As Blake reported last week, the mobile phone game Angry Birds is coming to consoles. Having finally gotten a phone that can play the thing, I forked over my 99 cents to see what all the fuss has been about.

My first reaction: “It’s Boom Blox in 2D!” If you’re one of the few people who bought the fun and overlooked Spielberg/EA project (or its sequel), you might experience the same deja vu. I wonder if the folks who worked so hard on Boom Blox are rolling their eyes at the birds’ runaway success.

Why did one throw-things-at-a-stack-of-blocks game succeed while the other failed to catch on? Boom Blox had tons of play modes, complex level designs and amazing physics.

Angry Birds has appealing characters, a funny theme, a 99 cent pricetag and addictive, simple gameplay that can be taught in less than a second.

Was Boom Blox too elaborate for its own good? Is high-quality simplicity the key to success?

Boom Blox Bash Party is available now for $49.99 on Wii.

This week Sean and I cover Boom Blox Bash Party, Need For Speed: Nitro, the number 1 game of 2008, and Wii 2.  Take a listen and hear what’s new.

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Be sure to leave some comments or give us a call on the Infendo Radio Hotline: 206-338-BIGN (206-338-2446) after the show!

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Quick update about this week’s Boom Blox Blast Party announcement from EA: No Friend Codes.

Share your creations and destroy them with friends without Nintendo’s overprotective Friend Code system, according to an interview at MTV Multiplayer.

EA and Steven Spielberg announced this week that Boom Blox, one of the unsung heroes to grace the Wii in 2008, will receive the sequel treatment sometime this spring

According to an EA release, Boom Blox Bash Party will featuring 400 new levels and more multiplayer. From an Infendo perspective, I know the community feel was one of the things that got David all hot and bothered about the original.

“Boom Blox Bash Party is a wild social gaming experience,” Spielberg said. “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.”

Topping it off is an online level editor, which will allow players to share their creations with other block bashing friends. EA will offer DLC levels as well, most likely for a small fee.