The original Scribblenauts was almost more of a toy than a game. The "create anything" possibilities meant that you were only limited by your imagination. However, some wonky mechanics and the "fridge + handcuffs" glitch meant that the actual "game" was not as fun as the sandbox you were let loose in. Super Scribblenauts seeks to change that. Their arsenal this time: adjectives.
An adjective is a descriptive word; it modifies nouns. In Scribblenauts, you could summon a T-rex, and it would always have the same disposition (eat all the chickens and babies). In Super Scribblenauts, you can change him a little bit. Summon a "friendly T-rex" and you can ride him around. Summon a "confused baboon" and he won't be quite sure what to do with the "purple banana" you also create out of thin air. The limitless possibilities of the original game have become even more limitless now.
So, I got the chance to play one level. I might've been able to play even more, but I got too distracted by making things like "Super Scope" and "lemurs" and "gophers" and "happy cheese." In this particular level, I was in the back of a line of people that all wanted the last copy of Super Scribblenauts. I had to give each person something that would make them happy so they'd let me have cutsies. There was a wide variety of characters in line - a body builder, a witch, an artist, a soldier, a rock star, and a UPS guy.
So what'd I do? I gave them all candy. That was good enough for the starving artist; apparently huffing paints isn't satisfying enough to keep you nourished. No one else wanted the candy though... /sad face.
Body builder. Hmm... what would Arnold like? Girls! I conjured up 3 girls out of midair for him. No good. Resigned to my fate, I gave him some weights. He left to lift.
Next up: UPS guy. What do mail carriers like? Guns! So I pulled a gun out of a cloud. It didn't make him happy. Instead, he literally went postal and started shooting me, and everyone else in the line. It was both hilarious and sad because I had to restart the level. Ah well. It's the same puzzle every time, yet there are so many different ways to solve it.
Tried flying over, and it just made everyone in the line panic. No dice. Onward!
Soldier guy - gun. This one actually did work.
Witch - magic wand. Yep.
Rock star - groupies! No, that's no good. At least it recognizes "groupies." I tried giving the UPS guy a beer and it wouldn't recognize that. It was all, "Did you mean 'beef?'" No, game... I meant "beer." The guy standing there at the Warner Brothers booth told me what's up: "No proper nouns or drugs." That's too bad; I tried giving the bodybuilder a Wii and that didn't work either.
It seems like I'm harping on the things I can't do in the game, which is mean. It's just that, with so much I can do, I want to push all the limits to see how far they'll stretch until they break. Every noun I could think of was in the game. "God" always beats "Satan," "RPG's" can take out alllll the enemies, and "jetpacks" and "boats" are good for crossing "oceans." Oh, and there's a time machine. Check THAT out. You can go to any time period you want, and it's awesome.
Super Scribblenauts hits the DS this October. Try to have an imagination... everything is usable, but remember that everything isn't always useful. Still, it's in the game! And that's awesome.
