They have a meaner stare, too.
Alright, i hit a nerve when i griped about Elebits missing the Wii launch. Sue me, i was bummed. But now Elebits is here to wash the tears away, and Madden be damned, i bought it.
E-bits was never a game that i had a large vested interest in. What drew me to it initially was how original it was and how it used Wii’s remote, which was enough for it to stand out in the Wii crowd of ports and lazy first efforts, in my opinion. Turns out there’s a damn fine game behind all that as well.
It’s like Pikmin meets Half Life 2 meets Metroid Prime. You go around with a gravity gun searching for electrified Pikmin clones to restore power to your household after a blackout. The Pikmin relation is obvious, so is the Half Life connection. The Metroid Prime link comes from the adventure aspect of this first person shooter. All items you see in and out the house need to be shaken up, moved, or flung in order to find every last elebit and meet whatever wattage target you’re after. It’s definitely an FPS in an adventure game’s clothing, but you shoot to collect rather than to kill. It uses the bounding box model for aiming and shooting, and funnily enough it works very well due to the game’s pacing. Word has it Red Steel is eating its heart out as we speak.
The physics are floaty, but fun as hell. You can wave or twist things to open them, like boxes or doorknobs; fling objects into the air and out of your way; appliances and electronics around the house or yard are energized as you progress in a level, allowing you to turn them on and release elebits from their electric prisons; you can use certain appliances to get extra elebits out of them, such as inserting a DVD in the DVD player, microwaving popcorn, or roasting a turkey; powering up your gun lets you lift heavier things like cars, boats, and so on; and lots of other things. It’s like a sandbox game in a very small, very interactive environment that opens up as you go — the Wii version of GTA. Playing with the physics and objects like you would in real life is more than half the fun.
Bottom line, this is the most proper Wii game out right now, alongside Wii Sports, and the best for your money as far as i’m concerned. There’s tons of unlockables, tons of levels and different ways to play them, simultaneous 4-person multiplayer, and custom level editing/sharing with friends through wifi. It certainly aint a killer app, but this is Wii game of ’06, Zelda or no Zelda.
If you’ll excuse me, my slot is blue. Duty calls.
Well put, Rollin!I'm also enjoying Elebits quite a bit, and yes, it is the first game of its kind, in that you couldn't play this in anything other than Wii.I hope first-person-shooters like Metroid have an interface that is as intuitive and fun as this one!Can't wait to start checking out the editor, and see what other people come up with…
Dangit, now I have another game I must have. Curse you Wii, and you fun games. Why must you hurt my wallet so?
I think this goes back to that whole: "How to rate a Wii game". This really is the 1st game like this of its kind and the ratings haven't been very good. And i don't understand why. Its so much fun to smash things and use appliances and capture little creatures and the music ain't half bad either. So i say ta hell with Gamespot and all the other losers who can't figure out how to have fun anymore. They're too busy waiting for some mind blowing pointless graphics where some dude's head blows off that they don't realize a good solid entertaining game is in their hands.
i think trauma ctr 2nd opinion is also up there too. too bad red steel wasn't up to par with the controls. although it was still fun.
Konami in da house. Can't wait to buy this, but alas, my time is shot already with Excite Truck, Wii Sports (Still), Zelda, and Madden. Must wait…
i didn't get Trauma since i have it on the DS. i know its just a port, but a nice looking port. I actually liked red steel, i didn't think the controls were that bad. i got used to them and its not really that bad. I have Excite Truck, wii sports, and zelda too. Zelda i haven't even opened up yet since i know its amazing and once there is a gap in amazing games i'll play it like crazy. wii sports is great but only for a little bit. i usually play it before i go to work. a little bowling and some golf.
I agree that this is the definitive Wii launch (window) game. After playing it for hours, I can say that this is a great example of the new types of games that the Wii can create. …and it's so fun! It's targeting and control are perfect, and I find the graphics to be perfectly suited for the feel of the game.Also, I've sending and recieving levels. Good on Konami for using WiiConnect24 in a creative way!
I look forward to trying this one out, but I barely have time to play the four games I already have. Plus WarioWare is a must-buy for me in January. Elebits is on my 'must rent' list, though, just to get a taste. And maybe if I like it enough, I'll 'keep it' for a used price.
its good to know that you're not important enough to capitalize "i" when referring to yourself…
I'm a humble cat, man.For the record gang, the things that reviewers have complained about i agree with. For me, someone who is very with Wii on its philosophy and the controller and everything, it's an easy sell. The thing with reviewers is i think they are more critical of it when they have to review so many games at once, and they possibly rush through it and don't savor the lasting fun you can have with this. My theory anyway. I do have complaints. The voice acting is the worst i've heard in any form of media ever. It's worse than Tales of Symphonia's, easily. The graphics are bare minimum quality, and there is some massive slowdown at hectic times. The whole grav gun/environment thing is damn fun, but it feels like a novelty that will wear out sooner than i'd like. But all this i can overlook because when the game works, it works well, and you can have lots of fun with it. The countless ways to play the story, multiplayer, custom level wifi sharing, and amount of levels keep the engine running even if the paint job and interior aint so great.Say hello to the first real Wii game. As software, it's lacking — as a game, it's wicked.
No props to me for buying it first and giving the thumbs up???Do me a favor anyone with this game. Pop on the song "Spitfire" by Prodigy and play a level or two on this game. It will trip you out like Pink Floyd with Wizard of Oz.
ok i don't want a crazy load of wii friends. but i would love to get some other people with this game so we can exchange levels. anyone interested?? Frisby can i get yours???dave
I got Elebits Friday and I think it's great. I agree that it is like Pikmin, Half Life2 and Metroid Prime but I'd throw Katamari Damacy in there too because of the race against the clock and the frantic pace it can take at times.Regarding EGM's 4/10 rating. WTF?! This is a great game and along with Trauma Center, Wii Sports, Rabbids, Wario Ware is the reason I got a Wii.
Let's not forget that EGM's scale is unlike most others. A 4/10 there is near "Mediocre", not BAD BAD BAD like it would be at most sites. I still don't agree with the 2 reviewers that gave it a 4 and a 4.5, but I do agree with the 1st reviewer who gave it a 7/10. A 7/10 at EGM is like an 8.5 from IGN's standards, to put it in perspective.Don't go hating EGM. They pride themselves on using the full scale of 10, and not just numbers 6-10. 😀
Something you got to try out in this game is going to the multiplayer (with or without a friend) and setting one of the controllers to the maximum power level, then go in and really trash the place (works best in the first room, the playroom). Try finding Wii, or better yet, its remote after that!