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The second "Boom Blox" game for the Wii was conceived as soon as the first one was made, the game's producer Amir Rahimi told MTV Multiplayer during a briefing about the game yesterday.

Credit the man who first thought up "Boom Blox," Steven Spielberg, for the quick turnaround.

"As the original 'Boom Blox' was drawing to a close and we had to put it into a box, Steven kept coming in and meeting with us," Rahimi said. "There was so much enthusiasm and rolling into new ideas that I could hardly stop them from doing a sequel."

Thus, "Boom Blox Bash Party," the Spring 2009 Wii-only sequel. Like its predecessor it is a game full of hundreds of levels, each consisting of stacks of blocks that need to be pulled, smashed, knocked into or otherwise toppled with swings of the Wii remote. Some blocks have special qualities, like being explosive or acidic. Some player moves are more potent in knocking the blocks down, like throwing bowling balls at the blocks or yanking at them with a little hand. Most levels are puzzles and all are designed to be played with friends.

The biggest addition to the sequel may be the ability to share levels online, something Rahimi said Spielberg had been asking for. The system does not use Nintendo Friend Codes, allowing any Internet-connected Wii owner to download and upload levels through EA's servers. Users will be able to download, rate, remix and upload levels. "With the push of one button, you can send [a level you create] to EA and we will broadcast it to the world," Rahimi said.

While Spielberg is both the originator of "Boom Blox" and a collaborator on the development of the original game as well as the sequel, he's not quite had his name on any one level of the game. During my interview with Rahimi I suggested that if I can use "Boom Blox Bash Party" to create hopefully-popular levels for other players to download, so could celebrities … like Spielberg. "I should talk to him next time I see him about it," Rahimi said. He's seeing the director within the next week. Consider the request scheduled. But even if Spielberg doesn't make a level, Rahimi said EA will offer levels to download on day one.

The new move Rahimi is most excited about for "Bash Party" is a slingshot effect. He said players will be able to use the Wii remote to grab any object on the screen, pull it back, let go and see it fly. On the other hand, there's one move from the original game that won't be used as much: "The least favorite mechanic in the first game, the shooting, has taken a backseat in the sequel."

The first "Boom Blox" was a laboratory for exploration for EA. The experiments included at least one feature that was discussed but cut from the game: a head-tracking mode involving a Wii remote tracking the player's head-movements. That mode remains excluded from the sequel. Also not in "Bash Party" is MotionPlus integration. Even though Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus add-on will ship this spring, Rahimi said that his team didn't get the development hardware in time to integrate it into "Bash Party."

What the game will have is 400 new levels, nothing recycled from the original game as well as new environments (space and underwater) as well as new block shapes (cylinders and ramps) and an integration of the first game's characters as blocks themselves.

And with all this foundation laid, the bricks built and Spielberg involved in the game, I asked if there could be a "Boom Blox" movie coming out of all this. "He actually has expressed interest in it at different times, but it's not something we're discussing at the time," Rahimi said. An EA spokesperson later clarified that the company has no plans for an "Boom Blox" movie and that the idea is strictly a brainstorm.

"Boom Blox Bash Party" ships this spring for the Wii. It's coming soon, with EA hoping that this time out, Steven Spielberg's "Boom Blox" can be referred to not just as a cult favorite but as Steven Spielberg's Blockbuster.

(Credit me when you change the name, EA.)

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EA: ‘Boom Blox’ Probably Coming To Other Platforms
EA Chief: Slow-Starting Wii ‘Boom Blox’ Is Video Games’ ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’

Don't call it "Boom Blox 2." Call it "Boom Blox Bash Party." EA is bringing a second installment of its Steven-Spielberg-hatched Wii-exclusive game of projectiles and block-smashing. We'll have an interview with the sequel's producer later today here on MTV Multiplayer. For now, check out two screenshots showcasing the game's new space and underwater zones as well as the official press release.

From EA:

EA AND STEVEN SPIELBERG ANNOUNCE BOOM BLOX BASH PARTY

Sequel to Award-Winning BOOM BLOX Takes Players from the Depths of the Sea to Outer Space for a Party Anyone Can Throw

LOS ANGELES, Calif., January 29, 2009 – Get ready for the ultimate blox-busting action as Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced BOOM BLOX™ Bash Party for Wii™, the sequel to the critically-acclaimed BOOM BLOX™ game for Wii. EA’s collaboration with director and producer Steven Spielberg continues with BOOM BLOX Bash Party, and the destructive fun reaches new heights with richer multiplayer action and more than 400 new levels that will have players of all ages gaming together and solving action-packed puzzles under water, in zero gravity, and beyond!

“BOOM BLOX Bash Party is a wild social gaming experience,” said Steven Spielberg. “We know families and friends really enjoyed playing the original BOOM BLOX together, so we designed more explosive multiplayer experiences with BOOM BLOX Bash Party.”

BOOM BLOX Bash Party is even more fun to play with friends and family, featuring twice as many multiplayer challenges as the original, and now offers team-based challenges! Players can play with or against friends, solo or in teams, knocking down blocks, destroying towers, slinging and launching blocks and characters, for tons of high-energy, family-friendly fun!

BOOM BLOX Bash Party is packed with tons of new features that are sure to get the party started! The game showcases new block types, including: virus and conveyor blox, new blox shapes, such as: cylinders and wedges, and new tools that will make for even more destructive fun. Players will find twists on BOOM BLOX game play favorites like throwing and grabbing. Players now can also sling, launch, and blow the competition away with new cannon, paint ball and slingshot tools.

Even the characters are in on the action as BOOM BLOX Bash Party features a new cast of wacky blox characters. This time they don’t just cheer you on, they are now blox themselves and you can throw, stack or even launch them, utilizing them to create even more madness and mayhem!

The fun continues online as BOOM BLOX Bash Party enables players to download even more new levels via the Internet. With the press of a button, players will be able to grab, play and rate new levels from EA as well as levels created by members of the BOOM BLOX Bash Party community. Using the game’s easy-to-use Create Mode, players now have the power to share the levels they built with friends, or submit their masterpiece to be shared with the world! The expanded Create Mode lets players build and create like never before, giving them access to the same tool set the EA development team used to create each and every level in the game!

"In BOOM BLOX Bash Party we are taking the game elements to the extreme,” said Amir Rahimi, Senior Producer. “In the original BOOM BLOX, we really focused on perfecting the game’s physics so now we can push the boundaries of physics, offering exciting new challenges and completely new ways to play.”

Developed by the EA Casual Studios, BOOM BLOX Bash Party will be available in North America and Europe in Spring 2009. BOOM BLOX Bash Party has not yet been rated by the ESRB and PEGI. For more information, visit http://www.ea.com or to download artwork, visit http://info.ea.com.

Look for my interview with "Boom Blox Bash Party" producer Amir Rahimi in the next couple of hours. We talked about how this quick sequel came about, what's been de-emphasized for the sequel and more. I can tell you now that that prototyped head-tracking technology that didn't make it into the first game isn't getting into the sequel either.

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Should game developers and designers have their names on the boxes of the games they make?

We posed this question recently to EA CEO John Riccitiello, who explained why Steven Spielberg's name should be on a game box and why Will Wright's shouldn't.

We've read discussions from gamers arguing for and against the idea. Those against say there's too many people to name, that manuals and the end credits are enough and that's it not fair to single certain people out. Those for having names on boxes, including one David Jaffe, say that games should give credit like movies do because the creative and technical folks behind the project really make the game, and the name recognition allows game makers to have the credibility and leverage while making their way through this booming industry.

You can expand the "Boom Blox" images above to test our first example.

Now let's see what what the boxes of "Super Mario Galaxy," "God of War," "Halo 3" and "Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution" would look like if their creators were given credit...

Speaking of giving credit, it should be pointed out that one of our readers suggested that "it wouldn't hurt to have [credits] in small print on the front of the game box... Putting some tiny names on the box near the bottom would take minimal effort."

With that in mind, we decided to try it ourselves to see what credit-laden box art could potentially look like.

[Note: All images were made in Photoshop and involved minimal manipulation of existing box art. If the experiment makes you think creators should get credit and you have a better design, show us.]

Readers, what do you think? Would you like to see something similar to this on your game boxes? Why or why not?

Related Posts:
EA: Why Will Wright's Name Shouldn't Be On A Game's Box (Or: How To Give Proper Credit)
David Jaffe: Developers Wanting Names On Boxes Is Not Egomania

After Riccitiello praised the game and expressed his optimism about a possible sequel, I asked if the game had a shot at appearing on any consoles other than the Wii. He said:

"We haven't made announcements on that front. Frankly, its original design was all about the control of the [Wii] wand. But there are other ways to implement that. It is a hugely innovative product. I expect you'll see it on other platforms in time."

Would "Boom Blox" be fun if controlled by analog sticks? Sixaxis motion control? An Xbox camera?

I'll have more from Riccitiello about the state of EA, licensed games, the competition and more soon.

Here's our chat about that topic. The rest of my E3 interview with him will run next week.

MTV Multiplayer: "Boom Blox" is a lot of people's favorite Wii game so far. But a lot of those same people have been looking at the sales figures, seeing that only 60,000 copies were sold in the first month, and I need to know what you were expecting in terms of performance for "Boom Blox." Are you as worried or panicked as some of these fans are about what "Boom Blox"'s success -- or lack thereof -- means?

John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts: First off, we had a week's sales with no advertising. Last time I checked MTV wasn't a financial network, but .. it met our expectations. "Boom Blox" was a competent seller in the month it was introduced and only had a week of sales without advertising. So it's doing actually quite well. We haven't announced a sequel, but I would tell you that I certainly am curious [about doing one]. It's a hit title.

Multiplayer: So everything you guys were doing in terms of making "Boom Blox" -- making an original game for the Wii -- is still something you guys feel will work? This is not a sign to EA that "Boom Blox" wasn't the right direction?

Riccitiello: Given that you come from a music network, I think "Boom Blox" is going to be the "Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon'" for games. It's going to last a long time. I think it's going to be a favorite for a long time. If you haven't picked it up there's really nothing like it out there… frankly I'm addicted to it. My kids are into it. It's a great title.

Based on the latest numbers from the NPD Group, much of the Internet has declared "Boom Blox"'s first-month sales a disappointment.

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitello, however, told an audience at the William Blair Investor Conference today that sales were on target. "It has met our expectations internally," he said. "It's continued to sell well. It did break into the top 10 for the Wii, and the advertising is doing exactly what [our] team expected to: drive sales."

Analysts, however, haven't been as upbeat.

Analyst firm Pacific Crest Securities estimated "Boom Blox" would sell around 250,000 copies in May. The reality was much less; they were 190,000 units off.

"Boom Blox was a true test of the potential for third-party success on Nintendo Wii. It appears that success on the Wii will remain difficult to achieve," said analyst Evan Wilson during his NPD analysis for this month. "Wii Fit sold more than 10 times the units with on-third of the days at retail."

Wilson believes the performance of "Boom Blox" at retail reflects an industry misconception that "third parties only need better games and more games and they will be able to replicate their market share on PS3 and 360 on Wii."

Not every analyst had pegged "Boom Blox" as a big performer. Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter had more tempered expectations.

"I didn't expect much, but you must admit that the response was underwhelming," said Pachter. "They [EA] don't appear to know how to market to Wii owners; give them time and they'll figure it out. However, it's not as clear from the name what the game is about, at least not like Carnival Games, for example."

During the same investor conference, Riccitello remained confident "Boom Blox" would continue to perform. "A title like this one -- can it do several hundred thousand or a million or more units?" he proposed. "Sure, it's just gotta keep selling."

Whether continued sales happen for "Boom Blox" remains to be seen.

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Have a hot tip? Is there a topic that Multiplayer should be covering and isn't? Maybe you have a tip for EA's marketing team Drop me an e-mail.

But that's stalled recently. No, I haven't mastered all of the available challenges on the single-player side, but that's not where "Boom Blox" really shined to begin with.

It was the multiplayer. Despite the game's robust edit mode, "Boom Blox" doesn't offer a particularly easy solution to download new puzzles. They have to be passed from person to person via friend codes, rather than retrieved from a central online destination.

Majesco's "Blast Works" has found a way to sidestep the frustrations of Nintendo's friend codes system to create a user generated content portal. "Boom Blox" doesn't have that and desperately needs it -- or Electronic Arts-sponsored downloadable content -- but it sounds like a feature for a sequel.

Am I the only one who wants to play more "Boom Blox," but has run out of content?

It has been said many times that "Boom Blox" is a game that you don't fully understand until you play it for yourself, but seeing it in action can't hurt either. Today, we continue our new feature "120 Seconds" by giving you a chance to see a little bit of what "Boom Blox" is about if you haven't popped it in your Wii yet.

*Played Steven Spielberg's "Boom Blox," on my home Wii. But I can't talk about what I liked and didn't like until the embargo's up... tonight?

*Experienced a nearly unhealthy amount of Liberty City, wolfing down a about a quarter of "Grand Theft Auto IV." I'm now at 49% completion, 69 missions passed. I'm making a favorite missions list. I'll pen it in the diary when I'm done with the game, hidden under some sort of spoiler warning.

What I can say is that I am done with the Classics hip-hop station. I never want to hear it again, as much as I love its songs. I can't get enough of The Journey and have just discovered Radio Broker, which is surprisingly good (as is the techno station when you're trying to escape the cops; but not when you're just roaming around).

*Played a few more wonderfully involved minutes of "The World Ends With You." If I start comparing how "TWEWY" takes advantage of the character and culture of its setting vs. how "GTA IV" does, I'll probably get yelled at by people who don't like it when I even joke about possible "GTA IV" shortcomings. So I'll keep quiet. For now.

Next: I got "R-Type Command" in the mail, which is exciting. But who am I kidding? I know what I'm playing next: the continuing obsessions.