Kotaku: Jenga

First Round of Penny Arcade Omegathon is Jenga

Mark Wilson — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:20:44 MDT

Penny Arcade has retracted statements that the PAX ubergame battle royal, the Omegathon, would start with a round of Pac-Man. What will we see instead? Jenga. "Not the new Wii version of Jenga but actual wood blocks on a table Jenga." It's also better known as the Jenga with the pieces on which you can write naughty commands, like "run around in your underwear" and "take a shot from between two manboobs covered in Mario tattoos." And that worries me at a hardcore gaming fest like PAX.

For those who have just lost hours and hours practicing your Pac-Man, take solace knowing Pac-Man is a timeless classic and your time was well spent and at least you weren't practicing Jenga Wii.
Omegathon News [pennyarcade]

Jenga Wii Hands On

Mike Fahey — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:30:50 MDT

"So you guys going to make fun of Jenga anymore?" This is the first question asked as I was stood in front of a flat screen monitor, handed a Wiimote nunchuck combo and given a chance to give the Wii version of Atari's virtual version of the party game where everyone gets wood. "That wasn't me!" I reply defensively. See, now this is me making fun of Jenga. It's a sound game concept to be sure, and the Wii is the perfect place for such a party game, save one - actual physical real-life space. While I've never thought I would use the words Jenga and fun in the same sentence (except perhaps to say so), playing the actual physical game of Jenga is much more fun than this game is going to turn out, bells and whistles included.

Building blocks are the building blocks of Jenga, and those building blocks are represented here in all their digital splendor. I'd say the one advantage the video game has over the actual game is the you don't have to spend the time putting it all back together afterwards. Other than that, not so good. Basically you are given a virtual representation of a Jenga tower, and you and several friends can take turns pulling bricks from the stack and placing them at the top of the structure, until it becomes structurally unsound and topples to the ground. This requires great precision. The Wiimote does not deliver this.

The game utilizes my least favorite Wiimote motion, which is pulling back. Pulling back with the controller feels unnatural, is uncomfortable, and pretty much guarantees you can't play the game sitting down against something.

While the developers have really tried hard to mix up the Jenga formula, all the innovative environments, level hazards, and physics changing block materials like ice won't change the fact that pulling blocks from a virtual tower is something that was only fun in late 80's movies depicting cyberspace. The devs did include a variety of mini-games that have nothing to do with Jenga whatsoever, which suggests to me that maybe they too realized that virtual Jenga just isn't fun.

Jenga! Confirmed For Wii And DS

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 16:40:36 MDT

That Jenga retailer listing uncovered by a NeoGAFer a few weeks back has now been confirmed by Atari, as the company has announced that the block tower building game is coming to the Wii and Nintendo DS. Wii-remote and nunchuk controls for the console version and careful stylus touchscreen controls for the handheld will simulate the excitement of removing single wooden blocks from a stack of lots of wooden blocks when the games are released this November. Press release, in which everyone is "thrilled" and "pleased" about the whole thing follows.

Atari Announces Jenga

Edge-of-your-seat Video Gaming Fun

LYON, FRANCE - 6 July 2007 - Atari today announced that it will publish Jenga, based on the world famous wooden block tower building game. Designed to make the most of the innovative control systems on Wii and DS, the game will offer unpredictable, quick-paced, tactical play that combines suspense and risk-taking, where mounting anticipation comes to a crashing climax. Licensed by Pokonobe Associates and developed by Atomic Planet, Jenga for the Nintendo DS and Wii will ship in November 2007.

"Fans of the Jenga family of games will fall in love with this exciting brand all over again," said Jeremiah Cohn, senior product manager, Atari, Inc. "We are thrilled to deliver this timeless and renowned game with new variations and surprises for the Nintendo DS and Wii."

"We are very pleased that Atari is now bringing Jenga's universal entertainment appeal to video gamers worldwide," added Paul Eveloff of Pokonobe Associates. "This new platform will extend the opportunity to play Jenga to video gamers and generate exceptional new play experiences. Atari's Jenga for the Nintendo DS and Wii takes the Edge-of-Your-Seat Fun and party game style brilliantly to video game players of all skill levels!"

Players of the Wii version can get physical with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers as they battle to keep the Jenga tower from falling, while on the DS the touch screen provides equally intuitive control of the fast-paced action. Players will experience sophisticated physics, and a multitude of game-play options (single and multiplayer). The game will contain all the fun, intensity and challenge of the original boxed game with a wealth of exciting new enhancements, power-ups and twists that are possible only in the videogame world. Simple to learn and fun to play, Jenga promises great entertainment for all ages.

For more information on Atari and its entire product line-up please visit www.atari.com.

The licensor, Pokonobe Associates, is exclusively represented for interactive gaming by Dimensional Branding Group and the leading interactive representation firm Fog Studios.

About Infogrames Entertainment and Atari:

Infogrames Entertainment (IESA), the parent company of the Atari Group, is listed on the Paris Euronext stock exchange (ISIN code: FR-0000052573) and has two principal subsidiaries: Atari Europe, a privately-held company, and Atari, Inc., a United States corporation listed on NASDAQ (ATAR).

The Atari Group is a major international producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software for all market segments and in all existing game formats (Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony) and on CD-ROM for PC. Its games are sold in more than 60 countries.

The Atari Group's extensive catalogue of popular games is based on original franchises (Alone in the Dark, V-Rally, Test Drive, Roller Coaster Tycoon, etc.) and international licenses (Dragon Ball Z, Dungeons and Dragons, etc.).

For more information: http://www.atari.com

About Atomic Planet

Atomic Planet Entertainment Ltd. (APE) is a video game development studio, based in the North East of England, which was formed in August 2000 by industry veterans Darren and Jason Falcus, both have been developing published games for over 23 years.

About FOG Studios

FOG Studios has been responsible for the creation of over $3 Billion dollars of revenues for its clients and customers via the placement of over 5,600 interactive titles into the international marketplace since 1979. The world's first and most successful interactive representation agency, FOG exclusively represents independent videogame development studios, brands and intellectual property owners, and service providers to the interactive entertainment industry from around the world. FOG creates opportunity for its exclusive list of clients on all platforms from cellular phones to next generation console games by packaging intellectual property rights with the developers and resources necessary to bring them to market, helping publishers and other potential distributors of the products to make fully informed decisions expeditiously and with confidence based on the longstanding proven track record of success FOG has uniquely achieved. Noteworthy gaming franchises created in FOG's history include but are not limited to; ESPN, Command and Conquer, Test Drive, Kings Quest, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Castlevania and Warlords. FOG has placed titles with all of the Top 10 publishers and countless other smaller publishers as well. FOG's roster of over 550 clients have included, among others: United Media, BMI, Ubisoft, Atari, Sierra, Westwood Studios, Sega, Paramount, Viacom, Robert Maxwell, Koei, FROM Software, Platinum Studios, ESPN, CBS Sportsline, the US Army Rangers, the Foreign Legion, Jenga, Arthur C. Clark, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, The Three Stooges (Estate), Paramount, Warner Brothers, Wham-O, Marvel, America On-Line, Yahoo, Ebay, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Baily Circus, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.