Create (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

Whereas before they would almost solely rely on the yearly sporting title updates, nowadays EA have taken massive steps forward in terms of creating new and exciting content for gamers on all platforms and we've seen multiple new IPs come about and many have landed on the Wii either as exclusives or as multiplatform titles which play to the consoles strengths. Looking to continue this high standard of work, EA Bright Light have developed another new IP, this time focusing on the idea of creation and allowing the player to come up with their own scenarios and tasks and have them think of creative ways to solve them. Is this another hit in the making or have EA lost their creative touch?

Gameplay

Create is a game whereby you are tasked with primarily completing the 100+ available challenges by utilising a variety of objects that allows you to create a solution to a specific task, and presents another attempt at creating an open ended experience for the gamer and allows them to make their own impressions on the game rather than play through a series of scripted events. For example, one challenge may ask you to get a go kart from one side of an area to the other and through a hoop and to do this, you'll need to place ramps to jump over gaps and to jump through the hoop. Another challenge may ask you to move an object from one side of the level to another while collecting as many points as possible, requiring you to experiment with various objects to see which will get you the best outcome.

It's a very simple premise and one which primarily provides a sense of achievement as you go about the tasks at hand. Each of the challenges, housed within one of 11 or so themed locations, gradually asks more of the players as early ones are merely there to get you into the groove of how the game works so that you won't be left floundering in the later offerings. Away from the Create Challenges, which do make up the bulk of what is on offer, you have a selection of Create Chain options where you'll need to decorate a level in a specific way by placing certain objects or painting certain terrain effects. Successful completion of these, and the Challenges, will unlock further items and decorations which are made available to use in later challenges as well as gift you Sparks, which you'll need to collect in large quantities to be able to unlock other locations to play within.

The game's main issue, however, is that while there is certainly plenty to do, everything begins to feel very run-of-the-mill the further you delve into the game, as challenges begin to stagnate and the smoke and mirrors approach in creating the illusion of open ended possibilities for completing the challenges dissipates. At all times, you're working within the confinements the game places on you, using the items it deems usable for each particular challenge rather than giving you a collection of them and having you experiment and truly create ways for the tasks to be completed. It is therefore disappointing in this aspect that the game doesn't live up to its title more than it does, as you're given very little freedom to truly create your own solutions to the tasks at hand.

Another issue is that the game is only playable by a single person, with there being no opportunity for other players to get involved beyond being backseat gamers. Some multiplayer options could have lead to some interesting challenges and creations and definitely would have helped to alleviate some of the stagnation issues with the gameplay. Similarly, being unable to create scenarios and send them to other consoles, either by transferring them to an SD card or by making them available to download online, feels like a missed opportunity at making a truly creative community title or definitely feels strange considering this idea had been included in the Boom Blox titles.

Controls

Controls aim to be as simple as possible, with both the Wii-mote and Nunchuk being used throughout with actions being primarily linked to button presses and the controller's IR pointer being used throughout for placement of objects or for navigating menus and areas. On a fundamental level, it all works well as everything is easily accessible after a bit of practise and getting used to what functions are housed on each button but it does at times feel clumsy, as you don't quite have as much accuracy for placing objects as you would like which can make some of the more open ended challenges difficult to set complete.

Graphics

The game presents itself in a colourful, if rather simplistic, veneer; one which will immediately appeal to younger gamers who'll crave something vibrant to grasp their attention. They manage to ably fit within the ethos of the game and while they are certainly not of the highest quality you'll find on the console, they're far from being terrible. Objects and locations are at times simple in their geometric design as well as in their general texture work but they get the job done well in providing accessible themed visuals which are clearly aimed at a younger demographic. There are occasional frame rate issue when there are multiple things happening on the screen, be they environmental effects or just objects moving, but they never truly drag the game down beyond a few milliseconds.

Sound

Audio is an unpronounced aspect of the game, presenting some simplistic yet enjoyable tunes which sit happily in the background to keep the game moving along. Sound effects follow a similar suit, although they do become more pronounced when your creations are playing out but they're not of the highest quality.

Final comments

Although good in principle, Create ultimately fails to fully live up to its title, providing an experience which quickly becomes bogged down in tedious and repetitive challenges which bookend the gameplay and stifle the imagination rather than foster it as it say it will do. It does give you just enough freedom to push on through with the challenges, of which there are plenty to occupy you for some time, and come up with some interesting and imaginative ways to clear the tasks, but it feels decidedly lacking in many aspects in comparison to other similar titles. If you're looking for a creative title on the Wii, you could do worse than this but EA's Boom Blox titles provide better entertainment.

Pro: Plenty of challenges and puzzles to solve, being able to create your own solutions is a nice gameplay mechanic
Con: Gameplay is rather book-ended, controls can be frustrating, no multiplayer or creation sharing options
Final score: 5.7

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