Elebits
3.5 stars
By this time, it's safe to say a typical Nintendo Wii owner has already beaten Zelda, gotten pro status in Wii Sports and experienced the AI of Red Steel. If you're looking for a first-person game that's playful and addicting, giving Elebits a try might be worth it.
In the game's story mode, the player learns about the main character, Kai and what the hell an Elebit is. Elebits are energy-infused creatures used for electricity in an otherwise normal world. Kai's parents are Elebit researchers and spend most of their time with the cuddly creatures instead of Kai.
When a world power outage makes his parents leave to find the cause, Kai decides to take matters in his own hands and capture enough Elebits in his house and town to restore the energy supply.
The capture gun is used in a first-person shooter style to blast through the game's 28 missions, tearing up rooms, looking for Elebits to zap. The capture gun is used for virtually all of the game play, moving objects, opening doors and zapping the Elebits.
Players use the gun to pick up objects and shake them around, with the intention of Elebits falling out. The Nunchuck is also used, mainly to shake up objects to find hidden Elebits.
The more Elebits captured, the more energy is collected, allowing you to move bigger and heavier objects with your capture gun. Each mission requires a certain energy level to be cleared.
The Elebits are tricky, hiding in closets, toilets, computer monitors and just about any object on the screen. Different colored Elebits have different amounts of energy, and special objects allow you to capture more Elebits at a time.
It's hilarious to watch Elebits pour out of a faucet or leap out of a pizza box. It's best to expect the unexpected when searching for the little guys.
Plus, they squeal and mew like kittens. Adorable and, somehow, not annoying.
The action of twisting and maneuvering the WiiMote during game play is essential to a player's success. Pushing and pulling the WiiMote to get objects closer to you is realistic and a great use of Nintendo's technology.
Paying close attention to the tutorial isn't a bad idea in this game. Various button combinations and motions meant for different actions are sensitive, and under the game's time limit, you don't want to spend your last 30 seconds struggling to open a door.
The best part of the game is the ability to pick up things and throw them around. It's like reverting back to childhood days for a really intense bout of hide and seek. One drawback here, though, is the physics of the game isn't fully developed. Whether you're smashing a vase or a bed frame, the objects fall the same way.
Certain levels have a different twist. For example, you can't make too much noise, or you can't break fragile objects. They add variety, but considering there's no punishment for these actions in any of the other levels, it seems pointless to have random limitations.
In addition to the story mode, the game offers a multiplayer mode to see which player can capture the most Elebits. There's also an edit mode that let's players create their own levels and send them to other Wii systems for their friends using WiiConnect24.
Bottom line? Though it's not especially challenging, Elebits is cute, colorful and addictive. Animals as alternative energy is an original concept. Maybe Konami is onto something there, or maybe they just did a decent job of making an original game.
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