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April Fools '10 - Scribblenauts Review

5th Cell's puzzle/creativity hybrid couldn't be any better.

From the moment I first heard of Scribblenauts, during last year's E3, I could tell the title had "Game of the Year" potential. By sheer concept, I grew aware that video games have reached what I once believed to be an insurmountable pinnacle, and in execution, Scribblenauts far exceeds any and all expectations.

 



Recommended to anyone with a DS, DSLite, DSi, DSi XL, or to anyone who someday dreams of owning a DS-capable hand-held. Buy it now before they sell out and it's too late!



Scribblenauts is THE title that completes every DS catalog, at least, until this coming Fall, when Scribblenauts 2 comes out. The game has everything: Hundreds of stages, tens of thousands of summonable words. Pirates. Ninjas. Zombies. Rick Rolls. Keyboard Cats. The sheer volume of words the player can bring to life is unfathomable. One could write words for days and not reach the end of the word list. Even better? Maxwell, the player's avatar, can hold, fire, throw, ride, and even shoot several of the many available nougat-filled words.

Scribblenauts takes full advantage of the touch screen, allowing words to be hand-written or touch-typed, with manipulation and direction of Maxwell also performed via touch controls. Buttons intuitively control the screen's movement, rather than Maxwell's, so players are free to move creations anywhere they'll fit across the stage.

Stages have been brilliantly crafted to test a player's diction and puzzle-solving abilities. In one stage, players are challenged to bring a cat down from a tree, and several possible solutions exist: One can summon another cat, to make the first jealous, or summon a tasty mouse, or chop down the tree. In just this one puzzle, the possibilities seem to be endless! Now, as appetizing as this sounds, imagine over a hundred more stages, all as fun, creative, and original as the one before it.

Scribblenauts is this generation's must-have title. I spent just fifteen minutes, and my life has been changed forever for the better. I can die happily, in peace, thanks to 5th Cell and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. BUY THIS GAME!


 

Comments

Our Take

Jason Ross Senior Editor

04/01/2010 at 05:15 PM

This is the first review written in light of our new policy. I think things went very well.

Our Take

Nick DiMola Director

04/01/2010 at 06:26 PM

Glad to see that cash in the bank you really enjoyed the game.

P_Hernandez

04/01/2010 at 09:07 PM

BEST...APRIL FOOLS JOKE...EVAH

P_Hernandez

04/01/2010 at 09:20 PM

But seriously now... Scribblenauts is a fantastic experience. The controls actually add to the challenge! And the fact that I can summon keyboard cat, despite his lack of value, makes it a masterpiece in my book ;) .

Jason Ross Senior Editor

04/01/2010 at 09:34 PM

The particular reason I chose Scribblenauts is because I loathe the game, particularly for the hype it had compared to what it delivered, and if you've been following since I started, you'd have seen I wrote a four-part editorial about how the game really didn't seem like anything special, despite the hype.

So, given my established character, this is not a review I'd normally write. ;)

Cha-ching!

Kathrine Theidy Staff Alumnus

04/01/2010 at 10:08 PM

This almost seems cruel...

P_Hernandez

04/01/2010 at 11:23 PM

The sequel was just announced, and one of its biggest issues, the controls, will be fixed. As for the gameplay, I can't say. But considering that 5th Cell is fixing the controls its likely that the game will be fine tuned as well.

Jason Ross Senior Editor

04/01/2010 at 11:30 PM

Ah, see, I think the issues stem much deeper than that: The gameplay is shockingly shallow for how much talk of thousands of words. Let me link you to the editorial pages I wrote, so you can see how I felt. 1, 2, 3, and 4.

P_Hernandez

04/03/2010 at 03:02 PM

I already read that Jason, and understand what you are saying. Still, I think 5th Cell realize that the first game had problems, but the hype train was already on its way and the sequel could fix a great deal of its problems.

Plus, let's be honest here. Had they focused on basic words, gamers would have complained that the game is shallow because they couldn't summon X word or something like that.

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