IGN Elebits preview (new videos, level editor info, etc.)

O

Oops! I did it again.

CAGiversary!
http://wii.ign.com/articles/749/749108p1.html

This game is looking good. Shame I might have to wait 'til the first of the month to get it.

The preview is worth reading, as are the videos worth watching, but here are some tidbits:

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I'm really looking forward to this as my family has already (gasp!) grown a bit weary of the Wii. We beat Rayman, we rented and disliked Monkey Ball, and we play Wii Sports occasionally (usually at least one or two games a day, but no more than that). The kids used to make Miis like crazy, but that has died down. And we are waiting on the component cables for Zelda. My boys have gone back to GC games (SMS, SSBM usually). Elebits sounds like something we can sink some time into though.

For a while there it looked like it might not be so great, but all the more recent buzz is making it sound like it will definitely be worth a full-price purchase. I have it preordered at EB to get the plush too. So I'll definitely stick with that, unless this glowing preview from IGN turns out to be total BS (which has happened in the past, after all ;)).
 
Yeah, IGN is notorious for putting out glowing previews and then panning a game when it comes out.

I have high hopes for this. The videos make it look like it will be a great deal of fun to play around with. Plus, if the WiiConnect24 stuff works right away, then you'll be able to design levels to send around.
 
[quote name='psunami']Yeah, IGN is notorious for putting out glowing previews and then panning a game when it comes out.

I have high hopes for this. The videos make it look like it will be a great deal of fun to play around with. Plus, if the WiiConnect24 stuff works right away, then you'll be able to design levels to send around.[/QUOTE]

Umm so is every gaming site. Have you ever seen a non-glowing preview?
 
Wiiconnect stuff may not be working at Elebits release, according to the IGN preview.

This was going to be my other game besides Zelda at launch. Now after I get Super Swing Golf, it will be my 4th Wii game, and final one for the year.

It's the same nonsensical, destroy the environment to collect crap style as katamari, and that's pretty much my favorite genre of games now.
 
I've been removed from Gaming news for a while, so I was surprised to not see Elebits at launch day when I got my Wii... preordered through Konami for the plush, can't wait to get my hands on this!
 
My interest in this game has never wavered. Like hohez, this was going to be my second launch title pick up. When it got pushed back, I shifted it to my Christmas list. I got more excited when I found out there was four player simultaneous play, and now with the revelation of a fully realized level editor and the awesome sounding gameplay, I'm seriously pumped for the release.
 
[quote name='lordwow']Umm so is every gaming site. Have you ever seen a non-glowing preview?[/QUOTE]

I've seen the occasional "needs work" type previews. But of course they are always hopeful that whatever problems they are seeing will be fixed. That usually means the game sucks big time, so I know not to preorder it. It is kind of like the "strong buy", "buy", "hold" ratings for stocks ;) (where they rarely say "sell").
 
[quote name='io']I've seen the occasional "needs work" type previews. But of course they are always hopeful that whatever problems they are seeing will be fixed. That usually means the game sucks big time, so I know not to preorder it. It is kind of like the "strong buy", "buy", "hold" ratings for stocks ;) (where they rarely say "sell").[/QUOTE]

Yeah, but here there is almost none of that "hopefully they will fix ______ by launch" speculation. The only negative they even cite is that the U.S. version may not have WiiConnect24 support at launch. It's a pretty rhapsodic preview, even for IGN.
 
Well, I know Cheapy bought on on launch in Japan, but the attach rate for Elebits has been horrible. That is really disappointing as it certainly would have sold better than that here. Maybe most of the Japanese launch Wii's went to resellers like with the PS3's (attach rate was still a fairly low 1.8).

Here's the scoop:

http://wii.ign.com/articles/749/749151p1.html

About 350,000 Wii's were sold, and with that 176,000 Wii Sports, 175,000 Wii Play (makes sense those two go together as you get the extra controller which is pretty much needed for Wii Sports too), followed by 139,000 Zelda. Then there's a big dropoff to WarioWare at 64,000 and Super Swing Golf at 17,000. Elebits is WAY down at 5,791. That is horrendous - but I'm counting on the fact that most of this first batch of Wii's was for reselling and people probably wanted to bundle the big name Wii Sports/Play titles with it. Still, you figure there would be more interest in Elebits than that, especially in Japan! We'll have to see how well it sells through the end of the year - but by then we'll know how it's selling here. I know I'll be one sale ;).
 
In fairness, who buys more then four games at a system launch? 1st party games screwing 3rd parties for the win. It is sad that Red Steel outsold Elebits though.
 
[quote name='furyk']In fairness, who buys more then four games at a system launch? 1st party games screwing 3rd parties for the win. It is sad that Red Steel outsold Elebits though.[/QUOTE]

Well, yes, that is the "story within a story" - that Nintendo stomped on the 3rd party developers (in Japan anyway). I'm starting to see the wisdom of Nintendo delaying Wario and Wii Play here in the US, though I'm not sure if it was for the same reason. Basically, besides Zelda, people were inclined to pick up one or two more games and generally they were 3rd party titles. If I was in Japan I would have picked up Zelda, Wii Play, Wii Sports, WarioWare, and Elebits - so heavily 1st party.

Hopefully those 3rd party sales will pick up with more Wii sales in Japan (and once all of these initial ones get to real homes).

I've said it here before - I'm fine, personally, if the Wii ends up like the GC with kick-ass 1st party games and a smattering of excellent 3rd party games. But I'd prefer if it was more robust than that.
 
Elebits Developer Diary: http://wii.ign.com/articles/749/749393p1.html

It's all worth reading but here's what I conisder the main meat of the article:

I had to come back one more time before the game ships in the US on December 12th.
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I was unsure of the date, but it's officially next week.

Before we begin, I have some good news to share with you all. Elebits was recently elected to the Famitsu Gold Games Hall of Fame. Famitsu is the biggest video games magazine in Japan, so it is a great honor and bodes well for the release of Elebits in the US. As you might know, Elebits was released in Japan alongside the Wii this last weekend, and we've had a great response to the game. There is already a lot of user created content on sites such as YouTube, so I'd recommend looking around to see how people are enjoying the game.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1I-OeZ3wB4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hszOo99xL7w

LMAO at being able to create an elaborate dominos stage like that. I love it.

A lot of you were expecting Elebits to be a launch game for the Wii in the US, but it was of course pushed back for a few weeks. I can now tell you the reason for the delay - we've been adding online functionality to the game. In fact, we will be the first Wii Connect 24 game available when Elebits is released next week. While the Wii Connect 24 service is not yet operational in the US, the game will work online whenever Nintendo chooses to begin the service.
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Good, at least it'll be there in the box once Nintendo is ready to launch it.

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.
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Nice, nice...

Sounds like a game with tons of replay value.

Argh I wish I could get it Tuesday! I've got to wait 'til January.

Why oh why did I buy Super Monkey Ball, LOL...
 
I can't tell if you can actually send your crazy User Created Rube Goldberg stages to people, or only pictures of them...

It kind of sounds like the latter, which would be a shame.
 
Well the developer diary never conclusively outright says word-for-word "You can send your created stages," but it does begin the paragraph describing the level editor by saying "So I'm sure you are all wondering exactly how Elebits uses Wii Connect 24" which tells me that's what he was getting at. Also, IGN said you can send the stages, so it sounds like we can do both (screenshots and actual levels).
 
That domino stage is unbelievable. A game with that level of customizability has to be great.

Is it really in doubt that you'll be able to share customizable stages over WiiConnect? I thought that's been confirmed for a long time. Guess not.
 
[quote name='Tybee']That domino stage is unbelievable. A game with that level of customizability has to be great.

Is it really in doubt that you'll be able to share customizable stages over WiiConnect? I thought that's been confirmed for a long time. Guess not.[/quote]

it has been confirmed for a long time. It is in game, you just won't be able to use that feature until the Wiiconnect24 stuff is fully operational.
 
[quote name='Oops! I did it again.']



I was unsure of the date, but it's officially next week.

[/QUOTE]


Awesome! I just found out I may have to travel for work Dec 18-22 and I thought this was coming out the 19th. If it comes out next week I can play it before I have to leave :mrgreen:.

I can also be sure to pick up the plush that way (preorder bonus at EB).
 
This looks pretty cool. What is your objective in the game? Will there be online multiplayer or only sharing levels?
 
[quote name='rickonker']This looks pretty cool. What is your objective in the game? Will there be online multiplayer or only sharing levels?[/quote]

Sharing levels and screenshots only. But, the levels will not be active yet due to the wiiconnect24 isn't ready yet.

your objective--

Elebits are the source of electricity, you use your wiimote like a gravity gun to capture them and turn on stuff in your home allowing you to capture more and turn on more stuff.

Yes, i know that's a terribly boring description, go check out some videos somewhere.
 
With this game sounding more and more appealing I'm beginning to wonder if preorder from Konami was a mistake over EB or Gamestop.
 
Over the past month or so, all the talk of Elebits I read (such as IGN), said that the game would be 480p in 16:9 presentation. Every screenshot and video we see is 4:3, though.

Have you guys conclusively heard anything, or should it be safe to assume it's 4:3 only?
 
[quote name='Oops! I did it again.']Over the past month or so, all the talk of Elebits I read (such as IGN), said that the game would be 480p in 16:9 presentation. Every screenshot and video we see is 4:3, though.

Have you guys conclusively heard anything, or should it be safe to assume it's 4:3 only?[/QUOTE]

Damn I hope not - just got my component cables today! :mrgreen:
 
[quote name='Oops! I did it again.']Over the past month or so, all the talk of Elebits I read (such as IGN), said that the game would be 480p in 16:9 presentation. Every screenshot and video we see is 4:3, though.

Have you guys conclusively heard anything, or should it be safe to assume it's 4:3 only?[/QUOTE]

I've been concerned about that myself. Maybe we should ask Cheapy. He has it. I don't know if he has the component cables, but he could at least confirm whether or not it's 16:9.
 
I asked Cheapy in the CAGcast thread about progressive scan and 16:9. His response:

I meant to mention this....but I forgot...I will mention it next week.

Not sure on the 480p part, but there are very small black bars on the side of the screen on both Elebits and Warioware...Wii Play has none.
They are very small...maybe 1 inch or less.
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So it sounds like it is widescreen, and I'm willing to bet it is also 480p. That's good news.

Lego Star Wars II for the GCN is widescreen but has those same thin black bars that just prevent the image from reaching the sides of the screen. I wonder why that is? Maybe they're compensating for overscan or something.
 
^ Yeah, that's cool. Good news, thanks for posting it.

Yay for me, I just noticed that EB/GS extended the $20 bonus on console trade-ins, so I'm going to grab this game on Tuesday after trading a 'Cube plus some other stuff in.
 
So, does anyone exactly know HOW you will be able to send a level to your friends..?

The reason I ask this is because we don't have anything online yet. We can just message each other and send Miis to one another.

I hope there's some sort of friend list in the game.. to let us know who of our friends have this game too...Instead of having to go through the trouble of finding out on HERE who has Elebits, and then sending it to them on your Wii.

If that's the case, I'll be kinda upset :(
 
[quote name='lilboo']So, does anyone exactly know HOW you will be able to send a level to your friends..?

The reason I ask this is because we don't have anything online yet. We can just message each other and send Miis to one another.

I hope there's some sort of friend list in the game.. to let us know who of our friends have this game too...Instead of having to go through the trouble of finding out on HERE who has Elebits, and then sending it to them on your Wii.

If that's the case, I'll be kinda upset :([/quote]There appeared to be a list of people in-game to send it to. How that will work, we have no way of knowing. I have a feeling it will just be all your friends, because how WiiConnect24 will know if someone else has the game or not is beyond me. Unless that's part of the friend system that hasn't been used or implemented yet.
 
Now I don't know if I can grab it today or not.

Have not yet been able to make it to EB/GS for a trade-in (the guy borrowing my Cube has been hard to contact) so I'm holding out hope that I can make it happen ASAP.

Either way, that review sounds great, to me! All of the flaws have been known and expected, and the positives make it sound like a game I'll be playing for a LONG LONG time.
 
What I like in the IGN review is the following line: "Control is pixel-perfect and speedy and manipulating the objects with a sense of physics is just short of addictive".

It is the control that would make or break this game, and it sounds like that is one of their favorite parts. The horrendous voice work? - Meh, it's the least important part of a game, especially one like this. The slightly inferior graphics I can deal with. Though is it any worse than, say, Chibi-Robo, which was another game panned for it's graphics? Chibi looked great on my 51" HDTV, so sometimes I don't get the complaints about graphics. The floaty physics (Matt at IGN is confusing on this issue - he says the physics is amazing in one sentence and then says it is 'floaty' and problematic in another) could be an issue - will just have to play to see ;). I'm definitely getting and opening ASAP my preorder from EB. I think we'll see this in stores Weds and not tomorrow though (I have yet to get a call about my preorder but they have been very spotty with those recently).
 
While the 8.3 from IGN is great and all, just note that they gave Ice Age 2 a 7.5 :rofl:.

Now, actually, that sounds like a fun game for the kids that I will definitely pick up when I can for less than $20, but still... I would kind of hope Elebits was in a whole different class. I guess you could say Ice Age 2 was graded on a curve though - it was clumped in with several categories that make it have low expectations: a kids game, a port from the older systems, and last but not least, a licensed game. So you can't compare the 7.5 and 8.3 with these two games (now the 4.5 for Happy Feet shows that it, indeed, is probably TRULY awful). I think they graded Elebits a bit harsher as it had higher expectations.
 
IGN's score is right around the score I expected, all things considered. It's the critical opinion that all reviewers will probably share: they have to take into account the weak graphics and sound that is also apparently weak. But as for the areas that all people interested in Elebits are excited about (gameplay and replay value), it looks like the game has flourished. It already received lots of critical acclaim overseas, and Casamassina's thoughts help seal the deal to me that Konami accomplished what they set out to accomplish here...and that makes me a happy gamer. :)
 
[quote name='soonersfan60']I am wondering how similar this is to Chibi Robo. I haven't played that yet either, but my sister is getting that for my son. Any thoughts?[/QUOTE]

Well, I think any similarities are merely in the graphical style. I dunno, it just seems the rooms are like those in the house in Chibi-Robo. The gameplay is pretty unique, but seems more lile Pikmin and Katamari than Chibi-Robo. Though it really isn't like those two games either ;).

I suppose it is only like Pikmin in that the Elebits resemble Pikmin. The gameplay is a bit more like Katamari (with an entirely different control scheme of course) in the way you must go through a progression of upgrading your "weapon" by collecting things (literally things in Katamari, just Elebits in Elebits!). This then unlocks new areas so that you can proceed. It also seems Katamari-like in that you have various limits imposed on different missions (time, noise, etc).
 
I'm pretty sure that I'm going to trade in my unopened copy of Monkey Ball for this. I've not heard enough good about Monkey Ball to keep that one at this point. Elebits just looks like more fun, and the multiplayer looks to be very hectic and entertaining.
 
Gah...I have to wait 'til Christmas to play this. Putting it on my list seemed like such a good idea at the time.

Oh well. Back to Zelda.
 
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