Last week I finally bought my first EA game for the Wii, Boom Blox. And i must admit that I am truly enjoying it.
After one and a half years of uninspired shovelware, EA is finally being forced to play Nintendo's game if it wants to remain one of the biggest publishers in the industry. Up to now, EA just did not understand how to do this and has failed miserably in appealing to Wii gamers. But with Boom Blox, EA has been forced to think out of the box to appeal to a much wider demographic than it has had to in the past. Though this game may not sell like a Nintendo game, EA has proved to me that they are at least wiling to try something different, be it thanks to Mr. Spielberg.
I am very curious to see how they progress from here. Early IGN previews of Skate It suggest that EA is making good progress in using the unique features of the Wii and DS. But will EA be able to constantly reinvent itself by repeatedly delivering new gaming experiences?. This is a company that makes most of it revenue from graphically upgraded iterations of previously released games.
Love Nintendo or hate Nintendo, in the last few years they have totally reinvented the gaming experience and many in the industry have been caught off guard. Not only are publishers forced to be innovative with every game in order to stand out on the Wii with its large user base, but soon gamers on the PS3 and X360 will be demanding similar levels of innovation in games aimed at the hardcore audience. I think the quality of gaming is going to peak over the next few years, (though sadly, so will the amount of shovelware) and I for one can't wait to see what's in store for us.
Member of the Pikmin Fan Club
