Scribblenauts Unlimited Preview

Scribble, scribble, scribble, scribble, scribble, yeah!

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Scribblenauts titles. They're just one of those germs of an idea come to life that carves out a special niche for themselves, especially when they're done well and not a good idea with half-ass delivery. Such is the appearance of Scribblenauts Unlimited so far, and boy, does it stand out.



For anyone unfamiliar with the previous DS titles, let me share the rundown. Just about anything you can physically imagine, you can plug into the game. Add to that an adjective to modify that item, and you might not always get what you ask for, but you'll get something. It's easy enough to summon a flaming sword or a mega chainsaw, and hand them to your little buddy to give him something to hold and something to do. Or you can do what I like to do, which is create both God and Satan, and make them fight to the death. Or give a vampire a nuclear bomb and watch him use the bomb on an unsuspecting werewolf.

The Wii U's GamePad is the perfect way to bring this to the big screen. The visuals are clearly on both the TV and the pad itself, but everything from creating items and people to dancing around on stilts or jetpack are done via the touchscreen. Typing in commands is the same as any other tablet computer, so if you're even remotely familiar with typing or texting, it's a pick-up-and-play situation.



The big draw this time, however, is not even the puzzles themselves. Players can mix and match with any available item in the Scribblenauts dictionary to adjust, change, add, upload, and share with their friends. Inside of about a minute, I had changed the color and stats of a barbecue, added a zombie's arm to the side, renamed the item, and was ready for uploading. I dubbed it the "zombicue". All of it was done with such easy controls; anybody can make something pretty and send out to anybody they know.

It might not be absolutely brand new, but it is still Scribblenauts, and with the ability to create most anything, YOUR ARGUMENT IS INVALID. So keep an eye out for the finished product with the Wii U's projected launch this upcoming holiday season.