Director Steven Spielberg's 2005 deal to create original games with EA comes a step closer to bearing fruit as they unveil their upcoming Wii title, Boom Blox. While we had a general idea and were then given a name , we now get a full reveal of Spielberg's action-puzzle game a week and a half before it shows up at GDC - and for one I am relieved. When I first heard the term block puzzle tossed about, I'm sure I wasn't alone in thinking some sort of Tetris clone. As you can see from the screen there, that's happily not the case at all.

Boom Blox is a family game about building blocks - stacking them up and knocking them down, without your parents having to yell at you when they accidentally step on one of them barefoot in the middle of the night. It features kid-friendly characters and what promises to be an interesting mix of creative and problem solving gameplay, which is exactly the sort of thing parents should be playing with their children.

"I am a gamer myself, and I really wanted to create a video game that I could play with my kids," said Steven Spielberg. "BOOM BLOX features an enormous amount of fun challenges and cool scenarios for your kids to solve or for you to master together."

Boom Blox features single player, co-op, and versus modes, and you'll also be able to use the Create Mode to remix any of the game's levels using props and characters unlocked in the main game, sharing them with friends via WiiConnect24.

It certainly sounds like Spielberg and EA are delivering one hell of a lot of gaming when Boom Blox hits store shelves this May. The only question that remains now is how it plays - and we'll be sure to answer that come the February 18th start of the 2008 Game Developers Conference. For now, check out some more screenshots and concept art from the fruit of Spielberg and EA's unholy union.

EA AND STEVEN SPIELBERG REVEAL BOOM BLOX

Throw, Grab, and Blast Your Way Through the Ultimate Wii Game

Chertsey, UK, February 6, 2008 - EA has announced that BOOM BLOX™, the first game developed in collaboration between EA and director and producer Steven Spielberg, is set for a May 2008 release for Nintendo Wii™. This high-energy game features more than 300 levels, a cast of more than thirty wacky characters, and an easy-to-use in-game editor that allows players to express their creativity.

"I am a gamer myself, and I really wanted to create a video game that I could play with my kids," said Steven Spielberg. "BOOM BLOX features an enormous amount of fun challenges and cool scenarios for your kids to solve or for you to master together."

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 experience the visceral gameplay - perfectly suited for the Wii's interactive motion-sensitive controls - through brain-twisting challenges. They can interact with entertaining characters such as the block-laying chickens or baseball-throwing monkeys across four themed environments - Tiki, Medieval, Frontier, and Haunted. 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™.

"We developed BOOM BLOX with endless combinations of gameplay in mind," explains Louis Castle, executive producer. "With over three hundred levels, built upon a full real-time physics model, your experience can be as easy or difficult as you want it to be - there really is something for everyone to enjoy."

"My inspiration for this game came while I was playing the Wii for the first time," added Spielberg. "From the initial concept to what the game is today, it's always been built around the innovations the Wii brings to playing games. BOOM BLOX plays on the enjoyment of building and knocking down blocks, something that can appeal innately to kids and adults of all ages."

Developed at EA Los Angeles, BOOM BLOX has not yet been rated by the ESRB and PEGI. For more information or to download artwork, visit http://www.BOOMBLOX.ea.com.

BOOM BLOX is also in production for mobile phones and will be widely available this Spring. The mobile version puts innovative BOOM BLOX gameplay on phones everywhere — delivering engaging, fun, and groundbreaking action. For the first time in a mobile game, players will be able to create custom levels and share them with their friends directly from the phone, enjoying a rich, interactive community experience. For information regarding mobile phone carrier availability, visit http://www.eamobile.com.

Oh yeah, and it's coming to mobile phones too. Huzzah.

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