It’s a Block Buster
BOOM BLOX (Wii): Electronic Arts
YOU can’t beat a good puzzle game – and now the Wii has got one in the shape of Boom Blox.
Developed by Electronic Arts and, bizarrely, Steven Spielberg, the game challenges players to rearrange, take apart or completely obliterate a series of blocks using a variety of bizarre characters.
The combination of wacky and challenging works spectacularly well, while the motion-sensitive Wii controller is integrated into the puzzles brilliantly.
Thankfully, the makers haven’t tried to dress the game up with a dull storyline. Instead, they just allow the game to stand on its own two feet – something it never fails to do.
Boom Blox is graphically clean enough, with a nice cartoon feel.
It’s annoyingly addictive at times as you aim to conquer the variety of puzzles using some of the oddball characters and their ‘unique’ abilities.
(The block-laying chicken is a particular favourite).
With more than 300 levels and a create-your-own level mode there’s plenty to keep coming back for.
The great news for multiplayers fans is that Boom Blox translates nicely to that mode as well, as it allows four players to take on each other in a easy to understand game suitable for all of the family.
Boom Blox is one of those games which will hang around for some time on the Wii, proving that great games are about great gameplay and not always clever bells and whistles.
*****
BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Wii): THQ
HIGH-proSle weddings seem to have about a 50 per cent success rate – and the marriage between gaming and music looks like being exactly the same.
We’ve already had Guitar Hero and Singstar, while Rock Band is just around the corner. But THQ have taken an alternative twist to the genre with their latest title.
Battle of the Bands sees you take the role of a group and play one of the 30 well-known songs in a variety of styles – rock, hip- hop, mariachi, marching band and country.
The concept is wacky and original, but the gameplay is left lacking a bit. While other titles in this style have really made you feel a part of the music and action, Battle of the Bands never quite integrates the player.
Success is all about swinging your Wii controller in time to the music – and the problem is that it all becomes a bit repetitive and easy to master.
Single player mode follows the usual adventure path of defeating various opponents, but like most Wii titles, multiplayer is where the real fun lies.
Using the sneaky little tricks to make it difScult for your opponent is much more rewarding when you’re playing against others and the multiplayer does have the greatest appeal in the game.
In terms of audio and visual appeal, Battle of the Bands ticks all the right boxes, but it’s the basic gameplay and lack of longevity that are the real bum notes for this title.
Music and gaming is a relationship which is likely to last, but a prenup might well have been useful for this effort.
***
coming this week
Battle of the Bands (Wii) Haze (PS3) Age of Conan (PC) Final Fantasy XI: 2008 Edition (X360/PC) Rock Band: Solus (X360) Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli (Wii/PS3/DS) Secret Files: Tunguska (Wii/ DS) Mary Kings Riding Schoo (DS) Lets Ride: Silver Bucke Stables (PS2) Battle of the Bands (Wii) Pirates: Duel on the high seas (DS) Fizz (DS) Trackmania United Forever (PC)
top ten comedy podcasts
1NOBODY LIKES ONIONS www.nobodylikesonions.com Another podcast featuring a politicallyincorrect and humorous dissection of a variety of issues and stories from the week.
Created by stand-up comic Patrick Melton, Nobody Likes Onions lives up to its tagline: ‘it’s like taking a cold shower in sarcasm’.
2ASK A NINJA askaninja.com The best stuff is always the most random – and Ask a Ninja is just that. It does exactly what it says on the tin, but with a huge dose of comedy thrown in from MADtv producers Kent Nichols (pictured) and Douglas Sarine.
3KEITH AND THE GIRL www.keithandthegirl.com Hilarious, rude and say-what-you-like – everything a podcast should be. Keith and the Girl dissects the week’s news, gossip and a million and one other random topics.
4THE ABSOLUTE PEACH www.theabsolutepeach.com Produced by two pals, The Absolute Peach promises to deliver comedy from conversation rather than tired, old wacky-radio banter. Thankfully, they succeed.
5TRACES OF NUTS tracesofnuts.btpodshow.com The UK-based comedy troupe bring their brand of sketches and songs to the podcast platform with real success and their podcast has become a huge favourite for many. It’s not hard to see why with contributors who were once part of the Not The Nine O’Clock News team.
6SICK TWISTED FREAK – THE GLEN BECK SHOW edition.cnn.com/ services/podcasting American social and political favourite Glen Beck is likely to be known if you’ve ever holidayed in the States or anywhere that gets CNN. His beliefs aren’t always shared by everyone, but his commitment to his views makes for unintentionally funny listening.
7HAPPY TREE FRIENDS happytreefriends.atomfilms.com Featuring more than a splattering of animated violence, Happy Tree Friends is a series of video shorts which sit under the tagline ‘not for children or big babies’. How right they are.
8BRIAN IS IN YOU www.brianisinyou.net/podcast Follow the lives of three up-and-coming Hollywood hopefuls as they try, and generally fail, to live the high-life.
9AIR OUT MY SHORTS www.airoutmyshorts.com/shorts.html Listeners send in their short stories which are then basically ripped to pieces by host Preston Buttons – a piece of podcasting genius, thanks, in the main, to its very simplicity.
10LIMMY’S WORLD OF GLASGOW www.limmy.com/podcasts/worldofglasgow No longer running as an active podcast, Limmy’s World of Glasgow is still worth a listen just for the archive material which almost makes you want to live in Glasgow.
But not quite.
internet charts
TOP YAHOO SEARCHES
1. American Idol A singing contest at number one – the world’s gone mad!
2. Maria Sharapova I’m sure it’s just her tennis ability that’s appealing.
3. China earthquake The devastation has made news across the globe.
4. Global warming And you wondered why it was so hot earlier this week.
5. JetBlue The US airline accused of making a man sit on a toilet for a three-hour flight.
TOP-SELLING GAMES ON AMAZON
1 Wii Fit (Wii)
2 Grand Theft Auto IV (X360/PS3)
3 Mario Kart (Wii)
4 Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? (DS)
5 Halo 3 (X360)
TOP ITUNES DOWNLOADS
1 Take A Bow – Rihanna 2 That’s Not My Name – The Ting Tings 3 4 Minutes –
Madonna 4 Violet Hill – Coldplay 5 Wearing My Rolex – Wiley
(c) 2008 Sunday Mercury; Birmingham (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.