Scribblenauts - New Concept on Interaction - From Drawn To Life Devs

I like the ability to mess around with summoning stuff, but the ACTUAL game they threw in bores me. There's no real room to play around, you can only have a limited number of items at a time, and I hate the camera constantly auto-focusing on the hero when I'm trying to do stuff.

Handwriting recognition is terrible, there are NO numbers to either type or write, and sometimes it gives me the wrong item. I summon a wooden plank to cover some spikes. It's destroyed the second it hits the spikes. So I try a metal plank, and it gives me another wooden plank.

It's yet another DS title that promised a lot but in the end I still consider selling my DS Lite.
 
[quote name='icedrake523']Because you're holding the stylus in one hand and the DS in the other. They had both control the camera to accommodate righties and lefties.

What they should have done was you have to tap Maxwell or an AI to control it and move it with the D-Pad or ABXY buttons. Then press L or R to go back to controlling the camera and move items around.[/QUOTE]

L and R rotate items however... so thats not an option.
 
Wow, interesting to read the mixed opinions on the game. Sounds like the actual game isn't too good, but it's cool to mess around with.
 
[quote name='keithp']Wow, interesting to read the mixed opinions on the game. Sounds like the actual game isn't too good, but it's cool to mess around with.[/QUOTE]

aka
It's a pretty good game if you can get it for $20 and lower.
 
[quote name='Snake2715']L and R rotate items however... so thats not an option.[/QUOTE]

Then you could rotate it by holding the stylus on the object and pressing L or R.


[quote name='keithp']Wow, interesting to read the mixed opinions on the game. Sounds like the actual game isn't too good, but it's cool to mess around with.[/QUOTE]

The worst part is the controls but they are not bad enough to make you stop playing.


[quote name='Diosoth']I like the ability to mess around with summoning stuff, but the ACTUAL game they threw in bores me. There's no real room to play around, you can only have a limited number of items at a time, and I hate the camera constantly auto-focusing on the hero when I'm trying to do stuff.

Handwriting recognition is terrible, there are NO numbers to either type or write, and sometimes it gives me the wrong item. I summon a wooden plank to cover some spikes. It's destroyed the second it hits the spikes. So I try a metal plank, and it gives me another wooden plank.

It's yet another DS title that promised a lot but in the end I still consider selling my DS Lite.[/QUOTE]

There is room to play around. The title screen lets you do anything and you can screw around in the levels, too.

For numbers, you type out "one" or "two."

For your plank situation, you have to keep trying different things.

Handwriting recognition is poor but that's why they have the QWERTY keyboard.
 
Scribblenauts is a good game, and in fact the most charming and entertaining one I've seen in a while. I wouldn't exactly call it "game of the year", and it does certainly have some faults (such as hand recognition), but it's a solid game otherwise.

Ultimately, the enjoyment really depends on how creative and willing you are to try to stretch this game to its limits. I know this sounds cliche, but ultimately the real limit is your imagination and your enjoyment will depend on the depth of your imagination. If you don't have a bit of creativity, you're going to have a difficult time enjoying this title. Half of the fun is trying some crazy solutions to a puzzle, especially when you're trying to go for bonuses on levels (not using prior items).

I don't see myself playing this for long extended sessions, but will be nice to have something to play for 10-15 minutes before I go to bed for the next few months. Definitely worth it for me.
 
Well, I don't know what game you guys are playing but it seems like I'll have to get a second copy (at full price) rather than wait for it to be cheap if I ever want to play. There are only 2 save slots and my boys are using those. My daughter wants to play as well and of course I'd like to give it a shot. So I guess I'll have to spring for a second cart!

By the way, here's my 22-month old wearing the hat:
 
I'm definetly finding this to be an addictive game, though I keep getting frustrated when I come up with something I think is a great solution, then due to game physics or limitations, it goes all pear shaped. For example,
On the very first level, where you have to give proper tools to some of the people, I gave the cop a pair of handcuffs, and the chef a spoon. Didn't work. I swapped out the handcuffs for a gun, and there's my star.

On the level where the star is dangling over the water from the rickity plank, I tried hooking up a crane truck to the plank to pull it up so I could grab the star, except I couldn't get the crane to lift up until I removed the chain that it spawned with in the first place. I ended up just dropping a toaster in the water to kill the fish and jumped in after the star.

That's just a couple of small examples. I love trying to figure these out, but sometimes it just feels like I'm out thinking the game engine. Anyone else have good stories of epic plans gone wrong?
 
[quote name='BlueWingX'] I love trying to figure these out, but sometimes it just feels like I'm out thinking the game engine.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, that's what I'm finding. In that first level, giving the cop a badge didn't work either.
 
It's for sure a fun game if you keep your expectations in check. I think it's a good starting point for something really, really awesome on down the line. No one has ever tried to do something like this in a game, and especially on the limited hardware/storage space. A couple iterations later and on better hardware, scribblenauts could be really, really incredible.

As for now it's a great DS game that probably was overhyped. It's still absolutely worth playing.
 
[quote name='BlueLobstah']Half of the fun is trying some crazy solutions to a puzzle, especially when you're trying to go for bonuses on levels (not using prior items).

I don't see myself playing this for long extended sessions, but will be nice to have something to play for 10-15 minutes before I go to bed for the next few months. Definitely worth it for me.[/QUOTE]

I'm with you, BlueLobstah. I'm trying to stretch my enjoyment of the game by replaying all the puzzles in the "advanced" mode, I think it was called. Can be quite tricky. I keep trying all kinds of crazy items, just seeing what they do, trying to unlock more and more merits.

I too haven't played this game all that long during each sitting, perhaps half an hour to an hour. It just doesn't play like that. Besides, my imagination needs refreshing sometimes. :D
 
I pretty much agree with the Kotaku review of the game. It's great fun, despite some issues.

If you have kids, this game is worth 2 or 3 times the price just to see their imaginations at work. My youngest son asked me how to spell "chocolate" and "dynamite" on the same level. I don't know if his solution worked or not, but it's truly amazing to see them trying to be creative to solve the puzzles.
 
[quote name='BlueWingX'] For example,
On the very first level, where you have to give proper tools to some of the people, I gave the cop a pair of handcuffs, and the chef a spoon. Didn't work. I swapped out the handcuffs for a gun, and there's my star.

On the level where the star is dangling over the water from the rickity plank, I tried hooking up a crane truck to the plank to pull it up so I could grab the star, except I couldn't get the crane to lift up until I removed the chain that it spawned with in the first place. I ended up just dropping a toaster in the water to kill the fish and jumped in after the star.

That's just a couple of small examples. I love trying to figure these out, but sometimes it just feels like I'm out thinking the game engine. Anyone else have good stories of epic plans gone wrong?[/QUOTE]

Because I'm taking the game as slow as I am, I'm right around where you are. On that first level you mention I too
gave the cop handcuffs, and I think I gave the doctor medicine. That solved it. I'm really surprised the handcuffs didn't work for you...

I spent a LOT of time on that level with the star dangling down over the piranas. I play all my levels in the advanced mode for kicks, and towards the end, I always come up with outlandish solutions. First, I distracted the pirhanas away with a corpse, then placed a glacier in the water to keep the pirhanas away and to allow a place for the starite to fall and yet not fall into the water, so I wouldn't need a dolphin or anything to ride down to get it.

Also, in an alternate solution, I used a robot to distract the pirhanas. The robot shorted out as soon as it hit the water, and although the pirhanas kept attacking it, it proved indestructible. :D

I'm freaking loving this game.
 
[quote name='BlueWingX'] I love trying to figure these out, but sometimes it just feels like I'm out thinking the game engine. Anyone else have good stories of epic plans gone wrong?[/QUOTE]

I'm enjoying the game, but I agree with you here.
In the level where you have to get past the gaurds to steal the star I tried invisible cloak, but they could see the cloak. Sleeping gas did nothing. Stun gun just pissed the guard off. Succubus attacked the gaurd instead of seducing him. Invisible man is still too visible and he got beat to death. Flashbang grenade pissed him and did nothing else. Tractor beam pulled both the guard and the star towards me and caused a failure. Sleeping pill didn't work.

Eventually I used Jetpack to the upper level, distracted that gaurd with a donut and ran past him, and set the junk in between the floors on fire, then dropped down to get the starite.

While I like thinking of creative solutions, it seems a lot of the puzzles can be solved with variations of wings/jetpack/pegasus/roc/etc and grapplinghook/fishingpole/lasso
 
[quote name='Nelo Ice']so this worth getting for around $22?[/QUOTE]

That's a great price for this game, but honestly, this is one title that I believe deserves full price. It has IMMENSE replay value, as you can go back to previous stages and replay them with items you discover the game has later. As other folks have said, you're limited by your own creativity. I like to think beyond the most simple solution and go for something a little kooky.
 
I did all the puzzles for level one, and went back to the title screen just to mess around. Learned a few things.

God can be created and killed, but Jesus, Allah, Mohammad, Buddha, and Vishnu cannot be created.

Priests are damn near invincible, they can only be transformed and killed by nukes. It was funny watching a priest shoot god to death.

zombies turn humans and Gods into zombies. they can't transform other monsters, and are pretty weak compared to other monsters.

witches turn everyone into frogs.

vampires are probably the strongest in the game. I put one vampire up against a werewollf, zombie, t-rex, tiger, cyborg, monster, mutant, and devil and that single vampire was able to defeat them all one by one.

I have no idea what kills ghosts. There are ghost hunters but they are pretty useless. Ghosts kill Poltergeist. God can kill Poltergeist too, but not ghosts. However, if you were attacking a ghost, and you put God on the field, the ghost will stop attacking you and run towards God. Angels run towards God as well, except angels are pussies, they run away when attacked, unless they have a weapon in their hand.

Cyborgs are angry, but androids and robots are peaceful. Robots beat cyborgs, and cyborgs beat androids. I would assume then that robots beat androids.

Vampires and werewolves are afraid of crosses, devils are not. Vampires are also afraid of mirrors.

one hit from garlic or a stake kills a vampire. one hit from a cross kills a vampire. one hit from water kills a witch and android/robot(it only rusts cyborgs). one hit from a silver bullet transforms a werewolf back into a human. putting a sun in the sky kills vampires and transforms werwolves back into a human. and for some reason, putting a moon into the sky transforms werewolves back into humans too.

you can ride centaurs.

elephants are afraid of mice.


hyena's are afraid of lions, I guess that's about right. Although when I summon a pack of Hyena's it should be the other way around, but it's not.

Zebra's can out run Cheetah's.

Tigers are stronger than Lions.

That's about all I've learned so far. Man there's so much fun to be had just messing around and finding out what kills what.
 
[quote name='doodofdoods']Man there's so much fun to be had just messing around and finding out what kills what.[/QUOTE]

Wow, and yet... :bouncy:.

I don't think certain rules always stand. For example, the other day I had a Trex and a Raptor fight, the Trex won. Today when I tried it, the Raptor won.
 
[quote name='doodofdoods'] putting a sun in the sky kills vampires and transforms werwolves back into a human. and for some reason, putting a moon into the sky transforms werewolves back into humans too.[/QUOTE]

When you type in "moon", you get a crescent moon. Werewolves only transform during full moons. You have to type in "full moon" to get a full moon.
 
you can summon body parts, but they sort of look like dummy parts. still not bad if you want to make some sort of crime scene or something. I laid a head next to a guillotine.

Also, Carnivores will eat those body parts, and I just fed a cadaver I got out of a cemetery to a dragon. Dragons are damn strong btw. you hit them up with a mind control device or with cupid's arrow, and you can ride them.
 
[quote name='whiptcracker']I'm enjoying the game, but I agree with you here.
In the level where you have to get past the gaurds to steal the star I tried invisible cloak, but they could see the cloak. Sleeping gas did nothing. Stun gun just pissed the guard off. Succubus attacked the gaurd instead of seducing him. Invisible man is still too visible and he got beat to death. Flashbang grenade pissed him and did nothing else. Tractor beam pulled both the guard and the star towards me and caused a failure. Sleeping pill didn't work.

Eventually I used Jetpack to the upper level, distracted that gaurd with a donut and ran past him, and set the junk in between the floors on fire, then dropped down to get the starite.

While I like thinking of creative solutions, it seems a lot of the puzzles can be solved with variations of wings/jetpack/pegasus/roc/etc and grapplinghook/fishingpole/lasso
[/QUOTE]

Just as a side note, I did find a way to knock people out. I equipped my guy with chloroform. First hit knocked a guard out. Didn't help me with the level, but it made my creative side smile.

[quote name='Lawyers Guns N Money']I think in their attempt to be non-denominational, they had "GOD" summon a god, and not the God.[/QUOTE]

True to a degree, but you can summon Ra and Anubis, so it's a little dissappointing that God and Zeus seem to be the same. In fact, while I fully understand the limitations they were under and it doesn't ruin anything for me, I'm always a little disappointed when I think of something and I get a duplicate. For example, Hades gave me the same thing as Death, Gyrocopter gave me a regular Helicopter, and most disappointingly, Spy gave me a Ninja. I was expecting a trenchcoat type spy.

Some of my favorite moments so far: I summoned a president and two secret service guys who went ballistic when the president got injured.

I summoned a wizard, a ranger, an elf, a dwarf, and a halfling. Then I gave one of them a ring, and they all went nuts and killed each other.
 
[quote name='doodofdoods']Yea I tried full moon too and they transform back into humans.[/QUOTE]

I figured out the moon/full moon difference in a level. It helped make one puzzle incredibly easy.
 
When a character has a bubble with a picture of what it looks like a shield..does that mean they want to hold something?
 
[quote name='BlueWingX']Some of my favorite moments so far: I summoned a president and two secret service guys who went ballistic when the president got injured.

I summoned a wizard, a ranger, an elf, a dwarf, and a halfling. Then I gave one of them a ring, and they all went nuts and killed each other.[/QUOTE]

:applause:
 
[quote name='Lawyers Guns N Money']By the way, if anyone figures out how to summon two pengins with propellers on their heads in a flying bathtub, like on page 10 of the manual, please post it. :D[/QUOTE]

I'm pretty sure all that stuff is just drawings, unfortunately. I'd love to make that Trex running on a treadmill for steak, like on the final page.

Heh, heh, actually you CAN. The best I can do is have Max holding the steak right in front of the treadmill, and the Trex will keep running on it, never catching the steak. :lol:
 
[quote name='Strell']Remember to attach steaks to a baby in order to lure a tiger.[/QUOTE]

Seriously? I'm only 1/2 way through the first world because I'm trying to get the advanced stuff cleared too. Hard to do my brain not work good.
 
[quote name='lilboo']When a character has a bubble with a picture of what it looks like a shield..does that mean they want to hold something?[/QUOTE]

It just describes their nature. If a person has a shield in their bubble, then it protects some other thing.
 
So the advanced mode everyone is talking about is after you beat it once and go back to it correct? Where you have to beat it three different times on the second playthrough.

Or is there some other advanced mode..

I am trying to come up with crazy things as well. I am hooked on trying for style points more than anything.
 
[quote name='doodofdoods']I did all the puzzles for level one, and went back to the title screen just to mess around. Learned a few things.

God can be created and killed, but Jesus, Allah, Mohammad, Buddha, and Vishnu cannot be created.

Priests are damn near invincible, they can only be transformed and killed by nukes. It was funny watching a priest shoot god to death.

zombies turn humans and Gods into zombies. they can't transform other monsters, and are pretty weak compared to other monsters.

witches turn everyone into frogs.

vampires are probably the strongest in the game. I put one vampire up against a werewollf, zombie, t-rex, tiger, cyborg, monster, mutant, and devil and that single vampire was able to defeat them all one by one.

I have no idea what kills ghosts. There are ghost hunters but they are pretty useless. Ghosts kill Poltergeist. God can kill Poltergeist too, but not ghosts. However, if you were attacking a ghost, and you put God on the field, the ghost will stop attacking you and run towards God. Angels run towards God as well, except angels are pussies, they run away when attacked, unless they have a weapon in their hand.

Cyborgs are angry, but androids and robots are peaceful. Robots beat cyborgs, and cyborgs beat androids. I would assume then that robots beat androids.

Vampires and werewolves are afraid of crosses, devils are not. Vampires are also afraid of mirrors.

one hit from garlic or a stake kills a vampire. one hit from a cross kills a vampire. one hit from water kills a witch and android/robot(it only rusts cyborgs). one hit from a silver bullet transforms a werewolf back into a human. putting a sun in the sky kills vampires and transforms werwolves back into a human. and for some reason, putting a moon into the sky transforms werewolves back into humans too.

you can ride centaurs.

elephants are afraid of mice.


hyena's are afraid of lions, I guess that's about right. Although when I summon a pack of Hyena's it should be the other way around, but it's not.

Zebra's can out run Cheetah's.

Tigers are stronger than Lions.

That's about all I've learned so far. Man there's so much fun to be had just messing around and finding out what kills what.[/QUOTE]



Double post, but this is epic. Thanks for that info.
 
[quote name='Strell']Remember to attach steaks to a baby in order to lure a tiger.[/QUOTE]

Heck, you don't even need steak. Every carnivorous animal seems to like tasty babies.
 
[quote name='Snake2715']So the advanced mode everyone is talking about is after you beat it once and go back to it correct? Where you have to beat it three different times on the second playthrough.
[/QUOTE]

It's just when you go back and play a level three times more, not using any items you've used previously. Can be really challenging, in certain scenarios.
 
[quote name='utopianmachine']It just describes their nature. If a person has a shield in their bubble, then it protects some other thing.[/QUOTE]

Fun fact, if a person doesn't have a bubble and you're wondering what they're nature is (calm/angry/scared/protect/attack) summon up a psychic and have them stand next to the person and the bubble will appear. Useless though.
 
[quote name='BlueWingX']Just as a side note, I did find a way to knock people out. I equipped my guy with chloroform. First hit knocked a guard out. Didn't help me with the level, but it made my creative side smile.
[/QUOTE]

I tried chloroform as well, but I did it wrong and threw it at the guy by accident, which also made him angry :)
 
Awesome. Try out the words Mech and Mecha.

You know this would be an awesome RTS what with all the different creatures we can summon. I hope this is just the beginning for this game's engine.
 
[quote name='icedrake523']I'd like to see a Wii version. Maybe even make a keyboard attachment for the Wiimote.[/QUOTE]
Wiimotes don't need any more attachments. :lol:

Just use a regular usb keyboard. Or there's a logitech one specifically designed for the Wii, with dedicated browser buttons...
 
[quote name='icedrake523']I'd like to see a Wii version. Maybe even make a keyboard attachment for the Wiimote.[/QUOTE]

Even though I would rather the game stay on the DS, it is a possibility it could go to the Wii. The next Drawn to Life game is coming to both the Wii and the DS. I suppose depending on how it does on the Wii will dictate if their future titles go to the Wii too. Personally, I think the Wii would take away even more of the precision of the game.
 
[quote name='Lawyers Guns N Money']Wiimotes don't need any more attachments. :lol:

Just use a regular usb keyboard. Or there's a logitech one specifically designed for the Wii, with dedicated browser buttons...[/QUOTE]

That'd work, too.
 
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