BOOM! Here come da Blox...

Much of the gaming world's press, bloggers and pundits agree that the Wii has really turned the market on its ear. Unique controllers, an emphasis on innovation over high tech system architecture and a steady stream of triple-a blockbusters this past year have all helped set the little white box apart from other console offerings.

But beyond all that, the very different nature of some of the games offered on the Wii have been the primary selling point. Wii Sports, packed right in with the system here in the U.S. has redefined what a sports game can be, especially as an entry-level introduction to gaming in general for an otherwise standoffish mainstream demographic. Add titles like Wii Play, Wii Fit, Carnival Games, Mario Kart, etc. and you get a whole new category of games: CASUAL.

While many in the 'Hardcore' gamer demographic have been a bit panicked over the emergence of the 'Casual' gamer, there are a few titles that I have observed successfully appeal to both crowds. Electronic Arts' Boom Blox, produced by none other than Steven Spielberg, is one such game.

See, after trying the Wii out alongside legendary Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto (some would say the 'Spielberg' of gaming) at E3 2005 (I believe they played Wii Sports Tennis), good ol' Steve-O was inspired to come up with a game idea or two of his own! As he used the Wii Remote to swing at a tennis ball, throw pitches, etc. he felt something familiar, something from childhood. He later told people that he recalled building block structures as a kid and then knocking them down with a ball, and hence, Boom Blox was conceived.

UPS:
Boom Blox is a delight to play; don't let the simplistic premise or vague box art fool you, this game is really fun! There are a number of modes, but the basic idea is that you throw a ball of some kind (there are several) at block structures. This seemingly childish concept has been taken to the nth degree, however, with different kinds of blocks (some explode, some shatter, others simply vanish), different challenges (how few throws will it take to destroy this structure? How many points can you get with two throws?) and even a clever story mode.

There's also multiplayer in Boom Blox, and that brings me to what is perhaps the most engrossing quality of the game. I've mentioned that several non-gamers in my family have been won over by the charms of Wii Sports in the past, but Boom Blox has captured the few anti-game holdouts that were still unconvinced. I've never seen anything like it; my wife, my brother and sister in law, my father in law... all of them ASKING to play Boom Blox with no prompting from me! The multiplayer games all echo the single player modes, but up to four people can take turns trying to score the most points by knocking blocks off of a stack, pulling them out of a structure (think Jenga, but even more fun) or a slew of other modes.

DOWNS:
Boom Blox has a bug or two; your cursor will occasionally freak out, mostly in multiplayer. It's not a deal-breaker, but an infrequent nuisance. I also wish EA had had the foresight to make multiplayer available for more than four people; almost every mode is turn-based, so you can even pass one remote around, but when your living room has five or seven people in it, and only four can participate, it's a bit of a downer.

VERDICT:
I recommend Boom Blox to ANYONE who owns a Wii. You will love it, your friends and family will love it, your kids and the other kids in the neighborhood will love it... On second thought, if you don't want your house full of visitors all the time, for pete's sake, don't buy Boom Blox!