EA's John Riccitiello? Nothing fazes him. The man's as cool as a cucumber. Case in point: last week, GameDaily reported that EA's Boom Blox, a game that has received universal praise from critics, has sold just 60,000 units in North America since its launch in early May -- a figure that equates to 0.6% of Wii owners. "Ouch" doesn't begin to cover it.
Yet whereas such paltry figures would have had seen most CEOs teetering on the windowsill of their eleventh story offices, Riccitiello remains confident that Boom Blox is a slow-burner. Speaking during a session with investors, the EA bigwig argued that casual games have a "much flatter, much longer [sales] curve" compared to core titles, which can see "20 to 30 per cent" of their lifetime sales take place during the first week.
"Right now, Boom Blox has met our expectations internally based on the model that was put forward," announced Riccitiello. "Can it do several hundred thousand or a million or more units? Sure, it just has to keep selling."
We just hope you're right, John, if only because Boom Blox desperately deserves to do well.
We love Sundays, as there are always new game sales to look forward to. Luckily, this week there are some sweet deals on a few Wii titles. Scouring through the ad listings at Cheap Ass Gamer, the ones we found of interest include:
Keep in mind that while Circuit City offers its deals online, Best Buy and Target's are brick and mortar only. Also, Target deals vary by region, so the ones above may or may not apply to stores near you.
Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii continue to fly the flag for the Wii in Europe, with the former appearing in every European top ten this week. Mario & Sonic also put in a characteristically strong performance, while Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (ninth in the UK) and Mario Party 8 (tenth in Holland) seem to be enjoying a second burst of shelf life after their release last year.
But heck, you can tell all that simply by inspecting the charts after the post break. What you probably won't remember is that Boom Blox launched in Europe this week, yet never threatened any of Europe's top tens/twenties/forties; looks like this Spielbergian gem has been given the same frosty reception by consumers that it experienced in the U.S. Weaksauce (as my American colleagues might say)! It's sadly ironic, really -- EA's best game for donkey's years, and it's not even charted.
Looking over this week's releases, we're fairly certain we know what most of you looking for a new experience to enjoy will be playing. Boom Blox does look very intriguing, so we're right there with you. Will it be everything it's cracked up to be? Well, those of you with the game already may feel free to let us know what you think! The rest of you who aren't going to be playing Boom Blox, tell us what you're playing!
... if you're in France. Despite much frantic hunting on the internets, we've only been able to locate this neat little piece of Boom Bloxmerchandise at a French outlet, where it's being given away to those who purchase the game early (Boom Blox launches across Europe tomorrow).
Although it lacks a ball to knock your blocks down with once you've finished building, assembling this puzzle is probably the perfect way to pass the time while your family plays on Boom Blox and you stubbornly refuse to admit that you might have been wrong. Bah. Oh, one word of advice, though: handle with care.
Gamers these days seem to be obsessed with the divide between what's "casual" and what's "hardcore." Often, software is immediately labeled for one group or the other. That's why it's nice to see games that bridge this gap, like Steven Spielberg's Boom Blox. There's nothing better than a title that everyone can enjoy. Did people enjoy it, though?
The answer to that question is a resounding yes:
1UP(100/100) loved the game so much that they gave it an A+: "Boom Blox is simply a laundry list of great features and options wrapped around an incredibly fun, expertly designed, and well-tuned puzzle game. Sure, its cute veneer won't do it any favors with the more intense console crowd, but I found it charming and refreshingly cheery. It's a casual game made for a casual crowd, but it's far and away the best one I've ever played."
IGN(81/100) enjoyed a lot of the game's features, but felt that the title's biggest strength was its addictive multiplayer: "EA has really capitalized on the Wii remote to give you pinpoint accuracy as you make throws with real, calculated velocity -- throws that interact with block formations encased in genuine physics. You will find the single-player offering robust and varied, but the multiplayer mode -- compatible for up to four gamers -- is tantamount to crack cocaine in its ability to addict. And while there are hundreds of levels to keep you busy, there's also a full-blown stage creator that works hand-in-hand with WiiConnect24."
Wired(80/100) praises the game's mass appeal: "Boom Blox does what so many Wii titles wish they could, by splitting the difference between casual players and lifelong gamers. You can pass the Wiimote to your grandma or a 5-year-old and they'll have a ball with its clever mix of brainy puzzles and satisfying explosions. But hard-core players like me will find a surprising amount of depth to the gameplay and a satisfying, addictive challenge."
Much like we were, Penny Arcade was driven into a frenzy of Blox-booming desire by the recent Boom Bloxpreview video. What sounded at first like a mildly diverting concept has become the kind of thing we'd basically want to play all the time.
Tycho's enthusiasm for Steven Spielberg's latest (thing he's attached to in some unclear way) goes beyond wanting to play the game constantly. The fictional character based on the Penny Arcade writer wants to play Boom Blox not just while the Wii's on, but the rest of the time -- and meets with a somewhat unpleasant user experience with the "tabletop version" of the game. They're called Boom Blox and not Tumble Harmlessly Blox, after all.
Wow, it seems like it was just a short while ago we were talking about Boom Bloxfor the first time. Actually, it wasn't too long ago. But, the game has come a long way since then and we know many of you are looking forward to it. As for the rest of this week's games, well, we're pretty sure that they're not going to win any popularity contests.
Well now, we know our Friday Video feature is usually for the more, uh, let's say interesting videos out there on the net, but we just couldn't pass up this pile of videos from upcoming EA title Boom Blox. They all show off the content creator at work, as well as some fruits from the labor of creation. So hit up the video above, then head past the break for loads more.
Update: Moved video to past the break. It had a nasty habit of auto-starting and we know how annoying that can be.
Are you ready for twelve minutes of Boom Blox? If not, go listen to P.O.D.'s "Boom" a couple of times to get yourself psyched up.* The above video features the first twelve minutes of (a demo version of) the Spielberg-inspired puzzle action game about knocking over piles of blocks. It's actually quite a nice way to get introduced to the game, as the beginning naturally contains the tutorial.
You'll see how to aim and toss balls using Blox's imperfect but convenient control scheme (normally, when throwing a ball, you don't get to "lock on" first, but we're happy for the help), and what the different kinds of "Blox" are and how they can be "boomed." The "Chemical Blox" certainly look like a good time -- they explode upon contact with each other. The video also features one of the multiplayer modes: a game in which each player knocks over a tower of numbered blocks, with the numbers representing point values.
Big-brother blog Joystiq's own Zack Stern got a little face time with some of the biggest games of your fanboy future at last week's Nintendo Media Summit, and mostly, the verdict is good, even in some surprising places. We've linked all of the hands-on impressions below, but will offer a quick recap here:
Rock Band for Wii is not quite a complete travesty; improvements made to the original Rock Bands are present here, and apparently, there is at least discussion of how to handle the online play/DLC problem, but whether or not that will be managed as a later add-on or reserved for a sequel was not said. But it's not all sunshine and rainbows ....
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is the opposite of Rock Band, however, in that it sounds even better than we expected. Zack spent some time in the Wii-specific multiplayer duel mode, and it sounds as though the level of depth (and sheer fun!) to be found there will make Wii owners and Star Wars fans very happy. We're looking forward to it!
BOOM BLOXmay seem like a simple game, but while we're on the subject of depth, this is another title with a lot to explore and discover, and we know a lot of you are excited about it -- so much so that you'll challenge the bloggers to steel cage matches and all. It's cool. We like to know you care.
Samba de Amigo both is and ain't the original. It looks and feels like the Dreamcast game, but Wii remotes just aren't maracas. We did get our wish, though you can use two Wiimotes instead of a Wiimote and a nunchuk if you want, to get your samba on.
Wii Fit is fun, with a lot of enjoyable mini-games, but Zack felt they might get repetitive after a while. Then again, what exercise routine doesn't? That's why they call it a routine, amirite?
Read: Joystiq hands-on with BOOM BLOX Read: Joystiq hands-on with Rock Band Wii Read: Joystiq hands-on with Samba de Amigo Read: Joystiq hands-on with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Read: Joystiq hands-on with Wii Fit
Remember how awesome it was when we found out that BOOM BLOXwas going to incorporate Johnny Chung Lee's incredible head-tracking 3D demo? There was dancing in the streets (and an extra helping of crow for the staff here).
Well, put away the maracas and forget the confetti: EA has cut the Easter egg from the title. Guess that means the device we rigged from a beer helmet, swim goggles, and an old bag of Cheetos is now completely useless, and we're denied the chance to try out the most amazing development for the Wii that we've seen -- and in a game that would have been perfect for it, too. What happened? EA is mum on the whys and wherefores, stating only that the Easter egg was never confirmed for inclusion.
[Update: EA announced the official release date at the Nintendo Media Summit: May 6th.]
Wow, those little rectangular kittens are adorable. How could you not love little fuzzy (and sharp-cornered) kittens in bows? They're just out trick-or-treating in the creepy woods. They're just so cute that we want to ... throw stuff at them. We're pretty sure that they would wobbleand fall down. Can they has stuff being thrown at them?
The latest screens of Steven Spielberg's weird Wii project also reveal that -- we think -- Boom Blox is using the "paper" look (like Paper Mario or, in a more dramatic example, Defend Your Castle) for at least one of its locations. Well, it's either supposed to look like paper or the backgrounds are just really flat.
What's a genius marketing strategy for EA's upcoming puzzle game, BOOM BLOX? Putting Steven Spielberg's name on the box, of course. Casual gamers have no doubt heard of Spielberg (he's the guy who did that jewel thief movie, right?), and will flock to this video game box that so shamelessly flaunts his name. Brilliant move, EA.
We're actually surprised that they didn't make Spielberg's name bigger. The thin white text kind of gets swallowed up in the loudness of the box. Maybe they should have put "Steven Spielberg" in big letters and "BOOM BLOX" in small text, to be safe.
The boxart is quite eye catching (although -- dare we say it -- not exactly nice looking), and will certainly help the game to rack up some big numbers. It looks like EA has already won the sales war before it even began.
Remember the ever-so-awesome Johnny Lee's experiment with head tracking? We were so wistful then, seeing what the Wii's equipment was capable of in the proper hands.
Well, as it turns out, we don't have to be wistful anymore.
In a continued effort to make us look bad, the creators of BOOM BLOX revealed yesterday at GDC that the game would incorporate some head tracking. Before you get too excited, executive producer Lou Castle told Joystiq that this would only be an "Easter egg inclusion."
This feature won't be an integral part of the game, clearly, but it's still a big step for gaming nonetheless. We're a little worried that in order to use this feature, the player must make their own LED headset -- we think most people won't bother doing that, and thus miss out on something great. Castle said that they weren't going to promote the feature, and we're assuming that it's for this reason. Whether you take advantage of the head tracking option or not, though, it's still a laudable inclusion in our eyes.
EA's John Riccitiello? Nothing fazes him. The man's as cool as a cucumber. Case in point: last week, GameDaily reported that EA's Boom Blox, a game that has received universal praise from critics, has sold just 60,000 units in North America since its launch in early May -- a figure that equates to 0.6% of Wii owners. "Ouch" doesn't begin to cover it.
Remember how awesome it was when we found out that 
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