Military Video Games, computer games, games, gaming - Army Times

‘Boom Blox’ throws ‘Bash Party’

If you own a Nintendo Wii and didn’t get last year’s “Boom Blox,” arguably the best puzzle game on the Wii, now you’ve got a shot at a new version. “Boom Blox Bash Party” has just been released, and once again Steven Spielberg and Electronic Arts have collaborated to create a fabulous game that all ages can enjoy.

At its core, the “Boom Blox” franchise is all about knocking down virtual block structures by aiming balls and other items at them, using movements made while holding the Wii remote. And while there is great satisfaction in toppling a block structure, the genius of the game is in the variations on that theme.

This sequel offers 400 new puzzles and creative rifts on the core game play. You can explore block destruction alone in Solo mode, or with friends and family in Versus and Co-op modes. Within each mode, the puzzles are grouped by themes and accessed by choosing from five rides in an amusement park setting. For instance, if you choose a space ship ride, you get to play a puzzle set in outer space.

A typical puzzle opens with a large structure of different colored blocks in the center of the screen. You are challenged to knock it down, perhaps by using three throws of a ball. Where this challenge gets interesting is that the different colored blocks have different properties. If you hit a red Boom Blox, it will explode, taking down a portion of the structure with it. And if you hit a purple Vanishing Blox, it will disappear, perhaps causing the green Chemical Blox above and below it to touch, react to each other and explode.

The variations in the puzzles derive from a variety of factors. Location is one, with some of the puzzles set in outer space with no gravity and others underwater, where gravity is different than on land.

Another way the puzzles vary is by the types of tools that you are given to solve them. In some, you throw things; in others you are allowed to grab blocks to push or pull them out of structures in game play that resembles the popular game “Jenga.” And in others, you are given a slingshot or cannon.

Each puzzle has its own rules, and you are given awards based on how well you complete each one. For some, that may mean knocking down a block tower in the fewest throws; for others, it may mean exploding bombs so that blocks shoot into space. Some puzzles are solved by throwing paint balls at stacked blocks so that they change color. When three blocks of the same color touch, they disappear. There are even puzzles that resemble miniature golf. By winning, you earn Boom Bux that can be used to unlock new levels and content.

“Boom Blox Bash Party” is a great game for all ages because it is so simple to play and satisfying to win. It relies on the intuitive motions of throwing, pulling and aiming to complete the puzzles. And while you may not win a puzzle the first time you play it, you will enjoy the process of trying out new ideas to see if you can do it the next time. Accompanying you are cute block characters who constantly cheer you on.

The cooperative mode is perfect for two friends to play together or for a parent to mentor a young child. The Versus mode allows up to four players to compete, each using his or her own Wii remote. And to make playing in a group easy, there is a Party mode that randomly selects three different puzzles for the group to play.

Another bonus in this game is that it has an area where you can create your own puzzles. You can even send your puzzles to friends or upload them to the EA server where they may be selected to be available to others to download. And even if you don’t want to create your own puzzles, you can always download new puzzles that others have created, and after playing them, rate them. With “Boom Blox Bash Party,” the fun just keeps on coming.