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EA Playground
- July 18, 2007 16:20 PM PST
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Remember when you were a kid and the only thing you needed to have fun was a playground and your friends? Well, times have changed but that doesn't mean you can't revisit the golden days of your youth.
EA takes us back to the Playground with an intriguing title that has the potential to appeal to, yes, I'm going to say it, the child in all of us.
Old School
A child's life just isn't complete until they've been pelted in the face by a hard rubber ball.
EA showed off two of the games that they plan to include in the game: Dodgeball and Kicks. Dodgeball is the classic game where two sides use soft rubber balls to pelt each other into oblivion. Up to four players can engage in combat by using the directional pad to move and the 'B' button to the catch the ball; throwing the ball at your opponents is as easy as flicking your wrist forward. The rounds were fast and over rather quickly--that's what happens with three balls are put into play in a rather small playing field--but it looked fun nonetheless.
Kicks was a rather odd mix of soccer and volleyball. It takes place on a soccer field but with a net in the middle: you juggle the ball to your partner like volleyball, then kick it over the net towards the opponent's goal, which is, of course, guarded by a goalie. The ball goes back and forth until someone scores.
There is also a screenshot included on the asset disc that points to a dartgun shootout game and the press release hints at a tetherball game as well as slotcars. The games appear to be simple and will probably last only a few minutes at a time. It'll be interesting to see if EA can deliver enough games and variety to make this game work over the long haul but the demo definitely has me intrigued. Certainly, it'll appeal to children and it seems to demonstrate a commitment on EA's part to buy into the quirky vibe of the Wii, as does their other kid-friendly title, Smarty Pants.
Mix soccer and volleyball together and you get the Playground game Kicks.
