E3 '07: EA Playground Hands-On

With EA Playground, EA is hoping to relive the joys of childhood with a series of minigames you'd find in any school, street, or park. We got some hands-on time with the Nintendo DS and Wii versions at the E3 07. The game is exclusive to the Nintendo platform and heavily driven by the control systems of the hardware. The Wii obviously uses the Wii Remote, while the DS version relies on the stylus and D pad for user input and control, with solid results.

We saw the Wii version first, and although the handheld and home-console versions offered slightly different playable games--perhaps to offer a bit of variety--we imagine the final retail code will have some shared games. We played dodgeball and kickball on the Wii, the only two games being shown. The games have a Wii Sports feel to them, and both feature an incredibly simple control system at surface level, but deeper underlying gameplay mechanics for more advanced users.

Dodgeball sees you fielding a three-on-three team with the aim of knocking out your opponent by throwing what looked like Pokéballs at them. Once both players are ready the balls spawn in the middle of the court, and you'll need to get there quickly to try to throw first. You control only one character at a time, but if you lose the one you have, you'll automatically be cycled to another one of your team. Knocking out the three you're facing isn't as easy as it sounds, with the trigger on the Wii used to block, dodge, or catch incoming balls. Flicking the Wii Remote throws the ball, while moving the controller in certain directions adds speed and angle to your shot, letting you get off quick, short throws or long, crosscourt knockout attempts. There's even a fakey option, and by pressing the A button you can try to balk your competition.

The goal of EA Playground is to get to the top of the schoolyard gaming pile, and successfully completing games awards you marbles that you can trade in for upgraded and advanced abilities. Dodging a ball helps build the equivalent of dodgeball star power, and once you're full you can use your energy to throw a faster, harder ball.

Kickball was the other title available to play, and is a mix between volleyball and soccer. Two players per side try to defend their goal while trying to score in the opposition's. The controls work similarly to dodgeball, with the only real difference being that you can pass your ball between your players to set up spikes and shots at their goal. Flicking your wrist sends the ball off toward the goalie, where he'll need to block it and pass it back to the player at the net for a counterattack.

EA is giving players the option of either playing by standard rules or customizing them to suit their needs. Unfortunately, this release of the game won't support Mii characters, so you're limited to selecting one of the premade kids we saw. That said, the game looks and, from our limited time with it, plays very much like Wii Sports. If you're a fan of the minigame concept and Wii Sports or Wii Play is getting a bit stale, this could be the title for you.

After playing the Wii version, we were keen to see how the DS would handle some of the games. Dodgeball made another appearance on the handheld, but with a very different control system. For the DS version you'll need to stab the lower screen to throw and block incoming balls.

The other two games we saw were Skate and Sketch, and Spitballs. Spitballs uses the stylus to find and lock on to your target before you blow into the mic to unleash at the unsuspecting recipient. Skate and Sketch is a skateboarding game with a twist. Rather than control the skater with the D pad or stylus, you'll need to use the stylus to complete a kind of follow-the-dots-meets-Nintendo-Brain Training game. Some of the puzzles follow basic shapes, while others are a pure exercise in speed. Completing the circuit causes your skater to do a trick.

EA is including ad hoc Wi-Fi support in the DS version of Playground, letting you battle friends on your turf. The Wii title will support up to four simultaneous players.