D.I.C.E 07: Super Rub-A-Dub First Look

LAS VEGAS--At his D.I.C.E. Summit session, Phil Harrison gave a sneak peek at a new downloadable game in development for the PlayStation 3: Super Rub-A-Dub. In the original game, realistic water physics and rubber ducks are blended with such old-school puzzlers as Flicky and Super Monkey Ball. While there wasn't much information given out on the game in the D.I.C.E. session where Harrison showed it off, we caught up with him shortly after for a quick word about the game.

The simple game started life in much the same way that Geometry Wars came to be: as a basic demo. In Super Rub-A-Dub's case, the game started as a physics sim demonstrating water effects on the PS3. Once the Sixaxis controller was used to move the water around, the notion to include ducks and add some proper gameplay was raised; thus, the demo evolved into something else.

Your task in Super Rub-A-Dub is to guide a duck around a tub, freeing smaller ducks from bubbles and leading the whole trail of liberated fowl to an exit while avoiding obstacles. From the look of it, you'll be rated on how long it takes you to clear a level. The brief demo of the game during Harrison's session showed some different tub layouts and hazards that make getting your gaggle of ducks to safety more difficult. The act of collecting the ducks bears some similarities to Sega's old-school bird platformer Flicky. The actual control, which relies on the Sixaxis to manipulate the flat plain of the tub, also calls to mind Super Monkey Ball. In following up with Harrison, we found out that the game will feature a global world-ranking system and feature progressively more challenging layouts, which will apparently feature hazards, such as sharks. There will also be controls to flip your duck when necessary.

From the look of it, Super Rub-A-Dub is looking like a breezy arcade game that should be a fun addition to the thin PS3 lineup. The leaderboard functionality and simple gameplay should make the game appeal to persistent players who want to improve their performance. While an exact date for the game's release wasn't given, Harrison mentioned it was due out in the next few weeks.