Hands-on with Scribblenauts
[ MUSIC ]
^M00:00:03
>> [Dan Ackerman:] So in an era where video game innovation is pretty much being able to shoot aliens with two guns at the same time or playing plastic copies of real instruments, it's interesting to see a game that actually tries to do some real innovation. Scribblenauts is a game for the Nintendo DS that was really one of the most buzzed-about games coming out of the big E3 video game trade show a couple of months ago. What it is, is basically it's a platform game where you have to get your little guy from one end of the level to the other, and the innovation is, in order to do that, you create any tool that you want just by taking your stylus and typing in the name of that tool on the on-screen keyboard. On this level, my little guy is over here, and as you can see, he's got to get to the star all the way over here. So by clicking on my little notepad I can type in all kinds of things that'll help me do that. Let's say I wanted to fly over the top. I could type in "jet pack." Look at that; there's my jet pack. Drag it on. I'm flying. Of course a lot of fun stuff you could try. I just tried typing in a bunch of random words. I said what would happen if I asked for a time machine? And this was pretty funny. It gives me like this H.G. Wells-looking time machine. And if I hop on it, it then flashes me back to some sort of period in the past. Now it seems like some sort of crazy artificial intelligence or mind-reading that the game can pretty much figure out what you're talking about and give you anything that you want. It's actually a little bit of clever sleight of hand. There are a lot of things -- chair, seat, rock, stone -- that are sort of similar words that give you pretty much the same object in the game. And it turns out that having several people play it, people generally tend to gravitate toward a handful of items. I think a ladder is a very popular choice. We did have a hard time finding anything that wasn't in the game's dictionary that we would want to use. One example actually is "fulcrum." That was not in the dictionary. And of course what we quickly found out is actually completing the levels is not nearly half as fun as just typing in crazy stuff and seeing what happens. I'm Dan Ackerman and that's Scribblenauts for the Nintendo DS.
^M00:01:56
[ MUSIC ]
Up Next
PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
Up Next
PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: Bringing an Old Story Into a Vast Open World
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: Bringing an Old Story Into a Vast Open World
Pulse Elite Review: PlayStation's New Gaming Headset
Pulse Elite Review: PlayStation's New Gaming Headset
Everything Xbox Announced at its Business Update
Everything Xbox Announced at its Business Update
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Refines The Open World Formula
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Refines The Open World Formula
Xreal Air 2 Pro Review
Xreal Air 2 Pro Review
Can the Samsung Gaming Hub Replace An Xbox?
Can the Samsung Gaming Hub Replace An Xbox?
PlayStation Access: Hands-On With Sony's Radical Radial Controller
PlayStation Access: Hands-On With Sony's Radical Radial Controller
Alan Wake 2 Is Tough, Dark and Compellingly Strange
Alan Wake 2 Is Tough, Dark and Compellingly Strange
PlayStation Portal Gaming Handheld: Hands-On
PlayStation Portal Gaming Handheld: Hands-On
Tech Shows
Latest News All latest news
PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low
The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low
Most Popular All most popular
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Latest Products All latest products
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone
This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone
Latest How To All how to videos
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro