Odama (with Microphone)
Nintendo - Nintendo
GameCube
Release date: 2006-04-10
Video Game
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Odama (with Microphone)
Date undefinedThis was a perfect starter game for my boys (7 & 11)--fun and challenging without it being impossible--lots of strategy to learn in the different levels of the game. The one drawback is that you need to buy a memory card separately in order to save the game every time you play.
Odama (with Microphone)
Date undefinedThe world of gaming is filled with been-there-done-that RPGs, sports titles that are the same year after year, button-mashing fighters, and racing games where you, um, just race. And it's sad to know that the only games that are still dominating the market are the usual noteworthy franchises. Because new revolutionary elements are sorely lacking nowadays, gaming always relies on the same familiar series to make sure it's up and running, which is fine but sometimes we need something to come along to get away from all that. I was in the store one afternoon and came across Odama for the Nintendo GameCube. If you thought you saw everything you could have possibly have seen in a game, don't make that thought official just yet.
In Odama, you play as a general in feudal Japan commanding troops to escort a bell across battlefields while using the Odama to your aid against opponents. As its description suggests, it's a unique combination of pinball and military wargame, so you can just imagine what type of action you`ll be expecting. You come equipped with a microphone, which you will speak commands to your soldiers, telling them to do various things including rallying to designated points or pressing forward against the enemy. Sounds easy, right? Not quite. While guiding your troops and combating enemy forces, you have to be careful not to kill your own troops or losing the Odama. It's pure hectic mayhem onscreen, and you'll be keeping on your feet most of the time with many things happening at once. It's a relatively short game (with only eleven levels and a free play mode), but the experience from being victorious each time makes up for the lack of length.
What impressed me the most was how the game, despite its simple premise, utilized virtually every button on the GameCube's controller. While this may sound like it's cumbersome, the frustration lends itself to something challenging and makes you want to tackle the level until victory. For a simple concept as this, the application of its control scheme was surprisingly more deep than previously imagined. Those who are looking for a gorgeous-looking game, look elsewhere. The graphics aren't anything to go gaga over, but they are appropriate enough that you won't notice. The sound, however, is top notch. Not only does soundtrack have a sweeping orchestral score, all the dialogue and audio is spoken in the Japanese language (with English subtitles, of course). It's pretty fitting with the game's thematic elements as well its visual flair. A decent overall presentation.
I can make a surefire bet right now that there will be gamers out there who are going to read this glowing review of mine and buy the game, only to spend little time with it and end up returning or selling it afterwards. Well that's their problem, and this is a game that isn`t for everyone. As far as I'm concerned, I've never had a frustratingly quirky yet fun outing like this for a long time, if ever. They took a classic arcade favorite and fused it with a culturally charged theme along with voice recognition. Now you can't get any more satisfyingly original and funky than that. Don't let the awkwardly clunky controls and reflex-oriented action deter you from playing all the way to the end. Despite its flaws, Vivarium and Nintendo managed to take a risk and come out with something new that works. It's fresh, innovative, and doesn't take too much of your time. And shouldn't that be the role of games anyway?
Odama (with Microphone)
Date undefinedOdama had the potential to be a brilliant and amazing game. It has a LOT going for it. The Japanese war theme is thoroughly genuine and really "puts" you in the game. The voice commands are sharp and reactive, and your personal narrator is witty. The sense of destruction is entirely satisfying, and crushing buildings and enemies with the Odama is quite realistic (relative to the premise of course).
But here is where Odama takes a SERIOUS blow and fails in a big way. The levels are TIMED - quite short, with almost no opportunity to add time to the clock. Where ANY level could be passed with enough effort, the time limit inhibits corrections of mistakes, and in general inhibits casual playing. Once you make a mistake in this game, there is no going back. You just start over.
Also, because this IS a pinball game, there is a great deal of luck involved. You may struggle through and fail a mission over and over, even though you are doing the right things, all because of the luck of the ball. Or on the same hand, you may win a mission in record time. The flippers do not hit the ball where physics says it should.
As a final note: I recommend this game ONLY to serious players who have a masochistic love of failure, or to those who find the value in experiencing a truly unique idea, however flawed and imperfectly executed.
