Elebits!

[Stocka]

Translated from gamefront.de:

Elebits is the first WiiConnect24-game. Konami could send new content to users.

 

The player can edit maps and levels with custom rules (pct.2) in the "Editor Mode" (pct.1) and send them to a friend. You can also take photos (inside story or editor mode) and send those to someone from your friendlist (pct.3) as well.

 

Release: 12.08.06 in Japan

It may be only a small online feature but it's good to see it making use of it, and coming out very soon.

[flameboy]

it's only a small start, but it could be these small tentative steps that help wiiconnect 24 move on and become a great network....

[Dante]

New screenshots.

[ViPeR]

Shame it could still be passed off as an N64 game.

[flameboy]

yeah very true... who knows we may see a sequel with better graphics if it sells.

[Dante]

Elebits is the first WiiConnect24-game. Konami could send new content to users.

 

The player can edit maps and levels with custom rules (pct.2) in the "Editor Mode" (pct.1) and send them to a friend. You can also take photos (inside story or editor mode) and send those to someone from your friendlist (pct.3) as well.

 

[solitanze]

This looks to be what Pikmin was to GameCube, except for inferior review scores.

[flameboy]

new gamespot hands on

 

http://uk.gamespot.com/wii/action/elebits/news.html?sid=6162540

 

its got some interesting little bits of info that I didn't know about like bosses etc...give it a read, plus they have new movies.

[Hellfire]

Shame it could still be passed off as an N64 game.

Try not to exagerate OK? Because graphics are clean doesnt mean they're N64 level, not to mention that N64 couldn't handle those physics.

This looks to be what Pikmin was to GameCube, except for inferior review scores.

Dear God, would you shut up about reviews scores? Seriously, you have a problem.

[flameboy]

didnt realise this used the nunchuk aswell...

[badboyace84]

i am soooo looking forward to this game sad i know but its one of the reasons im actually buying a wii and plus i want red steal but elebits was the first game i saw and although it has nice soft pastle colours and cute elebits i think it will be a really cool game roll on the release of ELEBITS:yay: i think i will be playing this game for a long time.

 

Reading the gamespot hands on i didnt ready anything about multi player does anyone know if it has a mutiplayer mode

[Stocka]

This is ace! You must check it out:

Looks like great fun, and decent physics too

[Librarian]

ha ha ha what the hell was that.. I simply love those wierd japanese games..

na na na na na na katamari damacy

[Gaijin von Snikbah]

Thats alot of physics there...

[dazzybee]

I didn't know this game had a level editor, thats awesome.

This game had any reviews yet?

[Hero-of-Time]

This is ace! You must check it out:

Looks like great fun, and decent physics too

 

That was awesome! Sod the reviews, when is the game due for a release over here?

[ViPeR]

Try not to exagerate OK? Because graphics are clean doesnt mean they're N64 level, not to mention that N64 couldn't handle those physics.

 

I was thinking more of the game models rather than the appearance. The Bike thing in one picture has a hexagonal wheel.

[Stocka]

That was awesome! Sod the reviews, when is the game due for a release over here?

Spring I think, March/April

[IMJ]

I didn't know this game had a level editor, thats awesome.

This game had any reviews yet?

 

I believe Famitsu gave it a 32/40 review. Elebits has dramatically risen on my most-wanted list. The level editor and wiiconnect24 makes it even better.

[Goron_3]

This looks to be what Pikmin was to GameCube, except for inferior review scores.

 

PLEASE! STOP CARING ABOUT REVIEWS! god dammit this is ridiculous.

[mcj metroid]

wow i usually get all games with level editor.Advanced wars,micromachines etc.Love them.i mite think about this

[immy]

I believe Famitsu gave it a 32/40 review. Elebits has dramatically risen on my most-wanted list. The level editor and wiiconnect24 makes it even better.

 

reviews are important but famitsu are crap.....

[pedrocasilva]

PLEASE! STOP CARING ABOUT REVIEWS! god dammit this is ridiculous.

IMO, he's seriously f*cking the spirit of this forum...

[Dante]

IGN Elebits Hands-On.

 

Elebits has divided Nintendo fans ever since its unveiling at E3 of this year. The first Konami game to come out on the Wii, Elebits is certainly not what anyone expected from the publisher known for Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania. After its E3 showing, opinion on the game was largely divided. Most people out there were turned off by the game due to its simplistic graphics, and seemingly chaotic gameplay. A select group of people, however, walked away completely enamored with the game. After sitting down for some extensive sessions with the title, we can happily say that we have found ourselves siding wholly with the latter group.

 

If you are completely baffled by all this talk of Elebits, let us help you become acquainted with what is shaping up to be one of the best titles available for the Wii this year. Originally scheduled to be a launch game, Elebits tells the tale of a world much like our own, except that small colorful creatures known as elebits (natch) are the source of all electrical power. As the game starts, you are treated to some beautifully illustrated concept art, while the game's main character describes the back story. The story for the game is far darker than the cutesy image of eponymous Elebits would lead people to believe. In Elebits, you take control of a child whose parents are scientists so obsessed with researching the Elebits that they have completely neglected their child. As a result, your character has developed a pathological hatred for the colorful little creatures, and will stop at nothing to get them out of his life. When the electricity for the city suddenly goes out, and the child's parents are called out to investigate, he does the only natural thing: grabs his dad's gravity gun and goes to hunt himself some Elebits!

Elebits dwell inside pretty much everything.

 

 

The main gameplay dynamic of Elebits focuses on the use of this gravity gun as a means of interacting with the world. Every object in the game can be moved through use of your gravity gun. The gun itself also doubles as a sort of capture device which draws the Elebits to you. The Elebits are the source of energy for the entire world, so capturing them naturally yields energy in the form of Watts. These Watts are used not only to power up various electric devices in the world, but also to level up your gravity gun, enabling you to lift heavier objects. In each mission, your gun will default back to level 1, so Elebits must be collected anew; however, the scale of each mission is different meaning that while on one stage your default strength may be 10 kg, on another stage it might be 60 kg. The goal of each stage is to collect a target amount of wattage, thereby restoring power to the room, and making everyone (besides the Elebits) happy.

 

This manipulation of real world objects forms the basic gameplay paradigm for Elebits. Players will move from mission to mission, scouring each area for the mischievous hidden creatures. While this gameplay dynamic might not sound like too much fun, once you point the Wiimote at the screen and knock over a refrigerator, you will be hooked. The FPS aiming controls in Elebits are the most precise that we have yet experienced on the Wii. It is incredibly easy to point at any single object and interact with it merely by clicking a button. Despite the fact that the Elebits are tiny, we never had any problems whatsoever picking them out of the environment and zapping them into servitude. This ease of use helps to create the feeling that you are actually reaching into the world and interacting with it. The game also sports some really nice physics. While the objects in the world are ever-so-slightly floaty, it seems that this was a deliberate move to make the game a little easier to handle. The level of mayhem that will often result when tearing a room apart is sometimes daunting, so it is nice that not everything comes crashing straight down to the earth as soon as you toss it in the air.

Ransack this home office exactly how you choose.

 

 

While it may seem like unabashed mayhem is the focus of this game, this is not entirely true. Although ransacking a home office is extraordinarily fun, there is some measure of restraint that you must exercise at all times if you hope to be successful. Certain levels will place limits on the amount of destruction you can cause or noise you can make. This forces you to be more careful with the world as you tear it apart piece-by-piece. The game also features some intuitive puzzles all of which will yield bonus supplies of Elebits, if done correctly. In one situation we needed to insert a CD-ROM into a paper shredder, in another we were tasked with re-ordering a set of encyclopedias alphabetically. Each of these tasks is relatively simple, but when executed in the midst of all this chaos, ends up being extremely fun and engaging.

Edit Mode allows for a whole lot of experimentation.

 

 

The Elebits themselves come in several different varieties. The standard red and blue Elebits are harmless and are used to add to a room's total wattage, whereas yellow Elebits power up your gravity gun. Later in the game there are larger and sometimes hostile Elebits which will attack you when discovered. The game even throws boss encounters into the mix periodically. Additionally, there are plentiful power-ups strewn about each and every level. The Elebits Cookie can be used to lure the unsuspecting creatures out of their hiding places, while the Electromagnetic Pulse will stun every Elebit within a certain radius. By far our favorite power-up was the Homing Laser which allowed us to target several Elebits at once and zap them all at the same time.

 

Beyond the main Story Mode, the game features several other unlockable modes. Once you have beaten a mission, you can go back and replay it in Time Attack, Eternal or Challenge Mode. The Challenge Mode is the most interesting sounding of the three, as it will change around the level layouts, and provide you with a specific puzzle that must be completed for each. Additionally, once you get bored of playing through the developer-made levels, you can dive into the game's extensive level editor. The level editor allows you to rearrange any of the game's levels to your liking. You can place any of the types of Elebits, power-ups, or pieces of furniture at points of your choosing. Furniture must be unlocked by playing through the main game first. There is a point system in place to keep the levels from becoming ridiculously cluttered, but other than that you are free to run wild. You can also adjust the gravity settings in these new worlds you create to your liking. It is all quite easy to use, and pretty captivating. The best part about this level editor is that it has support for WiiConnect24. Players can upload their creations to the Wii Message Board, and people on their Friends Lists can download those levels. Unfortunately, while this is supported on day one in Japan, Nintendo of America is a little behind. Konami reps were uncertain as to just when this would be supported in the US.

A little creativity goes a long way.

 

 

This game was so jam-packed with features that it is hard to describe them all here. Elebits also has a fantastic multiplayer game which allows up to four people to go into any of the game's levels and trash their way to victory. We only got to briefly explore this mode, but from our playtest, it seemed to be very frantic, and quite a lot of fun. Players will take turns throughout a round being in control of the camera, so you will have to strategize about things you want to do well before you are able to actually do them. This makes seemingly mundane things -- like being the first person to put a piece of bread in a toaster -- become all-out battles to the finish. It all comes together rather well, and makes for an enjoyable multiplayer experience.

 

Graphically, the game may not be anything special to look at, but none of that matters once you reach into the world with your Wiimote and start tossing things around. With a game like Elebits, playing truly is believing. For a game that may seem superficial at first glance, there is so much to see and do in Elebits. After our recent play sessions with this game it has skyrocketing up our wishlists, and actually become something that we constantly itch to play more of. Elebits is by far one of the best uses of the Wiimote that we have seen yet. Konami has done a better job of making the controller fluid and precise than in any of the Wii launch titles. It's too bad that Elebits did not make it out in time for launch. It would undoubtedly have overshadowed many lesser games. As it stands, we are avidly awaiting the day when we can finally sit down and spend extensive time capturing and torturing Elebits of our very own.

 

From Elebits Developer Diary #4.

 

So I'm sure you are all wondering exactly how Elebits uses Wii Connect 24. One of the modes in the game is called "Edit Mode." In this mode, players can create their own stages by placing different kinds of objects and Elebits throughout the framework of any of the more than 25 stages in the game. You can also make adjustments to the gameplay such as changing the amount of watts needed for completion, how strong the gravity is, or what kind of items the player can use. The development staff here has had a lot of fun changing the gravity in each level, so I'd recommend that you check it out! You will unlock additional items to place around the level as you achieve certain ranks on each stage in story mode. You'll also be able to take and share screenshots from both the story mode and edit mode. It's always good to send screenshots to your friends via Wii Connect 24 to show them your latest Edit Mode creations.

[flameboy]

gamebrink reviewed the japanese version gave it 89!

 

http://www.gamebrink.com/nintendo-wii/1897-Elebits-reviews-2.html