Most gamers have heard of Scribblenauts and its ambitious premise. Since its appearance at E3 (the Electronic Entertainment Expo) Scribblenauts has been amassing a huge following, and now that the game has finally hit store shelves there’s still the question of whether it’s a must-have or can be passed over. Well, the Star Reviews has picked up a copy of this hotly anticipated title to provide the final word on its worth to any consumer.
Scribblenauts Features:
Scribblenauts features a form of gameplay never before implemented. In this game players will be tasked with whacky puzzles and allowed to solve them using any method they can imagine. Rather than affording players specific items and abilities necessary like many other puzzle games, Scribblenauts allows the entry of nouns which aren’t proper names, expletives, alcoholic beverages, or copyrighted content. Upon entering these nouns, the game’s representation will be created and usable in order to solve the puzzles.
The game comes packed with 220 levels, half of which being ordinary Puzzle levels and the other half being Action levels. Action levels offer less of a challenge in terms of creativity and more of a challenge in terms of problem-solving. Every Action level, rather than task players with solving a riddle, will have a Starite (the game’s most precious item and objective of the game) somewhere on the level, usually out of reach or in a perilous situation.
Scribblenauts is very entertaining despite which type of level is being played, and the goal aside from achieving a Starite is also to earn Ollars. Ollars are the currency of Scribblenauts and are earned through staying under par on each level. The par is the least amount of items necessary to complete any given level. Staying under par, like in golf, earns more points and is ultimately beneficial. Ollars can then be spent in the Ollar Store or to buy more Worlds, which unlocks more levels.
There is also online and local multiplayer, in which one can share and play on user-created maps. Using a wi-fi connection to access Nintendo’s online service with the DS, players can upload their own personal maps and download those of others in order to keep the experience fresh and entertaining. This form of free downloadable content far surpasses the costly extra content available for download with other games, which is a big plus for anyone gaming on a budget.
Initial Testing Results:
Scribblenauts controls pretty poorly. Maxwell, the main protagonist, is controlled by using the stylus. Players must tap the direction which they’d like to go in, but the stylus and touch screen is also used to select items to use or drag and drop into the trash can. The problem which results is that whenever one might try to select an item for whatever reason, they may miss it by the smallest bit of distance and have Maxwell run in that direction, potentially resulting in him dying.
Other than that problem, which occurs rather rarely considering the possibilities, Scribblenauts plays like a dream. Most of the fun derived from the game is dependant solely on the creativity of the player. As a result, anyone who plays this game will be able to shape their experience into whatever form they see fit, providing the possibility of an adventure which no one else has ever come close to experiencing.
Pros:
Scribblenauts is both unique and at budget price. Purchasable at most retailers (including Walmart, Toys R Us and Best Buy) for $30.00 USD or less, it far surpasses most videogames, which usually debut at $50.00 or more. It’s also extremely kid-friendly as well as entertaining for adults, making it an all-around great package.
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StarReviews Top 3
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Cons:
The controls just aren’t tight enough to prevent certain instances of frustration. The lack of modes other than the main Challenge mode which includes the 220 Puzzle and Action levels will make players unhappy once they’ve completed the final level and have nothing else to do. Multiplayer is also an issue for those hoping to play with their friends who don’t own a copy of the game, as two copies are needed to connect.
Scribblenauts Conclusion:
Overall, Scribblenauts is a game that just can’t be refused. At such a bargain price and with so much quality content and possible enjoyment, there’s just no good reason not purchase a copy if possible. Because the tremendous amount of good qualities Scribblenauts has going for it vastly outshine the few foibles there are, Star Reviews whole-heartedly recommends this game. Scribblenauts earns Five out of Six Stars.
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