De Blob - multiplayer hands-on

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Whether painting the town as a twosome or squelching the opposition, de Blob has a lot to offer

We were already excited about de Blob back when we first previewed itlast summer. THQ had us somewhere between the words Wii Remote and Jackson Pollock. And even if de Blob didn’t feature fresh, innovative Wii mechanics in gameplay (which it does, in flying colors), the plot is still compelling: de Blob and his pals liberating the world from the monochromatic forces of the INKT Corporation with lurid graffiti. Tack on to that a funk-tastic soundtrack that changes depending on what paint colors you mix together and you already have a game that demands interest. But now we have a whole new reason to be jazzed about the lurid painting adventure coming to Wii: multiplayer!

De Blob features four mode of multiplayer that can be played by up to four people on a single Wii (the color revolution hasn’t gone online yet). Each mode pits players against one another in a race to color as many buildings as possible within a time limit. The first mode, Paint Match, is just that- painting as much of the town as you can, hoping you outscore your opponent when time runs out. You get more points for painting buildings that haven’t been touched than you do for painting over whatever your pals have already painted- but it is fun to be a bit of a jerk.

The second mode, Blob Race, is the same deal only with a savagely competitive twist. Buildings that you're supposed to paint are highlighted with your color in a specific order. If your buddy finishes his building and gets to yours before you can, hecan score points off of your building by painting it in his color. And unlike Paint Match, you can’t paint over what’s already been painted, so book it.

The third mode was our absolute favorite. De Blob on the Run is like a game of tag but with the “it” being on the run and the “not its” hunting him down. The first Blob to grab a paint container becomes “it” and has to paint as much as he can without being tagged by the other Blobs. If the other Blobs find him and execute a smash attack by Z-targeting on the Nunchuck and flicking the Wii Remote, “it” gets smished and the other players have a chance to grab a paint container and start painting. The “it” can shield by holding down B, but once the “not its” track you down, it can be hard to get away.

The last multiplayer mode is similar to Paint Match, but in Sewers the environment is so hazardous, it’s hard to paint anything without drowning in evil INK. Players can still paint over whatever other players have painted- but really, between trying to stay alive and trying to get to paint containers that get submerged in the rising INK tides, you’ll be lucky if you get much of anything painted in the time limit.