Metacritic Games

Boom Blox (Wii)

Boom Blox is the first game developed in collaboration between EA and director and producer, Steven Spielberg. This high-energy game features over three hundred levels, a variety of activities, a cast of over thirty wacky characters, and an easy-to-use in-game editor that allows players to express their creativity. Fun for kids and the entire family, Boom Blox offers action-packed interactive activities that takes Wii play to a new level of creativity and fun with single player, co-op, and versus gameplay. Players can explore the visceral gameplay—perfectly suited for the Wii’s interactivity—that keeps them destroying their way through brain-twisting challenges. They can interact with entertaining characters such as the Blox-laying chickens or the baseball throwing monkeys, who bring personality to the Tiki, Medieval, Frontier, and Haunted themed environments. Additionally, players can remix any level of the game in Create Mode using props, blocks, or characters that have been unlocked during the game. Players can also virtually build anything they can dream up. Plus, their designs can then be shared with friends or used to challenge others to solve their newly created puzzle via WiiConnect24. [Electronic Arts]

Electronic Arts
Puzzle, Action
Players: 4
E (Everyone)
Developer: EA Los Angeles
Released May 6, 2008

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

85 / 100

Critic Reviews

100 1UP
Boom Blox may not be the best Wii game, depending on your proclivities, but it's definitely the best use of the Wii yet. It's immensely accessible, wonderfully tactile, and stands as one of the best treatments of gaming in a 3D space.
100 Yahoo! Games
BOOM BLOX is so simple and its appeal so universal that we're hard pressed to think of another Wii game that can so effectively bring a room together... [it's] one of the most gratifying jump-in-and-play games you can get on the Nintendo Wii.
100 G4 TV
Boom Blox delivers so much content, that it would be hard not to find something to love in this title. Give it a try. What looks to be rather simple is actually complex and will keep you playing for hours.
97 Electronic Gaming Monthly
Hit me over the head like a ton of virtual bricks. [July 2008, p.74]
95 Ferrago
Needless to say Boom Blox gets my highest praise not because of its masterly delivery, clever controls or intriguing levels but because it makes me and my family genuinely enjoy playing it together.
95 Gameplanet
Hats off to EA for taking a simple concept and turning it into a must-have title for the Wii; it's fun, addictive, and thanks to its flexibility holds mass appeal.
91 GameShark
If you are looking for a strong single player puzzler or a multiplayer party game—this should definitely be on your short list.
91 The Onion (A.V. Club)
Boom Blox offers robust creation tools that let players construct their own puzzles and levels, then share them online.
90 Zentendo
No game is perfect, but that said, this is as close as a non-Nintendo game has come in a long while. It's most definitely worth the purchase, as it'll keep you entertained for many, many hours.
90 Cubed3
A true gem amongst a lot of bile in the Wii's software library.
90 DailyGame
Boom Blox is the type of game Wii was designed for.
90 Official Nintendo Magazine UK
Great fun for pretty much everyone, hardcore and casual gamers included. [July 2008, p.88]
90 GameZone
Spielberg's inspiration for Boom Blox came from his pondering on "creation and destruction," and what came of it is one of the most engaging and visceral games on Wii to date.
90 Gamer's Hell
When all is said and done, Boom Blox is one of the best examples of a casual title that can cater to multiple kinds of gamers: hardcore, pick-up-and-play and even children.
90 Level7.nu
Boom Blox is a great puzzle game that manages to entertain with simple means. The controls are fun and intuitive enough for anyone to be able to pick up and play the game. Despite the simple gameplay it never grows old or monotonous. Add the ability to build your own levels and you get a long lasting and greatly entertaining game for you and your friends.
90 Gamer.nl
Boom Blox is a fantastic game. The puzzler can certainly be called a classic in it's genre. The puzzels are diverse, challenging and are fun to play. The smoothness of the controls and the the physics of the buildings are something which we have never seen before.
90 VideoGamer
Boom Blox is the type of game that innocently eats up time, with you playing with a smile on your face until you realise you've been sat in the same position all evening.
90 NintendoWorldReport
The upshot is one of the best Wii games yet.
90 Kombo
Boom Blox might not be the blockbuster, cinematic video game that many -- including myself -- expected from the mind of Spielberg, but that doesn't make it any less fun.
90 GameSpy
It's also a perfect game for the entire family, being deep enough for adults to appreciate and visceral enough for kids to get a huge kick out of.
90 EuroGamer
Boom Blox is brilliant alone, fantastic with friends, a superb addition to the puzzle genre and a game that will make you glad you own a Wii. Here's hoping it's only the first of its kind.
90 N-Europe
In the end, Boom Blox is an example of what can be done with the Wii Remote and that the so called "casual games" that are hated by many can be a fantastic experience. A fantastic puzzler.
90 Destructoid
I'd have never thought anyone would ever make a game which combined the tactile joy of knocking down block towers with the ingenious design of a puzzle game, but Boom Blox manages it: it's fun, accessible, intense, and mentally stimulating all at once.
90 GameDaily
Although its simplistic set-up and weird rectangular-shaped animals appear decidedly kitschy, Boom Blox is one of the Nintendo Wii's best third-party games, a work of genius from the collaborative efforts of EA and Steven Spielberg.
88 Gamer 2.0
When it comes down to it, Boom Blox is a game that has a great, simple gameplay concept that's executed very well to become one of the premiere third-party games on the Wii, especially when looking at your multiplayer options outside of the games that Nintendo has made which tend to come to mind first for multiplayer gaming.
87 Console Monster
Whilst Boom Blox may look childish, it will appeal to audiences of all ages.
87 NGamer UK
The best puzzle game on Wii and one of the most satisfying things we've played in ages. Smashing stuff is good. Very good. [July 2008, p.54]
86 Games Master UK
Brilliant, but is it down to Spielberg's influence? Give us more to find out. [July 2008, p.74]
86 GameTrailers
The simple concept and limited amount of ready-made content mean Boom Blox is not suited for solo use or hardcore power-players. But if you’ve got friends and you’ve got a Wii, Boom Blox approaches Wii Sports in terms of mass-appeal and playability, which for anyone who’s seen grandma bowl is definitely saying something.
85 PALGN
What Boom Blox does feature is simple, old-fashioned fun.
85 NZGamer
Despite the sickeningly cute presentation and naff music, it’s not hard to recommend this game to Wii owners.
85 Game Informer
Boom Blox is one of the best games on Wii, and shows what can happen when a third-party developer plays to the strengths of the console as well as Nintendo does.
85 GamePro
Boom Blox offers a great gaming experience with a ton replayability; you'll have to excuse the pun but this is one title that truly does qualify as a "summer blockbuster."
85 Maxi Consolas (Portugal)
A pleasant surprise, Boom Blox helps understanding the need of more interactive experiences, in a game that’s a serious candidate to the title of best Puzzle for Wii. At times it can be too easy, but it well-deserves the quality stamp form EA. [June 2008]
85 PTGamers
The childish design and the often strong colors may not seem pleasant to all, but this is a small price to pay for such an appealing game.
83 Game Revolution
It’s also a terrific drinking game. Just remember to use that Wii-mote strap, before you accidentally knuckle-ball your unrestrained and quite-real controller—rather than an imaginary, massless bowling-ball—straight ‘into’ the candy-colored Boom Blox world residing just beyond your thousand-dollar flat-screen TV. Trust me on this one.
81 IGN
Boom Blox is one of freshest and most enjoyable puzzle games you can this generation and it is an especially good multiplayer title.
80 GameTap
It's one of those rare family games that doesn't fall into the genres of minigame collection or rhythm title, and your seven-year-old kid will have as much fun as you do.
80 Nintendo Power
The production values aren't going to win any awards, and some of the mechanics work better than others(the hose is pretty lame), but Bloom Blox is an innovative and amusing piece of entertainment worthy of the Spielberg name. [June 2008, p.87]
80 Wired
Boom Blox does what so many Wii titles wish they could, by splitting the difference between casual players and lifelong gamers. You can pass the Wiimote to your grandma or a 5-year-old and they'll have a ball with its clever mix of brainy puzzles and satisfying explosions. But hard-core players like me will find a surprising amount of depth to the gameplay and a satisfying, addictive challenge.
80 Cheat Code Central
It's amazing how much there's to do in this title: lots of levels, gameplay styles, multiplayer options, and a good level editor. It's a box full of surprises!
80 Giant Bomb
While some of the trickier puzzles may take some real time to master, especially if you want to get a gold medal on every challenge, it doesn’t take a lot of time to acclimate yourself to Boom Blox and whip through most of what it has to offer. The lasting value, then, comes from the multiplayer, which is an absolute blast, and the creation aspect, which, to be fair, isn’t for everyone.
80 Gamervision
Nothing about the game really rings "Spielberg," so I am not too sure how much work he actually put towards the game. The multiplayer portion does bump up the value of the title, though, and the large assortment of different single player levels with different awards for completing it under different circumstances also goes far to make the game a definite purchase.
80 Total Video Games
A refreshingly new and enjoyable experience, Boom Blox is exactly the type of game that deserves to do well on Wii.
80 Gamestyle
Boom Blox is an excellent, well rounded title.
80 AtomicGamer
Boom Blox is a fun game. It's probably one of the better Wii games out there right now for gaming parties with your casual-gaming friends.
80 DarkZero
Boom Blox is a game built for the Wii, not because of it. Unlike many other games on the platform it is hard to fathom playing without a Wiimote in your hand. If only for that reason alone it is a title that deserves attention, but thankfully there is much to praise the Boom Blox about.
80 Edge Magazine
It has a masterful user interface. [July 2008, p.93]
80 Boomtown
Really good, easily approachable games are pretty hard to come by – especially on the Wii, but Boom Blox is a triumph in many respects. Whether you're playing on your own or with your friends or family, the game's difficulty slant and physical appeal drags in players and voyeurs respectively throughout the entire duration.
80 NTSC-uk
The ideas behind it may be simplistic, but their excellent execution is what makes Boom Blox so much fun. Its presentation and implementation make it easy to pick up and approachable by any age group; this is enjoyable, easy-going fun at its best.
70 Gameplayer
Tries to cram WAY too many styles in, but multiplayer is tops.
70 GameSpot
It stumbles with certain game modes and its effort to appeal to kids with a poorly integrated story is ham-fisted at best, but Boom Blox is still a good game. Most of the hundreds of puzzles are fun to play alone, and it's also entertaining to taunt friends during their turn as they try to keep a tower from collapsing.
60 n-Revolution Magazine UK
A great kids game. Teens and adults without children, however, may not find Boom Blox so entertaining. [Issue#23, p.72]
60 games(TM)
There's one big problem that can’t be concealed by Boom Blox's triumphs: it's almost entirely devoid of challenge. [July 2008, p.124]

CLOSE THIS WINDOW

©2008 CNET Networks Inc. All rights reserved.