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Scribblenauts

AndrewAndrew
edited June 2009 in Video Games
Scribblenauts is a puzzle/action side scrolling game for the DS which offers a very interesting game aspect. In order to solve puzzles you have to summon objects. Here is the wikipage on the game:
A fundamental element of Scribblenauts is the ability of the player to summon a myriad of objects into the game. This is achieved by writing the name of an object on the touchscreen (or via keypad). For example, the player can write "ladder", summoning a ladder, which the player may use to climb to an out-of-reach Starite. The player may turn the ladder on its side and set it on fire. Summoned objects also range among animals, weapons, forces of nature, famous people (both fictional and real), vehicles, household objects, and even internet memes. The game includes a homonym system to offer the player possible choices between similar-sounding objects, such as distinguishing between a toy balloon and a hot-air balloon; there is also a spellchecker to provide close matches for misspelled words. The developer states that the limit to what objects may be summoned is up to the player's imagination. The player may also chain objects together, such as chaining a piece of meat to a pole and holding it while riding on a raptor.

The game is segmented by hundreds of levels, and each level has a time limit against which the player must race. The player is also sometimes limited to a certain number of objects that he or she may summon in a level, and is required to complete each level using a different tool than was previously used. A "Free play" mode is unlocked for the level after the player finds three different ways to complete the level. There are two types of levels - puzzle and action levels. Puzzle levels are everyday life situations, such as having to open a piñata, the Starite being awarded once the puzzle is solved, while action levels will appeal to gamers, featuring switches, spike traps, and other similar elements. Players are awarded "merits" for completing levels under certain requirement, such as not summoning any weapon-like object. Levels can be replayed, but players are prevented from using objects that they summoned previously in that level in order to force the player to explore more posible solutions. Scribblenauts will have a simplistic storyline, as the developers wish to focus on engaging gameplay.
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To me, this looks like THE game to get for the DS this Fall/Winter.
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Comments

  • KoholintKoholint
    This looks pretty cool if only for the free play mode. I wish they'd let you connect to your Wii and play on a big screen though, because it looks like it has a lot of potential for just a bunch of friends hanging around and throwing around ideas.
  • AprecheApreche
    The problem is that this game does have a list of things you can write. It may be a big list, and the developers may be adding more all the time. However, there is a list. That means you will be able to go on GameFAQs and get the list of everything that it is possible to type in, after someone rips and hacks the ROM. Reading that list will provide all the entertainment the game has to offer, and that's that.
  • RymRym
    Reading that list will provide all the entertainment the game has to offer, and that's that.
    Well, if it's a puzzley game, it's almost a King's Quest in real time. Figuring out what to write as you play could be fun and rewarding, and involve quite a bit of lateral thinking.

    Of course, the game would have to be very well made for this to work.
  • KieyKiey
    It is a puzzle game, but rather then explaining it again its all in the quoted part of the first post.
  • AprecheApreche
    Reading that list will provide all the entertainment the game has to offer, and that's that.
    Well, if it's a puzzley game, it's almost a King's Quest in real time. Figuring out what to write as you play could be fun and rewarding, and involve quite a bit of lateral thinking.

    Of course, the game would have to be very well made for this to work.
    My hunch is that many of the possible things you can type in will have the same, or very similar, effects. Also, with so man possibilities, the game will be less about whether you solve the puzzles or not, but how you solve them.

    If you need to knock a tree down, do you type saw? Do you type lumberjack? Do you type bomb? Do you type fire?

    These are all just educated guesses based on what I've seen and read, so I could be wrong. However, what game recently has lived up to the actual advertised potential? Didn't we do an entire episode about how games say they are going to do X, Y, and Z, but actually fall short? This game will live up to its hype just as much as Fallout 3 is an "open world" where you can "do anything".
  • AndrewAndrew
    However, what game recently has lived up to the actual advertised potential? Didn't we do an entire episode about how games say they are going to do X, Y, and Z, but actually fall short?
    Word on the street from E3 is that a lot of journalists went in trying to break it, but actually found themselves pleasantly surprised at the number of objects they could use. It seems as though pretty much anything they could think of is in it (except for licensed materials and non-E rated material). Hell, even Cthulu and Cat on a Keyboard are in it.
  • SchnevetsSchnevets
    The problem is that this game does have a list of things you can write. It may be a big list, and the developers may be adding more all the time. However, there is a list. That means you will be able to go on GameFAQs and get the list of everything that it is possible to type in, after someone rips and hacks the ROM. Reading that list will provide all the entertainment the game has to offer, and that's that.
    The entertainment may be ruined, but the challenge isn't. Pity to anyone who really thinks finding a list online and seeing what they look like in game is anywhere near as cool as brainstorming ideas.

    ...Although I also think the developers may be wasting a lot of time by programming 95% of those things (In fact, God, Kraken, and the rest of the things featured all appeared to do the same thing). Odds are the game will suffer from first person shooter weapon syndrome: it doesn't matter if you have 30 weapons to choose from, the shotgun/assault rifle you start the game with works best in most situations.
  • LyddiLyddi
    Hell, even Cthulu and Cat on a Keyboard are in it.
    What about Ceiling Cat and Hamster on a Piano?
  • AndrewAndrew
    Odds are the game will suffer from first person shooter weapon syndrome: it doesn't matter if you have 30 weapons to choose from, the shotgun/assault rifle you start the game with works best in most situations.
    The player is also sometimes limited to a certain number of objects that he or she may summon in a level, and is required to complete each level using a different tool than was previously used.
  • SailSail
    The problem is that this game does have a list of things you can write. It may be a big list, and the developers may be adding more all the time. However, there is a list. That means you will be able to go on GameFAQs and get the list of everything that it is possible to type in, after someone rips and hacks the ROM. Reading that list will provide all the entertainment the game has to offer, and that's that.
    The entertainment may be ruined, but the challenge isn't. Pity to anyone who really thinks finding a list online and seeing what they look like in game is anywhere near as cool as brainstorming ideas.
    Yeah, how is that any different from any other game? It may not be a list, but you can go on GameFAQs and break any game that you want to.
  • AprecheApreche
    Yeah, how is that any different from any other game? It may not be a list, but you can go on GameFAQs and break any game that you want to.
    Uh, precisely? It's just like every other game. Therefore, nothing special.
  • SailSail
    edited June 2009
    Yeah, how is that any different from any other game? It may not be a list, but you can go on GameFAQs and break any game that you want to.
    Uh, precisely? It's just like every other game. Therefore, nothing special.
    Then why do you play video games, again? It seems like you have the same problem with them as you do with Settlers. They can be solved and, therefore, no reason to bother with them according to The Rules of Scott Rubin. I must be misunderstanding something here.
    Post edited by Sail on
  • AprecheApreche
    Then why do you play video games, again? It seems like you have the same problem with them as you do with Settlers. They can be solved and, therefore, no reason to bother with them according to The Rules of Scott Rubin. I must be misunderstanding something here.
    And like board games, some are awesome. Hence, our continued playing of Quake and NS2 and our non-playing of Halos or WoW.
  • KoholintKoholint
    Then why do you play video games, again? It seems like you have the same problem with them as you do with Settlers. They can be solved and, therefore, no reason to bother with them according to The Rules of Scott Rubin. I must be misunderstanding something here.
    And like board games, some are awesome. Hence, our continued playing of Quake and NS2 and our non-playing of Halos or WoW.
    So this game doesn't look like fun to you at all?
  • AprecheApreche
    So this game doesn't look like fun to you at all?
    I suspect it will be amusing for a short period of time, and have very low replay value once the interesting possibilities are exhausted.
  • Kate MonsterKate Monster
    Then why do you play video games, again? It seems like you have the same problem with them as you do with Settlers. They can be solved and, therefore, no reason to bother with them according to The Rules of Scott Rubin. I must be misunderstanding something here.
    And like board games, some are awesome. Hence, our continued playing of Quake and NS2 and our non-playing of Halos or WoW.
    So this game doesn't look like fun to you at all?
    If you are looking for the Scott stamp of approval for anything, you will have to wait a long, long time and then he may rescind it at any later point in time.
  • VentureJVentureJ
    edited June 2009
    http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/05/scribblenauts-passes-our-ten-word-challenge-with-flying-colors/
    http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/16/5th-cell-had-five-people-research-words-for-six-months-for-scrib/

    They chose some pretty obscure words. This is quite interesting, I have to say. It would probably take a while for people to compose a giant list of all of the words included in the game. Either way, this list may be so large (the video stated that there are tens of thousands of usable words, each with their own function), it might not be a good replacement to playing the actual game.

    The inclusion of a level editor and level sharing was an excellent idea, and will surely boost the replayability. I can't wait.
    Post edited by VentureJ on
  • AndrewAndrew
    Hey guys! The GameFAQ for Scribblenauts has already been written. Enjoy!
    image
  • VentureJVentureJ
    Hey guys! The GameFAQ for Scribblenauts has already been written. Enjoy!
    Well done, mate. Well done.
  • thaneofcawdorthaneofcawdor
    Hey guys! The GameFAQ for Scribblenauts has already been written. Enjoy!
    image
  • VentureJVentureJ
    So! Scribblenauts is coming out soon...

    Who pre-ordered this game to pick up the awesome hat?
  • RochelleRochelle
    So! Scribblenauts is coming out soon...Who pre-ordered this game to pick up the awesome hat?
    Me! I need to find my case of older DS games to trade in. They are somewhere in the apartment, I hope. -_-
  • DkongDkong
    edited September 2009
    I'm probably not gonna buy it, but I'm probably gonna pirate it. I'm pretty pumped for this game (but I have a ton of games to play and less free time until school starts). Either that or I'll trade my Knights in Nightmare in cause I haven't even opened it yet and I'll just pirate that. If I do that I'd buy Scribblenauts.
    Post edited by Dkong on
  • ChurbaChurba
    edited September 2009
    First, I summoned Cthulhu. Then, I summoned Death to deal with Cthulhu. Then, I summoned God to deal with Death. Then, after God Killed Death, I picked up Death's scythe, and Killed God.

    Holy shit, scribblenauts is the only thing known to man that is badder than the power glove.
    Post edited by Churba on
  • NukerjsrNukerjsr
    ALL WORDS THAT WORK WITH SCRIBBLENAUTS:

    WORDS
  • WalkerWalker
    That's pretty great. I'd be interested what uses things like atheist (what happens when you put it in a room with god?), database user, fetus, nether world, and epic fail have.
  • thaneofcawdorthaneofcawdor
    edited September 2009
    That's pretty great. I'd be interested what uses things like atheist (what happens when you put it in a room with god?), database user, fetus, nether world, and epic fail have.
    Spoilers:
    Atheist v. God: Atheist runs screaming (wouldn't you?)
    Database user: nothing
    Fetus: a babby is formed
    Nether world: some kind of creepy dungeon building
    Epic fail: a nuke
    Post edited by thaneofcawdor on
  • JasonJason
    Two games come out Tuesday, and I need to pick one. On the one hand there is Scribblenauts, which would be portable. But DS content as late seems lackluster and short-lived for the price point. On the other hand is Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, and I loves me some underwear perverts. This game lets you play out the Civil War storyline. It would be longer, more in-depth, and prettier -- but it's not portable, and would leave me sitting in my basement man-cave den even longer than normal.

    I sit clutching $30 in my white-knuckled fist. HELP ME DECIDE HOW TO SPEND IT, OH DENIZENS OF YON FORUM!
  • ChurbaChurba
    Two games come out Tuesday, and I need to pick one. On the one hand there is Scribblenauts, which would be portable. But DS content as late seems lackluster and short-lived for the price point. On the other hand is Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, and I loves me some underwear perverts. This game lets you play out the Civil War storyline. It would be longer, more in-depth, and prettier -- but it's not portable, and would leave me sitting in my basement man-cave den even longer than normal.

    I sit clutching $30 in my white-knuckled fist. HELP ME DECIDE HOW TO SPEND IT, OH DENIZENS OF YON FORUM!
    Scribblenauts.
  • Li_AkahiLi_Akahi
    edited September 2009
    I sit clutching $30 in my white-knuckled fist. HELP ME DECIDE HOW TO SPEND IT, OH DENIZENS OF YON FORUM!
    Rick Astley is in Scribblenauts. As much as I want Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, Scribblenauts wins just for the theoretical hilarity factor.
    Post edited by Li_Akahi on
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