E3 2010: Super Scribblenauts Preview

Scribblenauts was the surprise hit of last year's E3. One by one, IGN editors would return from the show floor saying, "Holy balls, have you seen this game Scribblenauts? You've gotta play it!" We were captivated by the simple idea that anything we wrote down – anything at all – would appear in the game. Scribblenauts received our award for Overall Game of the Show.

Fast forward a few months later, and we weren't quite as excited. Scribblenauts ended up being a very cool game, but the controls were just bonkers. They really put a damper on our enjoyment of it.

A year has passed since E3 2009, we're about to kick off E3 2010 with the sequel to Scribblenauts: Super Scribblenauts. We're happy to report that it looks like the controls have been fixed and the addition of adjectives allows us to summon even more ridiculous creatures and objects.

There are three key ingredients to Super Scribblenauts: improved controls, adjectives, and deeper levels. Most importantly, you can now control Maxwell with the D-pad and make him jump with the B button. Thank you, 5th Cell. No more trying to get him to go where you want by tapping on the screen.

Adjectives significantly increase the amount of stuff you can summon into the game. Whereas previously you could bring in a car, now you can call in an "undead" car, an "angry" car, or a "pregnant" car. Objects will react accordingly to their adjectives. For instance, that pregnant car will eventually give birth to a baby car. Oh, and the formerly pregnant car will now be a skinny car. Weird, huh? One of my favorite examples was when we summoned an undead bee. Zombies love brains, right? So we brought in an explosive brain. The undead bee couldn't resist it.

A winged gun, a drivable tomato, a scholarly shark… All of these and so many more can be created in Super Scribblenauts. There are around 10,000 adjectives in the game. More than one adjective can be strung together before a noun to make, say, a Hungry Hairless Horny Lion (actually, not sure about that horny part). The only restrictions are vulgar words and the 100 character limit.

Super Scribblenauts has 120 levels to work through with a heavier focus on puzzle solving than the first game. One of the early levels finds you waiting in line at the midnight launch of…Super Scribblenauts. There are too many people in front of you, so you'll need to figure out a way to distract them. The bodybuilder may want a dumbbell; the artist an easel; the rock star a guitar. A stage can have multiple objectives and a checklist will mark each one off as you complete it. Finishing stages earns you points you can spend on future levels to buy hints if you get stuck.

With these wise control fixes in place and a slew of new gameplay opportunities provided by adjectives, we're excited for Scribblenauts all over again.