Boom Blox is certainly one of the more interesting Wii titles that I've come across recently, and it offers a fine example of how the Wii remote can be used in unique and non-gimmicky ways. While my initial impressions of the game were extremely positive, the experience was almost completely derailed by a near-crippling soreness that developed in my right arm after several multi-hour game sessions.
The problem basically stems from the ball-throwing gameplay. There are many different types of games in Boom Blox. Some require grabbing and pulling on blocks. Some require pointing and shooting at things on the screen. And others–namely, the ball-throwing games–require flicking the Wii remote forward with as much acceleration as possible. The movement essentially involves swinging the Wii remote in a sort of whip-cracking motion with the arm being only partially extended for each swing. Engaging for several hours in this kind of rapid partial extension of the arm should probably be avoided, as I learned through hard experience. Although the soreness thankfully subsided after about five days, my feelings around Boom Blox may have been irrevocably harmed.
For years to come, the words Boom Blox will probably evoke in me vaguely disturbing thoughts of that weird Steven Spielberg game that was really fun for a while but that almost caused permanent muscle damage in my arm. I think my feelings about it could probably be repaired if I went back and spent some more time with the less injurious game modes, or at least if I could learn to play the ball-throwing modes in a safer way. Since I only rented it, however, I won't be able to play it long enough to bring about such a corrective emotional experience.
Thinking about the game, and what it is, and what it contains and then pausing and thinking about the Spielberg connection just leaves me feeling utterly baffled. I mean it's just so random. Jaws, Indiana Jones, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, Minority Report, and now...Boom Blox. What? Huh? Come again? Spielberg is practically synonymous with movies, and now he helps make a game whose essential qualities are completely those of a game and not those of film or cinema.
I guess there's no rule that says Spielberg shouldn't be allowed to make a Jenga-like videogame. It just feels so completely out of left field and so totally unrelated and uninformed by all of the things that make Spielberg who he is. It'd be like if Spielberg suddenly decided to team up with Nike and create a new running shoe and that after the shoe finally came out it just turned out to be, well, a pretty good running shoe. That's it. No obvious features to indicate that it had been made in collaboration with a famous film director. Just a pretty solid and well-made running shoe that makes your feet sore if you run on them too much without proper training. That's what Boom Blox feels like.
But what about the game...?
Yes, the Spielberg connection is weird, but so what? You spend so long blathering about Spielberg and whining about how you hurt your arm (you don't actually have to throw it *that* hard) that you don't even mention what this game is like to play.
I don't have time to write a full review (and - hey, it's not *my* job), but the skinny is this:
Physics is spot-on. People have criticised the game for it's low gravity, but this is intentional and not a physics problem. Everything is consistent and predictable and the slight slow-motion effect is important for gameplay, especially when playing with two or more people.
Controls are also polished. You really don't have to put that much effort into hurling things, and tugging and teasing blocks out of the stack you always feel in control. If it goes wrong you know it's your fault.
Production values are high (with the exception of the slide-show story sections in Adventure), but I found the presentation on the irritating side of cute and goofy. Not to the point of Wiimote-chewingly off-putting though.
Adventure mode is not very enjoyable. I won't be spending a lot of time here.
Single-player Explore is good fun for a little while, and you certainly have to exercise your brain to get the gold medals. The variety of the different types of games help somewhat, but after some long sessions over the course of a few days I got tired of the single-player experience moderately quickly.
Multi-player is where it's at. Playing with a friend is bags of fun and the more people involved the better it gets. This is now my first choice party-game-for-a-crowd-even-if-it-includes-non-gamers. Beats even Wii Sports and Wii Play for this. Mario Kart has the edge if everyone already knows which side of a Nunchuk is up but that should tell you this game holds its own.
Bonus: There is much fun to be had from pelting the spectating, cutesy squirrels with bowling-balls if your tastes run that way. YMMV.