A game with some much needed firm handling. People seem to either think it's the best game on the planet, a good game, or bad because of all the hype and them being nitpicky over minor issues.
So, Scribblenauts, outside of Bowser's Inside Story and Pokemon, was the biggest DS release this summer, maybe of the whole year. It gammered more hype than most games, and for a good reason. The game toted a gigantic library of words to use to create objects. It was and still is an innovative concept. So, did the game really pull it off? In short, yes, for the most part.
The aforementioned premise of Scribblenauts is to write anything, solve everything. You can write most anything that isn't inappropriate or a proper noun, but you'll find not every object is useful. After a few levels of gameplay and experimenting, you'll find a short list of objects to use and no real purpose to most. Need to beat some baddies? Who else would you send except God himself? Need to get up a ledge? Use the Wings or a Jetpack. There's other methods for dispatching with enemies or moving around, but they're impractical. Why send out a soldier or a knight when God can just smite the baddies? Still, you'll find that some scenarios won't always use your short list and you have to really get creative. There is, however, lots of items that are just novelties, fluff, and flair.
The main issue with Scribblenauts is controls. The entire game is controlled via the touchscreen. Typing in words, moving Maxwell, manipulating objects, etc. This makes typing words easy and, for the most part, moving objects. Still, Maxwell's movement is bad. He'll run to wherever you touch on screen, even if it's impossible to reach or if it's a giant pit of lava. On top of that, it's hard for Maxwell to distinguish between things like jumping and flying. In some levels that require precision movement, it'll definitely make you grit your teeth. In addition, there's a few issues you'll have with attatching objects and making objects interact. In tight spaces, chaining a chain or rope to something can be hard to do, and some objects are just clumsy.
The other problem Scribblenauts has is its jerky physics. Nothing seems right here. Ice can be heavier than stone, attatching a small chain to a gigantic rock will cause the rock to go flailing like a schizophrenia patient, and more. This can be a huge nuisance on levels that require some nice weight and counter weight and other things.
Graphics and audio wise, Scribblenauts isn't any piece of art, but it's not an eye/earsore either. Music is bright and cheery, item sounds are good. Don't expect any grand ballads or voice over work, although with a game like this you wouldn't really think of having this. The graphics are kind of like cut-out paper pieced together. They can be a little pixely at times, but it's not fugly by any means.
Despite all these shortcomings, Scribblenauts still has an impressive arsenal of gameplay. Some levels may be simple at times, while others bring out the deepest parts of your imagination. While the whole "write anything" niche might not be as expansive as imagined (although it's still quite expansive), it still adds a unique element that you won't find anywhere else.
Presentation: Write anything, solve everything is pulled off pretty well. A lot of items are just novelties, but it's nice to have them. A more expansive and more balanced list would've been better. 8/10
Graphics: Cut-out paper graphics are goofy, bright, and cheery. Models look pretty nice. However, with lots of objects on-screen, you get some noticeable lag. 8/10
Sound: Bright, cheery, something you'd expect from a game like this. Nothing impressive. Grunts and sound effects are generic and nothing too special. 7/10
Gameplay: A truly unique experience. While the whole "write anything, solve everything" concept isn't as huge as you'd think, it's still a very well done and very welcomed element to the puzzle-platforming genre. Still, bad controls and blundered physics make things a lot harder.
Lasting Appeal: Tons of worlds and levels, not to mention a Level Editor to goof around with. The game also makes a great sandbox for just trying out random ideas and playing in general. It'll definitely last you a long time and it doesn't get old quickly. 9/10
Overall: 8/10
So, Scribblenauts, outside of Bowser's Inside Story and Pokemon, was the biggest DS release this summer, maybe of the whole year. It gammered more hype than most games, and for a good reason. The game toted a gigantic library of words to use to create objects. It was and still is an innovative concept. So, did the game really pull it off? In short, yes, for the most part.
The aforementioned premise of Scribblenauts is to write anything, solve everything. You can write most anything that isn't inappropriate or a proper noun, but you'll find not every object is useful. After a few levels of gameplay and experimenting, you'll find a short list of objects to use and no real purpose to most. Need to beat some baddies? Who else would you send except God himself? Need to get up a ledge? Use the Wings or a Jetpack. There's other methods for dispatching with enemies or moving around, but they're impractical. Why send out a soldier or a knight when God can just smite the baddies? Still, you'll find that some scenarios won't always use your short list and you have to really get creative. There is, however, lots of items that are just novelties, fluff, and flair.
The main issue with Scribblenauts is controls. The entire game is controlled via the touchscreen. Typing in words, moving Maxwell, manipulating objects, etc. This makes typing words easy and, for the most part, moving objects. Still, Maxwell's movement is bad. He'll run to wherever you touch on screen, even if it's impossible to reach or if it's a giant pit of lava. On top of that, it's hard for Maxwell to distinguish between things like jumping and flying. In some levels that require precision movement, it'll definitely make you grit your teeth. In addition, there's a few issues you'll have with attatching objects and making objects interact. In tight spaces, chaining a chain or rope to something can be hard to do, and some objects are just clumsy.
The other problem Scribblenauts has is its jerky physics. Nothing seems right here. Ice can be heavier than stone, attatching a small chain to a gigantic rock will cause the rock to go flailing like a schizophrenia patient, and more. This can be a huge nuisance on levels that require some nice weight and counter weight and other things.
Graphics and audio wise, Scribblenauts isn't any piece of art, but it's not an eye/earsore either. Music is bright and cheery, item sounds are good. Don't expect any grand ballads or voice over work, although with a game like this you wouldn't really think of having this. The graphics are kind of like cut-out paper pieced together. They can be a little pixely at times, but it's not fugly by any means.
Despite all these shortcomings, Scribblenauts still has an impressive arsenal of gameplay. Some levels may be simple at times, while others bring out the deepest parts of your imagination. While the whole "write anything" niche might not be as expansive as imagined (although it's still quite expansive), it still adds a unique element that you won't find anywhere else.
Presentation: Write anything, solve everything is pulled off pretty well. A lot of items are just novelties, but it's nice to have them. A more expansive and more balanced list would've been better. 8/10
Graphics: Cut-out paper graphics are goofy, bright, and cheery. Models look pretty nice. However, with lots of objects on-screen, you get some noticeable lag. 8/10
Sound: Bright, cheery, something you'd expect from a game like this. Nothing impressive. Grunts and sound effects are generic and nothing too special. 7/10
Gameplay: A truly unique experience. While the whole "write anything, solve everything" concept isn't as huge as you'd think, it's still a very well done and very welcomed element to the puzzle-platforming genre. Still, bad controls and blundered physics make things a lot harder.
Lasting Appeal: Tons of worlds and levels, not to mention a Level Editor to goof around with. The game also makes a great sandbox for just trying out random ideas and playing in general. It'll definitely last you a long time and it doesn't get old quickly. 9/10
Overall: 8/10
