E3: Best in Show- de Blob (Wii)

For Best in Show, Tech-Gaming is highlighting all the outstanding games shown at E3, 2008. For us, these are the must-play titles, that we had a hands-on experience with, at the show.

Everyone once in a while, a game will be developed that does
one, simple thing amazingly well. Katamari Damacy is the textbook example of
that theory, taking the idea of rolling objects into a ball of ever-increasing
size. Although the main idea was simple, is execution was amazing; it’s one the
few PS2 games that still receives a frequent play in our office.

Expect de Blob to receive many comparisons to Namco’s
revered title. The main character rolls through a cityscape, leaving a colorful
trail of paint behind. Coming into contact with plain, white buildings instantly
paints them with a vibrant, colorful texture. As the blob rolls, it also leaves
behind a permanent splatter trail of paint.

Players maneuver ‘de Blob’ with the nunchuck’s control
stick, and swing the Wiimote down to initiate a jump. Additionally, gamers can
easily lock onto objects with the “Z” button. While the control (especially
during jumps) isn’t quite perfect, it does reach a level of intuitiveness that
lets the player become fully immersed in the game. Additionally, a perfectly
fluid framerate adds to both the beauty, and playability of the title. 

THQ reps stressed that the title isn’t just about the
destruction of the environment; that smaller creatures need to be saved, too.
While saving these little beings rewarded the player, painting buildings was
addictive; for us, this was one of the hardest titles stop playing at E3. We
can’t wait until September 19^th, the expected release date, to continue the story mode and enjoy some free play and multiplayer blobbing. Meanwhile, skeptics can try a demo of the PC version here.