A great game all-in-all, but with a few flaws and untapped potential.
User Rating: 9 | Super Scribblenauts DS
Super Scribblenauts is the sequel to Scribblenauts. It has the same premise that made the first game popular (writing any word you want and having it appear in-game), but also adds several improvements and new features, such as adjectives. Super Scribblenauts solved one of the drawbacks of the original, which was the controls. The clunky touch screen controls made the game very frustrating at times, so the option to use the d-pad instead was a relief to many gamers. The game is slightly more storyline based than Scribblenauts, but only because you have to play a portion of the constellation before unlocking the next one. The addition of adjectives make for an interesting twist on the game play, but sadly, it fell short of its full potential. The game play itself is heavily reliant on puzzles, and the adjectives could have made the action stages much more fun if there had been more of them. The adjective stages aren't very involving, and, at times, rather easy. The new merit system is a considerable step up over the original's. In Super Scribblenauts, they are more like X-Box Live Achievements. Sometimes, you don't earn any merits at all after a stage is completed, whereas in the original you usually earn at least one after a stage. Most of the merits are pretty easy to earn, whether it be by writing a certain word or writing a certain amount of words. I myself earned over 50% of the merits the first day I had the game. The level editor can be annoying at times, but I found it to be pretty fun. The sheer amount of modes it has makes for all kinds of combinations. The only thing that set it back was the fact that water and lava take up the budget meter. The use of Ollars has been relocated from buying new worlds to buying new avatars that give you a break from the tired character of Maxwell, and are also needed to earn all of the merits. The title screen/sandbox has retained all of its former glory from Scribblenauts and more. It is here where you can test ideas for levels, set up crazy contraptions, and just let your imagination shine through. This franchise is friendly for gamers of all ages, and hopefully 5th Cell will release another of these games soon.To sum it all up, if you've ever wanted to ride a "giant friendly mutated fire-breathing pink spotted winged panda", all packaged in a humorous game with a few flaws, then this is the game for you.
