When EA announced that they are going to collaborate with famous director Steven Spielberg, the news sounded like a breath of fresh air given that EA’s recent games such as NFS Pro Street failed to meet up to expectations. The same was true when comparing FIFA 08 and Medal of Honor to PES 2008 and Call of Duty 4.

Spielberg’s collaboration heralded something different and it does appear as though working with EA has been successful. The first game to emerge from this cooperation is Boom Blox, an impressive puzzle game which will be released on May 9th.

The premise of the game is rather simple with the player having to destroy various structures made of blocks in the fewest possible moves. All structures are connected so you have to think carefully before making a move in order to knock the right block. Do it right and you should make others fall as well.

Sounds pretty much like playing with dominoes and the game also has an editor mode where you can build your own structures to share with friends. According to 1UP, it also has a multiplayer mode.

The multiplayer modes look to be remarkably addictive and accessible…and the promise of user-created multiplayer levels opens the door for infinite replayability.

Enjoy the trailer.

Until some of the most anticipated games such as Star Wars Unleashed are released then other games such as Endless Ocean might fill the time. The diving simulator was released last year and while it might not sound interesting enough to play, reviews from gamers proved the opposite.

If you’ve ever wondered what lies below the ocean, or are anyway already interested, then this game offers an opportunity to explore an underwater environment. The game starts in a diving boat with an instructor indicating on a map where you have to dive and what’s your primary mission. After everything is clear you take all the necessary tools such as camera, fish bait and dive to explore the ocean.

The game revolves around completing different missions such as finding and photographing a lost marine or taking a photo of a giant fish. After the mission you return to the diving boat where you can access a log where recently discovered fishes can be added to your aquarium for a closer look. Even without the missions there would be plenty of things to see and discover.

Thanks to the developers, the game looks so natural and you can really sense what underwater life might be like. Plus, motion-sensitive controllers make the experience even more interesting. There is also a multiplayer mode which allows you dive with a friend. One players who has already played Endless Ocean posts his own opinion of the game at Ramblings of an Aspiring Writer.

The best thing I like about this game is just how peaceful and relaxing it is. You’re floating, drifting down under the surface, going where you want at whatever speed you wish. Simply sitting there watching the fish swim around can be fascinating. You have an HOUR real time of spending underwater per dive. It’s just.. serene. I like the fact that there are no real time restraints. No pressure.

[…]

One thing I will caution people with is.. frankly, how realistic it can be. There is one area that you can go to pretty early in the game called “Deep Valley”. It’s literally a crack in the sea floor. The first time I approached it was like the first time I approached the windows at the top of the Sears Tower. Swimming out over it made me feel like I’d just had the floor disappear out from under my feet.

Enjoy the trailer.

Considered by many to be one of the best games of all times, Final Fantasy is coming to Nintendo Wii.

The Final Fantasy series of games have been released on various platforms, but Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers will only be released for Nintendo Wii and is currently being developed by Square Enix. The game was announced in 2006, but appears to have experienced some problems along the way and the release date has changed several times times.

Anyway, whenever it is released, The Crystal Bearers is an action role-playing game and according to IGN, will feature WiFi components. Final Fantasy games are among the most popular for for Xbox and PlayStation gamers in Japan and the same will probably be true for Wii owners as well.

It will be interesting to see if support for motion-sensitive controllers will add a more immersive approach to gameplay. Talking of which, The Crystal Bearers will be directed towards single players, but will have a multiplayer mode as well. Players will be able to use crafted items and accessories in multiplayer mode which will be shown visually on the characters.

For now, we know that an exiting game is coming, but unfortunately the release date remains unannounced. It’s also worths mentioning that 1UP considers this game among its Top 10 upcoming games of 2008.

Enjoy the trailer.

Photo: © patrick409

There are many games on the Nintendo Wii where motion-sensitive controllers show their full potential. One such games is the upcoming Star Wars Unleashed, but another Lost Winds which should be released in the near future. From the looks of things, the game should be pretty cool as well.

Mainly, this is because its gameplay is impressive and innovative. Controlling a small character who can’t jump or climb very high, developers have instead made movement reliant on the wind. Using the controllers, players can “drawing” wind patterns which move the character along instead. Incidentally, the main character is called Toku while the wind is Enril.

Anyway, Lost Winds doesn’t just consist only of guiding Toku with the help of Enril. As ComputerAndVideoGames reports, they also have to cooperate with each other in order to defeat enemies and stay alive.

So the player has to think how to use the two characters cooperatively, they need each other to progress through the world on their adventure.

That’s provided us with lots of new mechanics to play with, from ways to get around (using Enril’s powers to waft Toku through the air, of course), ways to combine natural elements of the world such as blowing flames onto obstacles or enemies water onto soil to grow various seeds that Toku and Enril can use, and of course cool new ways to overcome enemies.

Everything happens in an attractive world which seems an ideal game for children. There is no violence and no blood, but rather an interesting challenge to tactfully control Toku with the wind. Lost Winds should be launched on May 12th.

Enjoy the video.

Photo: © rooreynolds