Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Electronic Arts
Genre: Puzzle
Release Date: Available now

The Nintendo Wii has defied all expectations and has emerged as this current console generation’s clear winner in pure sales. While Nintendo might not have pushed the envelope in terms of graphics quality or phenomenal processing power, they did accomplish their mission of pulling more gamers into the fold, some would argue to the detriment of their loyal, hardcore fan base. And while Nintendo has offered some compelling first-party content geared towards satisfying both camps, they’ve received much-deserved criticism concerning their tendency to grant the coveted Nintendo Seal of Approval to any developer looking to make a mint off of a poorly conceived and executed collection of minigames. It helps that the legion of new players is seemingly less likely to hit up sites such as Avault for a recommendation, and is more likely to make a purchase based solely upon the pretty pictures adorning the box. Fortunately, there are some developers who, despite their intense commercial interests, have assigned generous resources to their casual divisions to create compelling entertainment geared for everyone. EA, in partnership with Steven Spielberg, first hit paydirt last year with the ingeniously clever puzzle game Boom Blox, and they’ve returned with a more robust follow-up in this year’s Boom Blox Bash Party.

Bash Party is a sequel in the truest sense of the word. It retains the core building blocks and immediate pick-up-and-play nature of the original and layers on more of what worked in that game, while introducing some new elements to the field of play. Bash Party is divided into three game types: a lengthy solo campaign offering a wide variety of puzzles set within an amusement park setting; a co-op mode that features a series of challenges that two people can undertake; and the bash party mode, which is an extensive suite of multiplayer games allowing up to four players to compete at a time.

As in the original game, Bash Party’s core game design is tied to one of the earliest play concepts we encounter as children. This game is all about building up towers of blocks and bringing them crashing down. The developers use this concept as the blueprint for a number of diverse game types. There are the assorted Jenga-styled levels in which players use the remote to deftly remove blocks without disturbing intricate towers. In addition, some levels task you with tossing an object (everything from a bowling ball to the newly introduced cannons and slingshots) to knock down a set number of blocks. Also, new block types have been added that alter the gameplay, including virus blocks that infect surrounding blocks; and the paintball blocks, which turn some of the levels into three-dimensional representations of classic match-three games such as Bejeweled.

The original Boom Blox was a breath of fresh air when it was first released on the Wii. It proved that, with enough thought, developers could leverage the minimal power of the Wii hardware to craft some new gameplay experiences. Boom Blox Bash Party continues that trend. EA has taken the core template and bolstered it with more than 400 puzzles spread out among the various gameplay modes. Most of these are winners, although some of the modes that require a more careful touch (i.e. the Jenga-styled levels or the slingshot mechanics) suffer from the exclusion of Wii Motion Plus compatibility. These levels require a deft touch that the normal Wiimote capabilities can’t quite provide.

There is a tremendous amount of value to be found in this package. In addition to the 400 levels and extensive multiplayer options (featuring more than 20 game types supporting cooperative and competitive play), EA has provided an excellent level-creation utility (the same tool set used by the developers to create levels), which expands the longevity of the game. You can create levels for your own play, or upload them to the EA servers for other players to enjoy. EA also appears dedicated to providing downloadable levels. Once you have finally exhausted all of the levels that ship with the game, including acquiring Gold Medals that unlock additional items for use in the Creation mode, there is a whole world of challenge out there to experience. However, the game would have benefited from the ability to engage in some online multiplayer challenges.

Boom Blox Bash Party is a fantastic puzzler, expertly built to take advantage of the Wii’s strengths. We can get our next-gen adrenaline kicks on the higher-powered systems, but the Wii is built to provide game experiences that we can’t get elsewhere, making it a prime party console. And Boom Blox Bash Party is a perfect party game, with a fiendishly addictive single-player element that serves as an appetizer for the main course, a limitless multiplayer party mode that is guaranteed to entertain the masses and that works overtime to justify your Wii purchase. It’s games such as Boom Blox Bash Party that make me proud to have a Wii in the house.

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