Boom Blox Bash Party for the Wii: A Review

Having basically tired of Mario Party 8, I was in the market for a new Wii game that would be fun to play as a family. After doing some searching on the internet and my favorite game site, ign.com, I decided to pick up a game called Boom Blox Bash Party. It is rated "E" for everybody, so I knew the content would be acceptable for a family game, but is this game fun?

I would say definitely. To begin with, the game excels in one-player mode. I wasn't expecting this, as online comments I read about the game seemed to indicate that the solo mode sucked and the only real reason to purchase the game was because of the multiplayer modes.

The solo mode is challenging in a myriad of ways. There are challenges that require puzzle solving, some which require speed, others patience, and even some that require an ever-so-delicate touch. Goals for the various levels include such things as: Knocking over blocks, blowing up blocks, taking apart block buildings 'Jenga' style, and painting blocks to try to match three in a row.

With each challenge you complete in a given area, a new one comes unlocked. Stuck on a particular level and just want to skip by to the next one without unlocking it? No problem. You earn "Boom Bux" during the game for almost everything you do, and if you want to unlock a level without earning it, you can just buy it pretty cheaply.

Then there are the two multiplayer modes, versus and cooperative. The versus mode has you battle against your fellow players through a series of levels, keeping track of who wins each level, the points won at each level, and the combined points of all the levels. The versus mode makes for a great party game and(other than the 'Jenga' style levels) can be played relatively quickly, unlike Mario Party 8.

The cooperative mode has you and your fellow players working together to win levels that are similar in some ways to the solo mode. This is not, however, simply solo mode with an extra controller. Cooperative mode requires players to think and work in harmony in order to get past the challenges.

Boom Blox Bash Party would be a pretty cool game if it ended there, but it also adds downloadable screens and the option to build your own levels. A short tour of the downloadable levels shows the near endless variety and replay value that they represent. Building your own level is, in my opinion, the game's ultimate challenge. Calculating the effects of different types of blocks, characters, gravity, and motion requires a lot of thought and planning.

This is definitely one of the best family and/or multiplayer games available for the Wii. I would give it an overall rating of 8.9.