DEVELOPER: bluetongue

PUBLISHER: THQ

SYSTEM: Nintendo Wii

PRICE: $49.99

ESRB RATING: Everyone

REVIEW RATING: 3.5 (out of 5 stars)

Far, far away, on an oppressive world, the dastardly I.N.K.T Corp. has leeched all of the color out of the towns, leaving them dreary and practically lifeless. With color gone, so too goes the fun, leaving its inhabitants with nothing to do. It's up to the player to bring color and good cheer back to the drab surroundings in THQ's unusual adventure, "de Blob."

The main "character" in de Blob basically looks like a clear water balloon with arms and legs, which leaves a trail of color wherever it goes. It can absorb colors by bouncing on different colored citizens of each town, and then transfer that color to different structures simply by slamming against them. Fun moves like "rolling" along buildings to mark each one are not only possible, but necessary to complete time oriented mini-quests such as "paint every building on a certain block." It's also fun to bounce from building to building to reach new areas while simultaneously coloring them.

Changing colors is as simple as washing off in a water source (like a fountain) and then bouncing on other painted townsfolk. It is also possible to mix colors by bouncing on multiple color sources. Since they are all primary colors, mixing them together creates secondary colors (yellow plus blue equals green), but mixing too many together creates an unsightly brown color. Players must also beware of the insidious police, as they can turn the player into a rolling blob of black goo with just one touch. This stain can be easily washed off, but it puts a damper on the fun and also wastes valuable time, so it's much easier to just bounce on their heads to knock them out.

Controlling the action using the Wiimote and Nunchuk controllers is very basic, but still enjoyable — and oddly relaxing. Unfortunately, one of this game's biggest strengths is also its weakness, as the simplistic controls can leave players wanting for more.

Fun and quirky as well as visually appealing, de Blob may not be complex enough to keep hardcore gamers, but it will certainly delight younger Wii-owners.

'Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe' Falls Short

DEVELOPER: Midway

PUBLISHER: Midway

SYSTEM: Sony PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360)

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Teen

REVIEW RATING: 3 (out of 5 stars)

"Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe." The name alone conjures images of testosterone-filled youth sitting in their homemade forts arguing over which hero can kick another hero's butt. Apparently, some of those youths grew up and thought the rest of the world would be interested in the same argument. They were wrong.

What happens when you pit infamous Mortal Kombat characters against classic DC characters in brutal hand-to-hand combat? In theory you would expect epic fights between some of the most powerful beings known to fiction. In reality, players have to endure average visuals, choppy moves and completely outdated game play.

It's bad enough that every signature fatality has been removed in order to maintain a Teen rating, but the replacements are little more than normal-looking combat moves. In fact, some of them just look dumb, like Jax shooting enemies with his gun. Every ounce of blood disappears in less than two seconds, so the game hardly has an MK feel to it at all.

What I can't figure out is why the combat system is based off of "Mortal Kombat 2," released way back in 1993, instead of the more recent and popular, editions of the series. Every move lacks the smooth animations found in all other modern fighting series, like DOA. To put it bluntly, there aren't enough maneuvers to hold my interest. Repeatedly performing the same five to 10 moves over and over bores me to tears.

Perhaps the only enjoyable component is the ability to fight in midair while falling from level to level. Players can punch, kick, and counter each other all while falling at 32 feet per second per second. However, this doesn't happen nearly enough to put up with the rest of the ... yawn ... unexciting combat.

To me, "Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe" is an unsuccessful attempt to bring a core game to the casual market.

REVIEW SCORING SYSTEM

5 stars = Must Have

4 stars = Pretty Good

3 stars = Above Average

2 stars = Bargain Bin

1 star = Don't Bother

RATINGS KEY

Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)

E: Everyone

E10-plus: (Everyone 10 and older)

T: Teen (13 and older)

M: Mature (17 and older)

To find out more about Jeb Haught and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.