DICE 2007: Super Rub-O-Dub First Look

Since the disastrous failure of Howard the Duck, the entertainment industry has shied from fowl of all kind. At a Q&A panel at DICE 2007, Sony Worldwide Studios chief Phil Harrison proved that Sony had the stones to take on ducks even if other publishers were still wary. Harrison revealed a new PlayStation Store download title, Super Rub-O-Dub, which he said would be available "in a few weeks."

Using Sixaxis motion control, you manipulate a square wading pool, tilting up, down, left and right to maneuver your mother duck around the stage. She needs to collect the numerous ducklings around the pool, avoiding obstacles and deadly traps. When the mother duck passes a duckling, it follows behind, soon creating a trail of tiny quackers. All of these little ones need to be dropped off at the exit point. While it sounds simple, the trail of ducklings is susceptible to the environment, so the bigger the duck train, the more difficult it becomes to avoid pitfalls and obstructions.

Harrison spoke little about Super Rub-O-Dub, playing a few early levels and offering almost no explanation. However, it appears that as the challenge of later levels increases, it's going to become quite tricky to get all your ducks in a row and move them to safety. While you can take fewer numbers of ducklings to the exit, that also extends how long it takes you to clear a stage.

It's unknown if multiplayer will be included or the exact release date of Super Rub-O-Dub. From the limited demo, it's hard to tell just what to make of the game. It looks to deliver some of the same addictive mixture of joy and frustration as SEGA's Super Monkey Ball.

via ign