 2008 on 1:58 am

  Rating

  I’ll keep it simple. Much like this game. If you are looking for a game that is fun and easy to pick while still maintaining that in-depth, mind mashing, just-one-more-game-feeling, this is that game. Think of it this way: Single player mode lures you into the game by starting you off with simple puzzles. Puzzles that many people will not only find easy to do, but rewarding to see solved as pieces go flying about in a spectacular true physical display of awesomeness. You’ll feel good about your success. You’ll love the little gold medal. And you’ll want to play more. And that’s where it gets you. The challenges increase. The puzzles get harder and soon you’ll find yourself judging each puzzle with a strict eye, analyzing each structure for the weakest point or the perfect spot where the nice gentle lob of a bowling ball with bring the whole structure down with an elegant explosion. You will want that gold medal–and trust me, this game in later levels will make you work for it.

  That aside–the shear number of levels for single player is astounding. You’ll be at this for a while. And the best part is–you won’t mind. You’ll find yourself every day going back to this game just to finish off more and more of this monster. Honing your skills. Perfecting your shots. Like an addict of crossword puzzles, you’ll desire the gratification of “beating” the puzzle. It’s fantastic feeling.

  As for multi-player. Well, get ready to gather with some friends. Play against each other. Strike with strategy in mind. Or play together. Your choice. But the number of options in this mode will lend itself to hours upon hours of unpredictable play. And that my friends is one of the main reasons to own a Wii. Nothing says Wii like friends gathered around vying for ultimate victory at the expense of their peers. Every move by your opponents, even those made by you, can lead to ultimate victory or you giving the game away to the lucky mug who will take advantage of you smashing the structure “just enough” to let him/her bring it down with a gentle toss.

  So here is the bottom line. Buy it. Play it. Thank me.
• 

  d-tech
  May 9th, 2008 on 10:13 am

  Rating

  I know the first thing that almost prevented me from buying this game was the $[...] price tag. Now let me just say that the game is worth every penny whether you’re a casual or hardcore gamer. I myself am a hardcore gamer and usually pass over casual games like Boom Blox, but it’s incredibly addicting.

  The basic idea of the game is you throw, grab, or whip around balls, blocks, or whatever to accomplish whatever goal is given to you, either it be pull out the blocks without splattering the cow on the ground or destroy everything as quickly as possible. You do this with the Wii remote (nunchuck isn’t required for most of the game but helps with precise camera movement) by pressing A and throwing or grabbing. Every movement with the remote is picked up very precisely and feels like you’re in total control. Combine this with the Havok physics engine (the most recent physics engine released) and the game is incredibly accurate and realistic.

  The graphics themselves aren’t top notch, but they’re aren’t horrible either. The only frame rate drops are when you’re creating your own levels and you place too many objects on the screen where the physics engine can’t handle every item because of the Wii’s horsepower.

  The best part of the game is located in the multiplayer component. Basically it’s a combination or everything in the single player mode along with a Jenga-like mode which is the best use of the WiiMote yet. Every movement is picked up perfectly and you can’t help but taunt your fellow players to accidentally jerk their hand and topple whatever they’re doing.

  Not enough levels for you? Create infinite numbers of levels with the editor. I cannot delve too deep into this since I’ve just begun messing around with the mode, but this is definitely where a bulk of the fun is. combine it with the fact that you can send your levels to Wii friends via WiiConnect24 and you’re all set.

  Overall, unless you have friends to play the game with, the single player levels may grow dry unless you enjoy building your own, but that shortcoming cannot stop me from giving this game 5 stars just because of the amount of material within the game. A+ in my book.
• 

  A. McCoy
  May 15th, 2008 on 4:56 pm

  Rating

  No, the title isn’t hyperbole. I do honestly believe this is the best Wii title I’ve purchased. Granted, I do not own No More Heroes, Metroid Prime 3, or Zelda: Twilight Princess – but I do have all the rest of the so-called “best” Wii games (Super Mario Galaxy, Zack and Wiki, Mario Kart Wii, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Okami, etc.). Those other games aren’t bad, not by a long shot – I’ve loved them all – they just don’t have the downright pure fun factor that Boom Blox does.

  Boom Blox is astounding in its simplistic design yet addictive nature. This is a game all ages can enjoy. It has decent colorful graphics, nice relaxing music, and tons of puzzles to solve. While some puzzles aren’t as fun or enjoyable as others – it is still never a chore to finish any portion of this game. I have yet to even try the multiplayer or create-a-puzzle modes, but after having just played most of the single player I doubt my opinion of this game could get any higher.

  Is it a technical marvel? No. Is it high action super polished AAA? No. Is it the most fun I’ve had playing the Wii? YES.

  This game has made me believe my Wii purchase was not in vain and that there can be good inventive games that will tear me from my Xbox 360.
• 

  Marc Miller
  May 25th, 2008 on 3:17 pm

  Rating

  Steven Spielberg said he made this game so that he would have a video game that he could play with his kids. This game is a game that a hardcore gamer, a mom, dad, uncle, cousin, etc etc can pick up and have a lot of fun with. There is a great single player mode where you must figure out how to solve puzzels by throwing things at blocks or picking blocks out of a pile. It gets to be very challenging. The multi player is probably one of the top 3 most fun Wii games to play multiplayer. If you have even the SLIGHTEST interest in this game I high reccommend you buy it. Everyone I know who has played it has loved it.
• 

  D. Jones
  May 26th, 2008 on 6:40 am

  Rating

  This game looks deceptively simple and grows to be quite addictive. My 65 year old mom gave this to me for my birthday and actually stayed in the room (she hates video games and runs the other way if we are playing) for hours with the rest of the family, watching and offering tips on how to knock down the blocks! This is a fantastic game that really can be enjoyed by the whole family. This game costs less than a tank of gas but sure lasts longer and brings far more enjoyment- we’ve had a great holiday weekend with it!
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  Rebecca E. Gassert
  December 18th, 2008 on 4:30 pm

  Rating

  I love playing this game. In fact, I have a sore arm from playing so much.It is a lot about angles and physics. I am still on the training levels, but this game seems to be fun and easy for anyone to start playing.
• 

  Danica Perdue
  December 18th, 2008 on 10:29 pm

  Rating

  This game should be a must have in your Wii game collection. It has become the family fall back game when we all sit down together. It is a blast to play, has stages for all ages, and some pretty hard ones in the Challenge modes you will unlock that my husband and I take turns in 1 player mode to complete due to my frustration. All in all a perfect game. Just be prepared to be a bit sore the day after your first game play.
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  M. Ward
  December 30th, 2008 on 3:26 am

  Rating

  I had put this game on a Wish List for my girls (age 9 & 6) for Christmas, but little did I know that Mommy & Daddy would be the ones totally sucked in! Grandma got it for the girls, they ignored it for 2 days, mommy & daddy tried it out, and now the whole family loves it! We like this one even better than the new Raving Rabbids, and if you can compete with a game that you can play with your butt, then you know you’ve got a hit! And yes, you will get a sore arm if you spend much time in the “throwing” area, but it’s well worth it.
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  M. Boston
  December 31st, 2008 on 5:36 pm

  Rating

  It was fun Christmas morning, and we are still blasting blocks away. It’s fun and has a nice little tutorial to get you started. Going back and playing levels you’ve already completed are just as fun the 2nd, and 3rd time etc. as they were the first. This is as “all round” fun of a game you’ll find.