Spielberg turns his hand to video games

Perhaps not quite what you would expect - but good fun all the same

6 May 2008 10:39 GMT / By Verity Burns

Steven Spielberg is not content with being one of the world's most famous – and most successful – film directors. He wants to make the cross-over onto video games as well.

Yes, you better believe it – the director of hit movies like Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan is trying his hand at game development.

So what kind of action-packed, tension-filled photorealistic shooter does he have in store for us, we hear you cry? Well, it's more of a cross between Tetris and Jenga actually.

Boom Blox for Wii, created in collaboration with EA, can only be described as a sort of creative destruction with over 300 levels to complete.

The aim, in the first few levels at least, is to hurl balls at a wall of Lego-esque blocks, in an attempt to knock it down.

But it isn't just mindless destruction – you have to think strategically about which blocks to take out in order to bring the whole stack down quickly.

"I am a gamer myself, and I really wanted to create a video game that I could play with my kids", said Steven Spielberg. "Boom Blox features an enormous amount of fun challenges and cool scenarios for your kids to solve or for you to master together."

Other games include a Jenga-like building which players have to extract blocks from without the whole thing collapsing. The only difference in this version is that the buildings are inhabited by cute little creatures. Obviously.

The game was inspired by a Wii tennis session, during which Spielberg got the idea of combining Nintendo's innovative Wiimote motion-sensing controller with a youthful desire for mayhem.

"Boom Blox plays on the enjoyment of building and knocking down blocks, something that can appeal innately to kids and adults of all ages", Spielberg adds.

The game is due for release on 9 May, but you can sneak over to EA’s website for a peek at a trailer for the game.