Metareview - Elebits
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Dec 17th 2006 at 2:55PM }
Back in May Elebits was showing signs of Katamari-like appeal. Seven months later the final product certainly stands out among Wii's early titles. A classic? Nah, but Elebits is one of the better available showcases of Wii's motion-driven potential; plus it dares to experiment with the WiiConnect24 service.If you've already plowed through Twilight Princess and surgery ain't your bag, Elebits should be a strong candidate for your attention, even if it's not a lasting experience.
- IGN (83/100) - "Elebits begins with a misstep in the form of a poorly presented storyline ... Once the game starts proper, though, Elebits shines ... The game dishes out a surprising level of hidden strategy, too, due in large to a clever balance between the electrified items in the stages and the ability of your capturing gun ... but the real stars of Elebits are the control and, of course, the physics ... This title is destined for sleeper status."
- GameSpot (75/100) - "Functionally [Elebits is] a first-person shooter for younger audiences ... You'll bust through the game's story mode in under six hours and fail maybe one or two stages during the entire course of the mode ... Though the game is simple, there's an oddly compelling quality to the action."
- Game Informer (70/100) - "[Elebits] taps into the same vein of quirky fun as titles like Katamari Damacy, but isn't as endearing ... With such a simple concept, it is really up to the control scheme and the Wii remote to salvage the experience, and it is only partly successful ... I couldn't shake the feeling that the game's big draw – total power over the surrounding world – will one day just be a small part of a much more involving and full-featured title...probably starring Jedi."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joe Cam @ Dec 17th 2006 3:01PM
GameSpot (75/200)
Holy crap, GameSpot rates on a 200 point scale? That's getting a bit out of hand. ;)
In all seriousness, I've been looking into picking this up. I wish GameFly would hurry the eff up so I could try it out first...
OTAM @ Dec 17th 2006 3:04PM
I'm praying to God that the Wii doesnt go the way of the DS with the majority of the games being 2 hour "pick up and play" games. I had a DS and got rid of it because after buying 5 games for it none of them had any depth and I could beat in about an hour and a half. Now,i'm not saying these games arent good,but not for the $50 pricetag they carry.
I'm hoping to get Call of Duty 3 for my Wii this Christmas. I just pray that Nintendo doesnt give the hardcore gamer fanbase the shaft to try to get "mom and dad" playing.
awiifemale @ Dec 17th 2006 3:19PM
Well I got this game and it's very addictive... I guess better gamers than me can whiz through this but I've played for hours now and am only on level 7. I really like it though, and have re-played several levels already.
Getting COD3 for Christmas, can't wait to see what it's like on the Wii!
Jim @ Dec 17th 2006 3:35PM
GameSpot (75/200) O'RLY? (or didn't I get the update) *LOL*
Brad Lee @ Dec 17th 2006 3:40PM
@ OTAM
DS Games with depth:
Mario Kart DS
Animal Crossing DS
Castlevania DS and Castlevania Portrait of Sorrow
Advance Wars DS
New Super Mario Brothers (Though this one was a bit short)
Metroid Prime Hunters
Star Fox Assualt
Kirby Canvas Curse (surprisingly challenging)
Phoenix Wright (The most in-depth text game you'll ever play)
Trauma Center
Of those games there has to be SOMETHING you're interested in. I mean I admit, the DS has a lot of casual, play-for-a-few-hours-and-you're-done kind of games, but they also have some more in-depth games too. And thats just off the top of my head. I'm sure I could find more if I tried.
I think the Wii is gonna be the same way, with games like Elebits that will be fun to rent and play for a few hours, but also games like SSBBrawl, Mario Galaxy, and the like to satisfy more hardcore gamers.
I enjoy both kinds of games myself, though with the Wii I think I'll enjoy casual games more. Games like Mario Party and Warioware, which never really interested me that much, may end up being crazy fun with motion controls. I know Raving Rabbids sure is!
Quaddw @ Dec 17th 2006 3:46PM
Game Informer's review is pretty poorly done.
I'm only on level 8 currently, and even failed it becuase I ran out of time (darn elebits are good hiders). Some of the parts in the game can be a bit confusing. While in the kitchen stage I was unable to figure out how to use the stove or microwave despite inserting food into them, I guess it needs to be a specific item such as the laundry ball for the washing machine. Some of hte other isnert item devices cna be difficult to do when you are running low on time such as trying to turn toast so that it can fit into the toaster and inserting a disc into the dvd palyer or shredder. I have already found myself replaying levels in hopes to find the rare pink elebit that unlocks eternal mode. i have also repalyed to find more elebits to unlock the other modes that are available.
One of the downfalls I think is that you can onyl send photos to people who already have elebits. I was hoping it would be sent to the person message baord with a unique looking letter such as the animal crossing one on the Wii website.
Overall the game is challenging and fun to mess around with. The item view allow you to look at all hte objects you have used the capture gun on and even shows how many you missed so you cna go back and try to find them. The Elebits room provides information on the different elebit types which can be useful.
Overall I would give it an 80/100
Optimus Prime @ Dec 17th 2006 3:57PM
Yay, this is like a souped-up, point-and-click, Flash game.. revolutionary indeed.
And OTAM, there will be games with depth, but, they will all be from Nintendo.. much like that DS list that is posted above. So, unless you like Mario-[this and that] for ALL your games.. then you're going to be out of luck.
Cant wait for the FarCry Wii metareview.. just for laughs (IGN = 4.0... lol).
wingerz @ Dec 17th 2006 4:02PM
@ OTAM / Brad Lee
I completely agree with Brad. Some of the earlier DS games were a bit on the tech-demo-y side, but if you had given it more time, you would have found yourself with too many DS games to choose from.
I'm still on the fence a bit with Elebits, but maybe I'll give it a shot.
Funny, because I just wrote about this yesterday (http://wingerz.com/blog/2006/12/17/no-third-game/)
xxeyes @ Dec 17th 2006 4:05PM
This is an incredibly fun game...one of my favorites of all time, actually. Every Wii owner should have it on their Christmas list.
Le Guru @ Dec 17th 2006 4:30PM
Optimus Prime: I know you're a troll, but I'll respond just this once in an attempt to get some vestige of reality through your skull.
If you had ever bothered to read any of the reviews, watch any videos of Elebits being played, or indeed given any thought to the matter at all, you would know why Elebits could never be implemented as a Flash game. In fact, it couldn't be implemented with anything but something similar to the Wii's remote controls; it utilizes the motion sensitivity for, among other things, rotation, force and "pushing" and "pulling," the analog trigger for movement, and the sensor bar for tracking the capture gun itself. A video on Youtube that should not be too difficult to find demonstrates how, in the level editor, the tilt capabilities are used to position each object precisely in every direction, rotated however is necessary. Elebits even has a fairly advanced physics engine, which Flash isn't even close to being able to handle. Oh yeah, and it's 3D. Bet that slipped by you.
It's far from a "souped up, point-and-click, Flash game." In fact, I'd venture to say that applying that definition to more standard shooters like Gears of War would be far, far more appropriate if that's honestly what you believe (I'm assuming it isn't, and you're just trolling Nintendo, but correct me if I'm wrong). Elebits does things that could NOT be done with a normal computer, let alone in a Flash game; the closest comparison might be to Katamari, which also took advantage of unique controls and had a similar style of gameplay.
If you want to troll Wii releases, that's fine, and for that purpose there are many excellent candidates. You already seem to have picked up on one of them, Far Cry! Good job! But stop trashing creative games like Elebits that ACTUALLY demonstrate what the Wii is capable of when you obviously haven't put any effort into finding out what those things are.
(P.S. I heard that "fl0w" really IS a souped-up point-and-click Flash game! For the PS3! Crazy, huh?)
Fisher @ Dec 17th 2006 4:35PM
Dear Optimus Prime,
"Souped up, point-and-click, Flash game"?
How? I'm just curious.
It's a first person physics-based "shooter." It's got a level editor. It has multiplayer.
What sort of Flash games do you play?
And, most importantly, what does that make games like F.E.A.R. or God of War? I would think if you coul dismiss Elebits so easily you could probably toss those asides too.
Kudos,
Fisher
Optimus Prime @ Dec 17th 2006 5:01PM
"(P.S. I heard that "fl0w" really IS a souped-up point-and-click Flash game! For the PS3! Crazy, huh?)"
Yes it is, which is why is a downloadable game for maybe 10 bucks.
Shogan @ Dec 17th 2006 5:20PM
Elebits is absolutely amazing. I got it this past week and while I got bored in the first few levels, that faded fast once it gave you more freedom. There's tons of stuff to unlock too, as there are 4 modes of play for each level, not including multiplayer, upgrades for your character and capture gun, and more.
And to the guy who said this was like a Flash game, you're an idiot.
Anticrawl @ Dec 17th 2006 5:32PM
Fuck you in the goat ass Brad Lee, you have never played a text based or scripting game in your life. That said the DS was great and I loved Elebits, makes the most mondane things fun.
Anticrawl
Retrojunkie @ Dec 17th 2006 5:59PM
Wow Op.Prime you just keep proving the fact that you're a load that your mother was better off swallowing
gooner @ Dec 17th 2006 9:26PM
Elebits is not a good game.It looks freaking terrible and gets boring really quickly.
Rubang @ Dec 17th 2006 6:05PM
Elebits is almost TOO fun. I played the multiplayer with 3 friends and turned the power on our guns all the way up. They wouldn't even bother trying to capture Elebits; they were just having too much fun throwing cars and buildings around. I can't wait to unlock all the item sets for the level editor so I can make a level full of arcade cabinets and refrigerators full of Wii remotes, with a couple vaccuum weapons in there. Then play it with 3 homies. Shazam.
Dan @ Dec 17th 2006 6:26PM
I'm really surprised by some of the mediocre reviews elebits is getting, because the game is absolutely fantastic. The story mode may be short (if you never fail a mission, it's a bit over 4 hours, I had probably played 10 when I beat it), but I see myself getting more playtime out of this than I did from Twilight Princess. There are a million things that add to the replay value, certainly not the least of which is the level editor. It's not much shorter than the Katamari games, and like them, it's just so much fun you'll want to play over and over again.
Alt+F4 @ Dec 17th 2006 6:48PM
I love how Prime only addressed the PS and neglected to address anything else that was said.
Random Insanity @ Dec 17th 2006 7:33PM
@12 "Yes it is, which is why is a downloadable game for maybe 10 bucks."
Defending fl0w on the PS3 shows how much of a fanboy you truly are. fl0w can be played on any computer (including the PS3) for free. Why would you pay money to play it on a PS3?
Squeek @ Dec 17th 2006 8:38PM
Elebits is nothing short of awesome. I've ordered Trauma Center but it has been backordered and won't get here until mid-January, but I doubt even by playing Elebits for an hour or two a day I could finish it by the time Trauma Center gets here.
It's not just "hide-and-seek lol". The first three levels are, sure. Then they start adding sub-objectives. You know in We
Brad Lee @ Dec 17th 2006 8:45PM
"Fuck you in the goat ass Brad Lee, you have never played a text based or scripting game in your life."
O_O
"Wow Op.Prime you just keep proving the fact that you're a load that your mother was better off swallowing."
^_^
Squeek @ Dec 17th 2006 8:45PM
Wow, guess I can't use "less-than" signs in posts. No "less than 3" for me then.
Well, since it erased about 7 paragraphs, I guess I'll just try to shorten it.
I was saying that Katamari II wasn't just "pick stuff up". That was the underlying goal, but there was always something else. Some levels required you to go fast and keep the ball on fire, some required you to get certain items before finishing. You can pick up Presents and Cousins.
Elebits is the same way. You can shoot rare Elebits to unlock modes and items. Completing levels fast unlocks various things as well. Also, the levels do change, such as requiring to keep the noise levels down or not breaking ceramic / glass objects.
It's not really easy the entire time either. Level 9 destroys me. I barely even passed level 8. And I hear there are over 30 levels.
Multiplayer is awesome fun too. I especially enjoyed lifting stuff up for a friend and holding it while he ducked under to shoot more Elebits. Teamwork is essential.
lolersticks @ Dec 17th 2006 10:19PM
Gooner: Good try, but for more effective trolling, try to be subtle. You fail.
Elebits is awesome. It and Rayman are the two most underrated games ever.
Sidepocket @ Dec 18th 2006 2:38AM
@ OTAM
Whoa! Were are you buying DS games for $50? They are like, $35 for a new game and $25 for an old one like Sonic Rush.
Man were ever you live sucks! @,@;
NotAnElitistPrick @ Dec 18th 2006 2:37AM
Elebits is ok. At 7.5 it is one of the most accurately rated games ever.
While this isn't a "glorified Flash game" it is exceedingly high on gimmick factor, and unlike Katamari which had a quirky and interesting story to go along with it, Elebits has none of that outside glory.
Katamari Damacy threw different level goals at you because they knew the game would just get tiresome, and a large part of what made KD phenomenal was the very visceral part that growth played in the game. Towards the beginning of the level you'd get batted around by mice and angry cats. At the end you're rolling over skyscrapers and islands.
In Elebits...you get a stronger gun, so you can move heavier furniture around to capture helpless sentient beings and convert them into electricity.
It's quirky, but it's nowhere near as god at Katamari and it's not one of the greatest games ever. Not by a longshot. It's an average game that has a little bit going for it int the uniqueness category, but please stop pretending it's the best thing sliced bread.
baby sea tuna @ Dec 18th 2006 11:15AM
Yeah, this game is really fun. I'm still deciding whether it'll be worth the $50 i paid for it in the long run, but it's definitely fun enough to stop me from playing Zelda (or the 360) for a little while.
Ikthog @ Dec 18th 2006 11:30AM
I guess it depends on what you're looking for, but I've found Elebits to be arguably the most entertaining of the early Wii games. No, it's not terribly deep or ridiculously challenging, but it's fun just to play with. It's really not a total cakewalk if you're trying to get the maximum possible score on every level (and honestly, how many serious gamers are satisfied with just "passing" a level?). Agreed that they should have played with the storyline more, but Elebits has a level editor with online sharing, something you certainly can't say about Katamari Damacy.
I don't look to the Wii for weeks of intense gameplay from a game, any more than I look to Xbox Live Arcade for the same. The Wii offers a type of game experiences unavailable anywhere else, and that's enough to get me interested, when 75% of what's out there is the same crap. Once developers get to know the system better, I'm sure we'll see plenty of deeper, more involved titles.
Nick @ Dec 27th 2006 6:21PM
Elebits is tiiiiiiight... But I think it needs cooler music... The games cool... but for me the music is lacking some cool beats... only on level 8 maybe it will get better?...