Forum > Blogs > Elebits critical reception
Elebits critical reception
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Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:39:56
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Various review snippets from Metacritics:


"It may not have the prominent franchise name behind it, but when it comes to game design, nothing else on the Wii can match the charisma, interactivity, creativity and innovative qualities that Elebits extracts from the Wii hardware. As such, Konami deserves major props for actually going out on a limb with its debut Wii project, unlike the many other publishers and developers that played it safe. "


"Elebits might not have the prettiest graphics, the best voice acting or even the best plot. Despite all this, its highly enjoyable and addictive gameplay allows this title to shine. While Elebits may be destined to be a sleeper hit, it shouldn’t be avoided due to its pure fun factor. Anyone, of any age, can pick up the Wii remote and zap a few cute little beasts. To make a long story short, for all those looking for a rich gameplay experience on their Wii, Elebits might be for you. "


"Elebits is a fine example of what a first wave game can be in a new generation of consoles, and hopefully in the future we will see more games with the gameplay quality of Elebits, but more polished around the edges. "


"During the 10+ hours that it requires to finish Elebits youll be hard pressed to find many issues. At times its a bit hard to open doors and shoot Elebits because of collision issues but that really doesnt detract much from the fun. The only real show stopper comes late in the game during the final two levels where some serious slowdown occurs. The areas are large, there are 100s of Elebits on screen, and a ridiculous amount of building and objects all colliding in one big physics equation. It essentially turns into a slideshow at this point, but its still playable."


"An excellent game that takes full advantage of what the Nintendo Wii has to offer. The customization and endless possibilities of building and sharing levels you create with your friends adds unlimited replay value to the game and as long as you can find a friend who picks up Elebits too you’ll be set. Elebits truly is an amazing game and should be one that you don't let pass you by, especially since January will see the release of only one Wii game. It's only been 7 weeks since the Wii has been released and already Elebits makes wonderful use of Wiiconnect24 and the Wii remote, something all third party companies (heck, even Nintendo) should keep in mind in the coming months."



"Elebits has a unique style with a concept that can only be done justice on the Wii. Opening doors by turning the Wiimote, flinging all sorts of things all over the place in the house and zapping those Elebits to capture them couldn’t be done on any of the previous generation’s consoles or this generation’s consoles. While the graphics aren’t anywhere near the levels of what the PS3 and XBOX 360 put out, neither of them could do Elebits the same way the Wii does. That is one of the things that makes Elebits a great game and one of the best to show your new system off to friends."


"It may not be the most attractive game on the planet, the voice acting may bring back memories of "Barry? Where's Barry?" and the physics may be far from perfect, but the game is incredibly fun, with tons of extras and thousands upon thousands of Elebits to retrieve — and I was determined to push sleep off a little longer just so I could nab 'em."


"At the end of the day, Elebits is fun because it tries something new. Tossing things around in the air and demolishing bedrooms and kitchens is more fun than it ought to be, and the controls in the game are usually spot-on."


"If you own a Wii and want something that not only uses the controller to its fullest and provides a unique since of humor and game play, then Elebits should be in your Wii library. A great first wave title indeed. "


"It’s not a particularly attractive game and there are some gameplay quirks to work around, but it’s easy to forget the issues when you’re making a total mess of things, tossing objects from one side of the room to the other and letting gravity take its course. "


"Inspired, intuitive and a real giggle."


"Elebits is a great first wave Wii game. Not only does it present some interesting new gameplay mechanics, but it makes full use of the Wii remote to enhance the experience. It's clear that the title was hatched from the very beginning for Nintendo's new console and it's refreshing to encounter a game that could not be done well on any other videogame system. I have to note, it really is a lot of fun just to pick up items and toss them around in the worlds that Konami has created; it feels great. And when you add in the fact that the stages present unique challenges and all sorts of nooks and crannies for Elebits to hide in, I think you're going to find hours of solid entertainment waiting here, especially when you consider the multiplayer mode and map builder, which enables you to trade created levels with friends over WiiConnect24. My hat is off to Konami for going the extra mile. "


"Elebits is original, addicting, easy to pick-up and play, and comes highly recommended. "


"What could have been a lame attempt at making Wii Katamari turns out to be a whole lot of fun. It's pseudo-plagaraism of the King of Cosmos holds this back from getting a better score. "


"What could have been little more than an extended tech demo has actually turned out to be one of the finest Wii games to date and certainly the most novel and interactive. "


"Elebits is wonderful in its execution of an original idea."


"The game is a showcase of everything Nintendo hopes for its new console: the novel simplicity of the Wiimote, deceptively simple gameplay that's easy for non-gamers to learn yet a challenge for gaming veterans to master. "


"There’s just something so appealing about smashing vases against walls and ripping carrots out of the ground. A fun and ingenious design which makes Eledees a winner."


"Repetition and control issues aside, Elebits still manages to entertain in a very primal way. There's something so visceral about completely demolishing an entire house and then not having to clean it up."


Notably I just found in the options an option to make the controls more sensitive and turning faster. I will have try it out. It would be a crime if this game didn't get a sequel. Unfortunately the Elebits team is busy making Castlevania Judgement and the rumours of a Wii sequel that have been repeated across UK Future magazines have turned out so far to be a dud with this new DS game.


http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/wii/elebits

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Sun, 26 Oct 2008 19:08:27
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Free Radical should really use the Elebits mechanic for a new Second Sight game on the Wii. I would be like Fedor and Putin rolled into one badass thing!
The VG Press
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Mon, 27 Oct 2008 03:43:24
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Best game ever made.

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Mon, 27 Oct 2008 03:47:01
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It's funny, ALL the reviews I've read make it sound incredibly innovative and enjoyable, yet it only got decent scores.

I don't get it.

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Mon, 27 Oct 2008 05:17:55
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Elebits sucks. It only got only decent review scores because Konami paid everyone off, including GG. Nyaa

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Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:36:43
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Edge have you not picked it up yet? It must be $10 by now.

Foolz, I think the game has technical issues, framerate for instance. I also think that this is a game that suffered in reviews due to the release rush and lack of component cables in the U.S as well. When Wii launched all these game journos turned on their wii's and expected visuals that could compare to other high def consoles. Nintendo didn't even have component cables out then, so anyone playing with an S-Video cable or scart on an HDTV would have a jagged assault on the eyes.

Because of the nature of reviews and deadlines, particularly at a consoles launch, I don't think many had the time to properly play the game. This led to all these reviews saying it was a short game for kids. I just finally completed it last night and I sunk in 20 hrs and that is only the time the game recorded by me saving. I have actually put in far more.

Did reviewers even dig into the edit mode? Most reviews seemed to ignore it, again at launch I'm not even sure WiiCOnnect 24 was working but for many months this was the only game to use online features for the Wii.

The game is great, yet does need improving technically, it needs far more polish and the levels lose something when you go into large areas with lots of slowdown versus the small tight rooms where you are managing space.

Ravenprose, shut it!

Iga, this can also be a response to Foolz as well: part of the reason why people are impressed by Elebits is that it has revolutionary control mechanics, that can be applied to other games, so when playing the game you can see the potential for other genres. Perhaps reviewers wanted other genres rather than a puzzle game? A FPS for instance where you were cast as a superpowered physics freak.

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Mon, 30 May 2011 21:44:39
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I opened it up last night and played the first four levels.

Setting aside the controls for a moment it's very Katamari Damacy-like.  The ultra polygonal setting, the interaction with everyday things in an abnormal way.  The score-driven changes in gameplay.

The controls are as amazing as the fact that Konami never did anything else like this on the Wii (to my memory).  What a great launch title.

The voice acting is among the very worst I've ever heard in my life (and I played many a Sega CD game). Thankfully there is not a lot of it.

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Mon, 30 May 2011 23:36:31
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Voice acting is very cringe-worthy indeed.  Nowhere near as bad as Sonic or Nights though

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Tue, 31 May 2011 00:55:31
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You don't know the meaning of bad VA until you've heard Polka from Eternal Sonata.

Elebits is a painful reminder of how much more could it be achieved with the Wii's motion controls, had developers had the balls to think a bit outside the box.

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Tue, 31 May 2011 01:26:30

Ah yes, Polka was very bad. But in Elebits even the pacing is ter....ri... ble.

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