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Boom Blox to topple again on Wii

EA's Steven Spielberg collaboration yields new family-friendly puzzler for Nintendo's console this spring.

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Boom Blox presents an interesting challenge for Electronic Arts. On the one hand, the Wii puzzler touts the backing of legendary film director Steven Spielberg, who collaborated with EALA on the game's family-friendly, physics-oriented design. On the other hand, Spielberg's star power failed to attract crowds to the decently reviewed title, at least not in the way they would have were his name attached to a feature film.

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Be that as it may, EA isn't willing to give up on the franchise just yet. Following online reports from November pointing to a new game in the series, EA Casual today announced that its Spielberg collaboration would continue with Boom Blox Bash Party. The game is expected to arrive for the Wii this spring in North America and Europe.

EA is playing Bash Party close to the hip on its second outing, maintaining the original's fundamental game design but adding more than 400 new levels. A number of tweaks have been made to the original formula, however, including new underwater and zero-gravity arenas, a number of additional block types and shapes, and new tools, such as a cannon, a paint ball, and a slingshot.

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Bash Party will also add in a host of new oddball blox characters, which can now be incorporated into the puzzle-busting gameplay. EA also promises an expanded suite of multiplayer options, with players now able to partner up in team-based challenges, and it's doubling the number of group puzzles found in the original.

The Create mode, in which players can devise their own custom stages, has also seen attention, with gamers now being afforded access to the same suite of tools used by the game's developers. User-generated levels can also be uploaded online for others to play, and EA promises that in-house-produced new levels will also be available for download.

It is unclear if Boom Blox Bash Party is one of the three games announced as being part of the Spielberg-EA collaboration. The second game, code-named LMNO, remains in development. Prior reports peg that game as a sci-fi action title for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

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familylove

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boom blox was one of my best games i ever got so i totally cant wait till bash party comes out!

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Sonicplys

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This is fantastic. I loved the first game.

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OddBlocker

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CAN'T FRIGGIN WAIT!!!!!!!! Create mode in the first one was so much fun XD

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kbaily

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Boom Blox is a perfect example of what a casual game SHOULD be. something with simple, easy to learn gameplay but still has enough depth for a more dedicated gamer.

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wahyudil

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the old bloom blox was very short .... with all the new features that been listed, I think the next game will be very cool ...

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rmoorevtps3

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Boom Blox was pretty cool. I rented it but didnt end up wanting to buy it.

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Buffalodude

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Sweet I love Bloom Blox awesome game. Venkman I am a teenager this game is worth it.

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da_chub

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Hey Venkman, try playing a game because it is fun, not because it looks like a 7 year old would play it. This is a great game. And getting a sequel hows, a lot of people think so.

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VenkmanPHD

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... people are excited about this? This game was like something you would give a toddler. Overly simplistic puzzles, boring gameplay, and look at the art style... reminds me of those toddler legos. I'm not surprised that they are releasing a second one, after how well the first one sold (Though I can't understand WHY it sold that well) I'm just saying I don't understand why anyone who isn't a mother, or over the age of 7 would find this to be good news.

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Toro_Nev

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sounds cool

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gudni

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Boom Blox sold great according to vgchartz.com,740.000 copies. That is considered really good.

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TwinTiger

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You know what'll inspire more interest in this game? Hot ninja chicks. Works every time.

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black_ice23

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what this game need is a better single player for when friends arent over or online so you have someone to play with or leaderboards

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jhpiv4

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[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

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jhpiv4

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This sounds killer. The biggest thing I wanted was more versatile creation tools, so it looks like they are answering that with this. How awesome. Looks like the graphics saw some improvement this time around too. Can't wait.

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msudude211

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I'm not sure if I'll get this yet.

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DS_fan_atic

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wooohooo! can't wait

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thetravman

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The first game and its physics were brilliant. It definitely wouldn't be the same on the other consoles. Looking forward to this next one.

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Tylendal

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EA Casual? That is sad. Still, good to see Boom Blox given another chance.

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Goomba_Lord37

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This sounds fun. Glad they're making a sequel. Looking forward to it.

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star77241

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Hopefully they will have difficulty settings or make the difficulty more even.

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scar-hawk

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Too awesome!

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wiifan001

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A Boom Blox sequel with over 400 new levels and features, and is Wii exclusive. Now that's 3rd party support FTW! :D

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AjaxNeron

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Can't wait to pre-order this game!

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Nickfury101

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In all honesty I would have to say at this point the Wii has the best game lineup for 2009. I sure got my moneys worth with the first Boom Blox, and with what sounds to be improved and new features in the second, I'm sure this can be nothing but more fun.

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JackHoleFace00

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Ugh... does anyone else predict a republican/democrat style rivalry between casual and core gamers? But I digress... I agree that BoomBlox didn't sell well because, well, who's heard of it? The first time I did was when I read an article a couple days ago about how many bad 3rd party games there were for the Wii while many people ignored the "good games" like BoomBlox. Never saw one ad, any PR, nothing. Remember, though, that it's not Nintendo's job to pay for and do the marketing for 3rd party games, so you can't blame them. EA has deeper pockets than that, so you wonder what gives.

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JackHoleFace00

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chappy_man

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hmm, never played boom blox, but I dont want to something too casual and this sounds a bit like it.

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LqdSnk

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Boom Blox was awesome! I'll be looking forward to this.

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rockstar_88

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I saw the TV commercials for this game playing all the time so I don't think it wasn't that they weren't advertising it enough...it just seemed like the commercials didn't really have any focus other than "Hey look, mini-Michael Bay explosions!" or a really badly done Lego clone.

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nintendo-naut

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Boom Blox was okay...

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threedown

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i agree it wouldve sold alot better if it had better advertising, i just randomly picked it up one day and have had alot of fun with it, my friend enjoyed it so much she went out and bought it too... i could care less if spielbergs name is on it, what does he have to do with video games anyways?

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raahsnavj

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"Take off Spielberg's name and call it Mario's Boom Blox. Then slap Mario's face on the cover and it will sell." Leopold, that is so true. I'm amazed they haven't made up a farmer that has a mustache and wears blue over-alls... Call him Morio. People wouldn't know the difference unless you add in a storyline or character development. Somehow though you need to get a big Nintendo logo on the box art...

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Leopold_Stotch

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Take off Spielberg's name and call it Mario's Boom Blox. Then slap Mario's face on the cover and it will sell.

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NigressSutra

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I agree that this is good news. The first one had some flaws, but made for great casual gameplay. Let's not get too excited though...we all know how EA can make promises they don't keep :)

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deactivated-57fce817a4cf5

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The reason it didn't sell well was because it wasn't properly advertised as much as Nintendo's own games are. Nintendo really has to start backing up its third parties properly with more help with advertising and promotions.

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Proman84

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This is incredible news! The first game was a blast and now that it will be improved, streamlined and add new features like sharing levels online is great. And I love that Steven is so hands on with this franchise :) !

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