Topic: Boom Blox Sequel Coming This Spring

[Kairon]

Steven Spielberg and Electronic Arts are re-teaming for Boom Blox Bash Party, which promises new levels, an expanded online component, and "more explosive multiplayer experiences."
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=17636

 What happens after you knock a tower of blocks down? You build them back up. That is exactly how Electronic Arts is playing the game with Boom Blox Bash Party, the sequel to the critically acclaimed Wii game Boom Blox.    

The sequel will be hitting as early as this spring, a surprisingly quick turn-around time considering the first game's release last May. It will also be the second game to come out of the partnership between Steven Spielberg and EA established in 2005, said to span three original properties. The other two Spielberg-EA collaborations have not yet been revealed. Additionally, the game allegedly moved from one internal EA development team to another after Blueprint Studio shut down.    

Yet despite all this, the sequel seems to have emerged from its trials with a slew of added features. For instance, Boom Blox Bash party will feature 400 new levels situated in locations like outer space or under water. It will offer an expanded online component that "enables users to download additional levels from Electronic Arts as well as other 'Boom Blox Bash Party' players." And Spielberg has stated that they have designed "more explosive multiplayer experiences" for the sequel.    

The original Boom Blox is a finalist for the 2008 Family Game of the Year Award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. Family-friendly titles have recently surged in popularity according to a recent study by the Entertainment Software Association.    

UPDATE:    

The following is the official press release.    

EA AND STEVEN SPIELBERG ANNOUNCE BOOM BLOX BASH PARTY    

Sequel to Award-Winning BOOM BLOX Takes Players from the Depths of the Sea to Outer Space for a Party Anyone Can Throw    

Guildford, UK January 29, 2009 – Get ready for the ultimate blox-busting action as Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced BOOM BLOXâ„¢ Bash Party for Wiiâ„¢, the sequel to the critically-acclaimed BOOM BLOXâ„¢ game for Wii. EA’s collaboration with director and producer Steven Spielberg continues with BOOM BLOX Bash Party, and the destructive fun reaches new heights with richer multiplayer action and more than 400 new levels that will have players of all ages gaming together and solving action-packed puzzles under water, in zero gravity, and beyond!    

"BOOM BLOX Bash Party is a wild social gaming experience," said Steven Spielberg. "We know families and friends really enjoyed playing the original BOOM BLOX together, so we designed more explosive multiplayer experiences with BOOM BLOX Bash Party."    

BOOM BLOX Bash Party is even more fun to play with friends and family, featuring twice as many multiplayer challenges as the original, and now offers team-based challenges! Players can play with or against friends, solo or in teams, knocking down blocks, destroying towers, slinging and launching blocks and characters, for tons of high-energy, family-friendly fun!    

BOOM BLOX Bash Party is packed with tons of new features that are sure to get the party started! The game showcases new block types, including: virus and conveyor blox, new blox shapes, such as: cylinders and wedges, and new tools that will make for even more destructive fun. Players will find twists on BOOM BLOX game play favorites like throwing and grabbing. Players now can also sling, launch, and blow the competition away with new cannon, paint ball and slingshot tools.    

Even the characters are in on the action as BOOM BLOX Bash Party features a new cast of wacky blox characters. This time they don’t just cheer you on, they are now blox themselves and you can throw, stack or even launch them, utilizing them to create even more madness and mayhem!    

The fun continues online as BOOM BLOX Bash Party enables players to download even more new levels via the Internet. With the press of a button, players will be able to grab, play and rate new levels from EA as well as levels created by members of the BOOM BLOX Bash Party community. Using the game’s easy-to-use Create Mode, players now have the power to share the levels they built with friends, or submit their masterpiece to be shared with the world! The expanded Create Mode lets players build and create like never before, giving them access to the same tool set the EA development team used to create each and every level in the game!    

"In BOOM BLOX Bash Party we are taking the game elements to the extreme," said Amir Rahimi, Senior Producer. "In the original BOOM BLOX, we really focused on perfecting the game’s physics so now we can push the boundaries of physics, offering exciting new challenges and completely new ways to play."    

Developed by the EA Casual Studios, BOOM BLOX Bash Party will be available in North America and Europe in Spring 2009.

[NWR_DrewMG]

 Do want.

[ShyGuy]

too soon? long tail amputation?

[Tanookisuit]

Hey, if they put head-tracking in this one, I'll buy it.

[Michael8983]

Such a great game, I'm glad its getting a sequel and hopefully this one will get the recognition it deserves.
They really need to drop the price of the original at this time. I think A LOT more people would give it a shot if it were 30 or under.

[Spak-Spang]

I think this is only great news.

I believed the first Boom Blox was rushed and you could tell from the lack of balance and slight control issues.  I do wish that EA would have waited for Wiimotion Plus, but perhaps it still may use it...EA could have access to the device.

As for it being too early, I don't think so.  The first game was critically acclaimed but a new IP that nobody knew...the sequel will come into the market recognizing it is a quality concept and game, and will be more ready to buy it.

Also, it is not like the game needed tons more development time for a sequel, it just needs tighter control, more thought out multiplayer options, and more puzzles.

I am excited about this game and will buy it day one.

[AV]

Hey, if they put head-tracking in this one, I'll buy it.

Don't forget to include the IR 3d glasses. I'm not making one of those things.

[Ian Sane]

They really need to drop the price of the original at this time. I think A LOT more people would give it a shot if it were 30 or under.

Agreed.  I would buy it for a lower price.  It sounds like a cool concept I want to try out but I don't want to risk full price for something I figure I MIGHT like.

I question the name for this.  "Party" is kind of a ruined word in videogames these days.  I tend to associate that word with shovelware junk.  Ever since Mario Party became a hit everyone has made their own party game but most of them are not very good.  And even Mario Party itself has been milked so hard that it's labeled as shovelware.  So if I don't follow videogame news and I see a game called "Boom Blox Bash Party" I'm going to assume it's a party game... made by EA.  And then I'm going to associate it with all the shovelware junk surrounding it on the shelf.  Hell even if I own the original Boom Blox I might see the "Bash Party" part and assume it's some party game based spinoff of Boom Blox.  What's wrong with "Boom Blox 2"?

[Plugabugz]

I agree with Ian (HEAVENS SAVE ME!). When i saw the name i thought instantly "ugh why is it a spin off?" until i read the article which clarified that.

The game is good enough to stand on its own. EA should be finding ways to make it stand out more rather than sit nicely in the field of parteh games.

[Spak-Spang]

The name if fine...the casuals are going to see Party mean it has multiplayer modes...and enhanced online play.

The traditional gamer will still do enough research to know enough about the game.

[Jonnyboy117]

EA: A Winner Is You!

Day one purchase for me.  Boom Blox is a work of genius.

[Ian Sane]

The traditional gamer will still do enough research to know enough about the game.

I wouldn't say all traditional gamers do research about games.  Those of us who are on game forums and such are the exception.  And everyone who isn't is not a non-gamer.  Most traditional gamers likely just know the really big titles, frequently get burned by lousy games that have cool box art or good advertising or have great graphics, and aren't very interested in kids games or non-games.  They're the gamers that would probably enjoy Boom Blox but would pass it up because it looked some dull party game.

I think that's an issue in general with third party Wii games.  Zack & Wiki, de Blob and Boom Blox don't really stand out on the shelf.  The name, the packaging and the possibly the graphics style blend in a lot with the Wii junk titles.  They need a way to stand out on a shelf of crap as a good game.  Nintendo's games are able to do that.  Ever look at the shelf of a system you're not that familiar with?  Certain games pop out at you and you assume that they're probably pretty good while other games just have something in the box art and the name that makes you just instinctively ignore them.  I don't know what that formula is to make a game look like a good title on the shelf but there is something.  Boom Blox doesn't say "I'm a great game, play me!"

You call a game "Zack & Wiki" and expect it to become a huge runaway hit?  It won't.  It sounds like a generic platformer made by THQ.

[Spak-Spang]

I will agree with that Ian, but is that the names fault, or is that lacking of good advertising?

Also, the 3 games you mentioned were new IPs, unfortunately, new franchises have an even harder time capturing the eye of consumers on the shelf, which goes back to advertising.

But, if sequels were made then they would have easier time catching the consumers eye and gaining support...because most people believe bad games do not get sequels...whether that is true or not does not matter....but also the fans that already supported the game will be there from the beginning to help support the sequel more.

[GoldenPhoenix]

I think most of us can agree, even if the name is kind of lame, the game will more then likely be great just like the first!

[Spak-Spang]

GP being PC...wow.

j/k

[GoldenPhoenix]

GP being PC...wow.

j/k

Yes I like playing games on my PC.

[Kairon]

It's worth noting that Party is the only word in the title that does NOT start with a B. It was clearly a conscious choice on the part of EA to emphasize the game's multiplayer modes.

[Jonnyboy117]

Well, the first Boom Blox is already one of the best multiplayer games on Wii.  I'm interested to see how they try to improve upon that aspect.  I think the obvious areas for improvement are single-player, the level editor, and online features.

[Spak-Spang]

BOOM BLOX BASH!!!  Would have been a great name to keep BBB

or

BOOM BLOX BLAST!!! 

or

BOOM BLOXS BLAST BASH!!!

or

BOOM BLOXS BLAST BASH PARTY!!!

(I perfer the last one.)

[Spak-Spang]

PlaySavvy: Players love Boom Blox, what feature are you adding that those fans have been asking for?
Amir Rahimi: Boom Blox Bash Party is going to feature about twice as much multiplayer content so we really wanted to blow that out. Another feature that players really loved was the create mode and we wanted to let those [creators] share their creations with as many people as possible. With Boom Blox Bash Party, people can upload their own levels to EA and EA will broadcast those to the world. What this means for the average player is that they can go into go into any game mode and within one click, download more levels of that type.

And players really loved creating in Boom Blox. If you go onto YouTube and search for Boom Blox and you'll see tons of levels that might not offer a lot of gameplay but look like pixel art pieces. So they can submit more levels like that or levels with real rules, name the level and then categorize it by game mode. Players can also rate those levels, sort by most popular, search by keyword and more.

PlaySavvy: Under water and space levels? How will the physics work?
Amir Rahimi: As we were getting ready to put the original Boom Blox in a box, Steven Spielberg and his team were chock full of ideas for what to do with the second version of the game. One of the ideas that Steven had was, "What if we took the game into outer space and what would happen if we took it under water?" So we got our physics expert on the case and we were able to nail down those phsyics. In outer space, as you would imagine, you wouldn't have any gravity so blocks would move differently and the characters would float around in space. And under water, you have all sorts of "floaty-ness" and drag that you would imagine as things float around.

PlaySavvy: Are you developing the game or any modes for use with Nintendo's MotionPlus accessory?
Amir Rahimi: No, we are not.

Bad news there...but most of the interview had positive information.

EA spend extra time on the game and get Wiimotion Plus working...it will make the game better.

http://www.gamedaily.com/games/boom-blox/wii/game-features/interview-ea-shares-new-boom-blox-details/

[Ian Sane]

But, if sequels were made then they would have easier time catching the consumers eye and gaining support...because most people believe bad games do not get sequels

Obvious solution: call all your games _______ 2 to give the impression that a new IP is actually part of a series.

That actually probably could work.  When Street Fighter II was all the rage I didn't know ANYONE who had ever played, seen or even heard of the original Street Fighter.  Well all except that pathlogical liar kid every class has who once claimed his sister's eyeballs fell out and had to be glued back in by a doctor and that if you entered the right code in Mortal Kombat it turned into Street Fighter II.  But for all we knew no Street Fighter I ever existed.

To be sneaky you could make some really lousy browser game as the "first game" in the series so technically the considerably more advanced "sequel" isn't false advertising.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Does the game even need Wii Motion plus though? It read acceleration just fine with the original.

[AV]

Does the game even need Wii Motion plus though? It read acceleration just fine with the original.

it might work fine, but why not wait and update with it. Will people really cry if the game comes out in August instead of April ?

[GoldenPhoenix]

Does the game even need Wii Motion plus though? It read acceleration just fine with the original.

it might work fine, but why not wait and update with it. Will people really cry if the game comes out in August instead of April ?

Seemed pretty solid to me. My point is that it really doesn't need Wii Motion plus. The only thing you use motion for is throwing.

[Kairon]

They probably decided that they didn't need it. You know, why fix it if it ain't broken? People seemed to respond to the first game's controls pretty decently. Also, keep costs down.