Blob's second outing isn't anything revolutionary, but it's more refined than the series' debut.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/25453
de Blob 2 is a good game that is, for better or worse, not really all too different from the first de Blob title, which came out exclusively on Wii in 2008. That doesn't mean it's a bad game or even an unimproved game, as there are numerous refinements to the formula that produced a great game two-and-a-half years ago, it's just more of the same. That's a good thing if you dug the first game, and a bad thing if you wanted something new from your de Blob experience.
The game's basic mechanics haven't changed much. You control a bulbous blob, named Blob, who is a leading member of the Color Revolution, a group of oppressed individuals who are fighting the evil INKT Corporation. Led by Comrade Black, the villainous group keeps the world in an unfortunate shade of gray. This time around, Blob winds up in Prisma City, where he has to fend off a diabolical colorless cult that is gaining traction in the city's Senate. It's ridiculous, but it's presented well with an overwhelming degree of cuteness.
One of the original game's biggest faults was the jumping, which was mapped to motion controls. Now, the jumping is done with a button, a slight improvement. However, the change exemplifies the fact that jumping in de Blob is rough around the edges, regardless of motion controls. Blob sticks to walls unpredictably and is sometimes hard to control, especially when the game requires platforming with pinpoint accuracy.
Luckily, side-scrolling sections were added that focus less on the precision of the jumping and more on puzzle platforming. While these sections, of which there are roughly 100, never get too challenging, they're fun and a nice diversion from the rest of the game.
New power-ups and an upgrade system also add a degree of variety. The power-ups are fun, and range from one that constantly refills Blob's paint points to one that turns the hero into black hole. Despite the fact that they are all timed, they always respawn. The upgrade system lets you customize to a degree, letting you do things such as increase your paint capacity and add defensive shields. Additionally, there are a number of small new or refined moves, such as clear-cut wall running and a charge move that blasts through enemy lines, but requires a lot of paint points to perform.
There are new cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes that are vast improvements over the abysmal and messy split-screen multiplayer from the original. The co-op places the second player in control of Blob's annoying pink robot friend in a manner similar to Super Mario Galaxy's Co-Star mode. At first, it seems shallow and uninteresting, but there's a good amount of support and griefing that can come from the second player. He or she can help defeat enemies and pick up items, or change the color of Blob when he needs to paint buildings a specific color. It's a mechanic that works very well with the game.
The competitive multiplayer is similar to the split-screen in the first one, but this time it is only limited to two players. There are more than 10 multiplayer levels to choose from, and you compete in a series of challenges to try and accrue points.
The music is composed by the same person as the first game, and it is awesome. The game features smooth, relaxing music that builds as you color the world around you. The graphics are improved, with the cut scenes getting a more cinematic style this time around.
The improvements made in de Blob 2 make it a much stronger game than the first, but likely won't be enough to convince players who were jaded after the first game. If you enjoyed the first game and are raring for more, you should definitely check out the sequel, as it improves the game's weak aspects and highlights what's great about it.
Topic: de Blob 2 Review (Read 1467 times)
