News:Get 1UP. Lose life. Game Over.
News:Logitech catering for idiots with money
News:Silent Hill: Homecoming unbanned
News:I Thought You Said He Was A Rock And Roll Star
News:For all you Apple gamers (hah!) imagine playing COD4 on this... Or any game.
News:Awesome sounding ugly headphones coming our way
News:FEAR 2 - We submitted the exact same version
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News:Be Optimistic Happy And Calm
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News:Prepare for the New Year
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Feature:Australian Gamer presents - The Best of 2008

'Star Wars Battlefront Renegade Squadron' Review
by Anna

Astroboy Feature Film by ZombieJesus at 2:55pm
Smoking - Why all the hate aimed at us? by Okahey at 2:53pm
How many people met their boyfriend/girlfriend through AG? by TheMeadow at 2:38pm
The relationship thread by Mase at 2:37pm
NEWS [ Logitech catering for idiots with money ] by Korthal at 2:33pm
Game On Night 30 Jan by TheMeadow at 2:29pm
Choosing the right graphics card by Serrin's Toes at 1:57pm
Festival Season by hobbzilla at 1:30pm
CANADA WINS WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP.................AGAIN by Korthal at 1:23pm
NEWS [ Get 1UP. Lose life. Game Over. ] by Dryk at 1:22pm
George appreciation thread by George at 1:18pm
What are you listening to? by coopertoons at 1:17pm
Whos looking forward to Darkfall? by Korthal at 1:00pm
Baking by Aeternum at 12:46pm
NEWS [ Awesome sounding ugly headphones coming our way ] by Aeternum at 12:43pm

WII

19 Jan

PS2

19 Jan

X360

30 Jan

PS3

30 Jan

PC

30 Jan

PC

05 Feb

There are some games that you just know are going to be fun to play as soon as you see them. Most have a gaming mechanic or gimmick so simple, you wonder why it hadn’t been developed earlier. The difficultly then lies in expanding that initial concept into full game that holds your attention and interest.

And with that, let me introduce you to De Blob.

I had a chance to visit the THQ offices while in Melbourne and get some hands on with the Wii version of the game, developed by local game studio Blue Tongue. Although I’d picked up the controller and had a crack at the game during the recent Nintendo Roadshow, for this session I had someone talking me through the game mechanics and directing me through the level as I played.

As the title suggests, you are a blob. De blob, as they say in the ghetto. Everything is happy in the city of Chroma where you and the other residents reside, until an evil monochromatic corporation called INKT takes over the city and starts sucking the colour out of everyone and everything. Leaving it up to you to bring back colour to the city and free the enslaved citizens.

The plot is surprisingly Orwellian, and if it weren’t for the cutesy characters and funky designs it could have taken a serious social commentary angle. It didn’t though, which is good, because you play as a blob - not a political activist.

When you start a level, everything in it is shades of grey, from the buildings to the sky. There’s no music, no movement, and even de blob in question is just a clear sphere of water. The first thing to do is acquire one of the many paint cans scattered generously around the levels, to increase your paint count, which allows you to colour everything you touch.



The unexpected charm comes from the organic aspects of colouring stuff in. Different colours make different music riffs start playing, so if you paint a whole bunch of buildings green - you get a sweet saxophone tune, but then if you change colour and start painting things red, it melds into a drum and base line.

This simple concept of basically creating a 3d colouring book is a whole lota fun, probably because of the control system lends itself to the Wii perfectly. You move your character around with the left thumstick, while the wiimote is used to control jumping, quickly flicking the wrist to make your blob bounce. The fun comes in bounding onto the side of a building, then flicking the wiimote to bounce in the opposite direction, and so on and so forth - all the while colouring buildings, objects and Chroma citizens.

Combat relies heavily on the motion controls too, after you’ve locked onto a target using the Z button, a flick of the wrist sends you hurtling downwards to squash your foes. The larger your enemies, the more paint you require, and if you run out at any point you return to the ordinary ball of clear water you were to begin with, and are susceptible to attack. The trade off is that by storing up more paint, de blob becomes bigger and fatter, essentially sacrificing agility for strength - not always the best option.



For completionists there will be plenty to keep you going, as the game features detailed stats to make sure you painted every building, shrub and sign - not to mention the multiple decals you can collect to change your single colour paint jobs into patterned graffiti.

Although some months away from release, there were times during my play when the framerate would stutter - usually when the city vistas were in view. This could be due to the fact that the levels themselves are huge, with no loading times between one area and the next, meaning at any point you can waltz back and forward between sections you’ve unlocked at any point.

I was also shown some of the other modes that can be ‘unlocked’ during the course of the game - one being a time trial platforming race (Sizzle Race), the other being a bad guy arena where you have limited time to kill as many as possible before either dying or running away (Inky Academy). Extras like these go a long way to extending the longevity of the title.

And that’s what it comes down to with a game like this - longevity. How long can a simple mechanic keep you entertained and engaged. How can something that’s probably easy enough for non-gamers to pick up and play be rewarding for the hardcore crowd.

Honestly, I don’t know the answer to that question. All I do know is that I didn’t get bored of playing the game while I had the chance, and even as I write this preview, I’ve got that old feeling that seasoned gamers know all too well - the craving to play ‘just one more level’.

I can’t wait.