Honestly, everyone and their mother, brother, father, sister are playing Scribblenauts at this point. If you’re not, what is WRONG with you? We decided to get three of our Portable Gamers here to give their thoughts on the game, and put it all together into a review. Us being us, though, we figured we’d start with some IM madness:
Carter: sorry I missed you earlier, I had to focus on some real work – I need to get my GTalk statuses in check instead of just leaving everything ‘online’
Rob : no probs
:)
Carter : btw, with Michelle’s weekend evils post, are we going to post that over on TPG as well?
Rob : sure, why the hell not. it’s all Scribblenauts, anyway
Carter : And all is right with the world
Rob : yes
which reminds me, did I CC you the solution to the bee level Michelle had problems with?
i was thinking we could all throw in our solutions to a couple of those wacky levels
in our review
i mean, i doubt we ALL used a skin diver, a beekeeper, a suspension bridge, a UFO and a pair of wings
amirite?
Carter : I don’t think so, I forget what I did, but I know I used an exterminator
haha
btw, lightsaber doesn’t work, but laser sword
that works
Rob : sweet
fusion reactor works, too
just sayin
Carter : have you been spending more time in the action levels or puzzle levels?
Rob : puzzle all the way
i JUST went to action last night when the damn car threw Rob off
stupid car
Carter : same here, but I’ve messed around with some of them, and they’re tricky
Rob : yeah
totally. i was impressed
i have gone back and done the gold star thing quite a bit, too
Carter : what I noticed is that on some levels, you can’t kill people like cops…but you can summon evil creatures to do that for you
Rob : you?
Carter : Yeah, I’ve done the gold star ones a bunch on at least the first 2 worlds
Rob : awesome! i have a lot of “no weapons” points
Carter : that’s probably the coolest part – it really forces you to think outside the box
or on some, find 3 different ways to fly and pick up objects
Rob : yeah, exactly
suspension bridge, FTW
ok, i’m totally posting this as part of the review.
Carter : I haven’t used that one yet
go for it
I forget what I was doing last night, but I beat a level or a part of it by way of riding a jetpack while on the Philosoraptor and we both flew up in the air
Of course I thought that was the best thing ever
Rob : oh, COOL
Carter : I think this game would be awesome on the Wii with the nunchuck and remote, as direct control over your character is the one real improvement
Rob : yeah
Carter : also, using things like chains to attach to objects can be a pain to get properly connected
Rob : yes!
Honestly, that’s what we do. Talk about games we’re playing and loving and then posting them to our website. That’s why you love us. And now, the review:
Game/Platform: Scribblenauts / DS and DSi
Publisher/Developer: Warner Bros. / 5th Cell
Pricing: $30, give or take
Pros: Everything about this game is a pro
Con: Controls are wonky, d-pad movement would have worked better
Carter: This was probably the most hyped game of the year on any handheld platform, and it’s probably up in the highest tiers of anticipation among all video games total. And the biggest compliment that I can give this game is that it met my expectations exactly. I expected a whimsical experience that would challenge my brain to come up with unique ideas so I could beat the game’s various challenges, and it did not disappoint. And for a game with such a unique concept, where so much could have gone wrong, I was so glad that it did not.
Scribblenauts always seems to have at least one moment every time I play where I go “Wow!” or “I didn’t expect that!” or where I just break out in laughter. Like when you ride the Philosoraptor with a jet pack on, or scroll around a level with the ocean and discover The Great Old One, Cthulu, lurking in the depths. Or when you discover a completely abstract solution to beating a level. Heck, this game could have just been the sandbox mode featured on the title screen, and I still would have loved it – this is one of those games that is just fun to PLAY, and I know that I’ve sunk plenty of time into just messing around with objects on the touch screen. That you have all those puzzles and action levels to mess around with is almost just icing on the cake. Well, it’s a very thick layer at least – 220 different challenges plus the custom levels feature means there is a LOT to sink your teeth into if you’re so inclined.
What I really found great about the puzzles and action levels was the Gold Star system – it’s where the game really shines, as you can’t re-use objects from previous successful attempts, so you have to come up with some creative solutions, and it’s where the game really maximizes its potential as a game that’s a creative force. And I could sit here and complain about the control issues, but they’re workable enough, and given how complex of a game this is, it’s to be expected that there would be some issues. The movement being touch screen-based is the biggest niggle in that you can sometimes accidentally move your character when you meant to manipulate an object, but in a game that encourages you to mess around, if you mess up, it’s no big deal. I imagine this game was a mammoth technical undertaking, and for all of its concepts to have been pulled off to near perfection from a conceptual standpoint, if there are some control issues along the way, that’s a fair tradeoff. And if this game does as well as it deserves to do, then we’ll likely see the idea refined and expanded and these issues will likely be a thing of the past.
So, my recommendation? If you own a DS and don’t own this game, you don’t deserve good things. It’s not everyday that such a fun and unique idea comes out, and is just so fun to PLAY with. If you don’t buy this game, and support innovative concepts, do not complain when the next bland game comes out and you start whining about how nothing new ever comes out, because this is your chance to put your money where your mouth is, and this game deserves your money, plain and simple.
Michelle: The opening screen is your sandbox. You can test there what words are available and how things will work. As you play around you unlock other opening backgrounds. There is no point or score for this area its just for fun and a great place to go back to for testing.
Each of the worlds allow you to play 2 ways. The first is Puzzle mode. Where you are given a task and asked to solve it. When you are successful you receive a star. There is no wrong way to solve it. You gain points and ollars based on what you used, or didn’t use. For example you gain more points if you solve a problem with no weapons. Ollars are used in the Ollar store to buy Music and Avatars so you don’t always have to play as Maxwell even though he is the cutest.
The 2nd way to play a world is Adventure Mode. Here you need to figure out how to get to the star. There is usually an obstacle in your way that you have to figure out how to open, get around or under. And again with Adventure Mode there is no wrong way to play.
If that’s not enough for you and you think you can do better you also have a level editor. Create your own and challenge your friends.
Overall I love this game. Watching #Scribblenauts on twitter you get to see how different people can solve the same problem different ways. The collective solving for these little puzzles are a great social experiment.
Rob: This game is growing roots into my DS. I cannot seem to get it out of there. Not just because there are no other exciting games of this magnitude on the platform at this point, but because it is JUST. SO. MUCH. FUN. As I mentioned in the podcast, I think that this game does one essential thing very very right: it makes the platform-er genre less about guessing what the developer wants from you and more about expressing your own creativity. This translates into being able to think differently and STILL enjoy the natural progression of the game from world to world, scene to scene. On a basic, mechanical level, this game is the pinnacle of the platform-er genre in this regard.
Another thing this game got right is the essential limitless feeling you get from playing it. Yes, we all know that some words just aren’t going to be in there. C’est la vie. What it DOES feel like, however, is the biggest party you’ve ever had on your DS and that’s without any interaction with other players at all. This game is already set up to feel open and inviting, and it does just that. Follow #scribblenauts on twitter and you will see oddball solution after oddball solution to what are essentially simple puzzle levels. You’ll see folks blasting everything and folks coming up with weirdo solutions and other folks really finding the elegance of a perfectly fit solution to the issue or problem.
This game is instantly accessible, though you do need to have a basic reading/writing ability (or a buddy who does!) to play it. Luckily for many of us, it also has spell check and word-prediction built in so you can browse your way to a better solution. In fact, some of the best solutions appear when you type in something totally off base or misspelled, and you get a list of other, potentially MORE helpful items.
Final Call:
Bottom line, this is the game you need to buy right now for your DS or DSi. You’ve never played anything like it, you’ll get to be a part of the conversation taking place all over the web and twitter, and you owe it to yourself to have this much fun. This is hands down the best game on the DS right now, and should be in your tiny little DS bag of tricks. Or games. Or whatever it is kids these days are calling them. Scribblenauts. Rooster – hat. The End.
Oh, and don’t forget to enter OUR contest where you could win something amazing, like your very own Rooster Hat, autographed poster or yoyo.
Popularity: unranked [?]
