So the story goes that Steven Spielberg (who EA is still insisting has some part in the series) rushed into the Boom Blox developer's offices after the original game went gold. He came full of new ideas and ways to take Boom Blox even further; things that he apparently didn't think of until after the game was sent to presses. These concepts focused on a number of things, including better multiplayer, more ways to take advantage of the system's unique capabilities, and ideas of how to expand on the Boom Blox experience. Since they weren’t able to incorporate the Jaws creator’s new ideas into the original, they immediately began implementing them into a sequel, and Boom Blox Bash Party was born.

At a recent EA event I was able to get my hands on the game, giving the new mechanics a whirl for the first time. The most noticeable upgrade comes right away in the form of a graphical boost. Everything looks sleeker, and it's obvious the time between the first and second has unlocked more of the Wii's processing capabilities, allowing for a better looking game. The cardboard cut-out backgrounds of the original are replaced with fully rendered 3D objects, and the game, on the whole, looks more polished. Learning how to manage the Wii's innards also earned them the ability to tweak the gravity, adding underwater and outer space levels. These new level types, as well as ones sporting more traditional gravity, flesh out the game's 400+ levels, none of which are repeated from the original. EA's making sure to overload Bash Party with content, as to assure no one comes back and complains about the price tag this time around.



I took the Wiimote and immediate dove underwater, dying to see what the deep sea could add to the Boom Blox formula. In the middle of the level, piles of bricks covered point blocks. I was told that my job was to throw them to the surface, where I would be rewarded points. If they were to fall to the sea floor, however, they would be lost. It seemed to be an easy enough task and I began picking up objects and tossing them around, enjoying the realistic physics of the deep sea. After a few moments I realized this job was a little more difficult than I had originally thought, and a squid popped up from beneath the sands and began swinging its suctiony tentacles around. Enemies never made their way into the original Boom Blox, and their presence adds a new element to the gameplay. At this time I could either take my chances shaking the squid into submission or attempt to quickly grab as many points as possible before they're smashed away. I tried to do both, and only managed to escape with half of the possible points, earning myself a silver medal. At the top of the screen an indicator flashed, and I was rewarded with the game's currency: Boom Bux. These can be spent to unlock stuff in the final version, and give incentive to go for the gold medal in each level. It was explained that there's a much bigger gap between the bronze and gold in Bash Party, and that casual players should easily be able to unlock the lowest reward, while it takes much more to acquire the highest prizes.

Next, I moved a few hundred thousand feet upwards and attempted an outer space level. There, I was given bombs to blow apart floating rocks in order to smash points past a grid, a feat that played out like a fully 3D version of billiards. Explosions sent debris flying in every direction, exactly like my uninformed, science fiction movie mind imagined they would. I repeated this level several times to soak it all in, enjoying the new gravity as much as I could in my short time with the game. Besides the new gravity, other levels give access to new tools and block types. I was able to play around with virus blocks, which spread their status to adjacent squares when hit, and the slingshot tool, which turns any object into a projectile. These don't seem to add as much to the formula as the new gravity, but definitely give more gameplay opportunities than the original.



Other enhancements I was told about but couldn't see. It has been said that the level creation has been bumped up quite a bit, and will take advantage of the Wii's online functionality - something that wasn't really finished at the time the original game shipped. Players should expect an experience more akin to LittleBigPlanet's, allowing for simple uploads and downloads of user content, as well as the option to search by the type, most popular, and newest. All of the game's blocks, tools, and units are available, as well as the other gravity settings. Multiplayer has also been improved quite a bit, and there will be much more of a focus put on creating an even more entertaining party experience. They aren't calling it Bash Party for nothing.

It might sound like I’m simply repeating the game’s press releases, but that’s because everything in Boom Blox Bash Party is exactly what it sounds like. The underwater levels are Boom Blox underwater; the outer space levels are Boom Blox in outer space; and the new tools function exactly as they sound like they should. If the original Boom Blox caused a pulsating pain in your arm, this one looks to render them irreparably damaged, and I couldn't be more excited.

Bash Party is due out this summer, so be sure to check back for more information as the release approaches.