I preface this blog with the fact that I love Scribblenauts so far, and am currently wearing my Scribblenauts preorder hat.

However, despite my love for the game, I agree with every review I've read so far in stating that it is a frustrating experience at times. I have not gotten deeply into the game, and so I expect the control issues will get even more irritating as time goes on, but from what I've played, it's clear that 5th Cell did not learn its lesson from Lock's Quest.

I enjoyed Lock's Quest, but the game constantly irritated with its pathfinding issues and simply the fact that everything was controlled by the stylus. Even if the d-pad stylus combo causes some minor cramping (and I'll admit that it does) there should have been an option to control Lock that way, especially considering he was on a grid plane ANYWAY, so there was really no reason to not allow it. I would play that game and be attempting to fix a building, but Lock would instead move to directly behind it because it was all done the exact same way. It was irritating, and it was ridiculous.

Scribblenauts has the same failing. The fact that everything is controlled by stylus makes certain aspects of motion very difficult. Are you grabbing something? Are you trying to pick up a tiny flower? Are you trying to shoot a wall that isn't overtly available to shoot? Are you trying to interact with something? All of these require a single tap on the screen (with the exception of shooting, which requires two). The game's AI which tries to figure out what your doing is about as capable as that of Lock's Quest (which is to say, not very), and it really detracts from an incredible and unique experience.

I certainly don't regret my purchase of Scribblenauts, but how the fuck did they fail at this two times in a row? Did they simply not have control issues? Or did they think control issues were somehow good for gameplay? It makes absolutely no sense, and it is a shame, because it brings down an easy Game of the Year contender from Brilliant to Brilliant but Marred by Stupidity.

Here's to hoping the game gets better rather than worse where this is concerned, but I doubt it.