Joystiq

Not a million miles away from the N64's Pokemon Snap, the game provides the fun of shooting things, but with the threat of attack entirely absent. The only feeling of urgency comes from the increasingly stringent time limits the game enforces. This may sound boring to some, but exploring the game environments with an increasingly more powerful gun certainly entertains. This formula is changed somewhat for boss battles where the emphasis is squarely set on shooting over exploration. Very much like FPS bosses, but with no risk of dying, as you don't even have an energy bar! Still, the change of pace is so brisk that you can't help but feel excited anyway.

The game is not without its flaws though, and you do get the feeling that maybe it was rushed a little to reach the Wii's launch window. The game engine is juddery at times, despite the games relatively simple graphics. The control system also annoys when you've created a mess, and you get yourself stuck. On one hand, you could argue that a more skilled player might not have made the mess in the first place, but you often find yourself shouting at the screen "just step over the chair! It's not that big!". This is made all the more annoying when the blocking items are below your point of view, and you don't even know why you're stuck.

So far, these problems are not detracting enough to ruin the fun. If Elebits keeps throwing up new and interesting challenges, it could be a winner. We'll keep you informed.

Japanese offical site: here