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

Thanks io. This game sounds good enough for me to at least try it. I'll probably rent this along with Far Cry and maybe buy it when the online features are turned on.
 
[quote name='judyjudyjudy']Did anyone see this?
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120022
Am I reading that right? If you go by numbers, Elebits is one of the worst games for the Wii.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I mentioned that above. I got my EGM a few days ago but didn't read it until last night, right after putting about 5 hours into Elebits. They are WAY off base. I mean, the first one (a 7.0) is OK. But I will have to disregard any further reviews by "Jeremy" (who gave it a 4.0) and "Jared" (who gave it a 4.5). Jeremy said it is a rough draft of a game. Utter BS. Jared says it is like Katamari without the personality and complains of slowdown in later levels (we'll see about that).

How those can be reconciled with the IGN review is beyond me. I'll take the IGN one as a much better representation. I'd probably dial back a bit on my statement that I like this better than Zelda. Obviously, I would play Zelda if I could only get ONE game one the Wii. But this is definitely my second-favorite and it's not even close.

The funny thing is EGM has good reviews on some of the other games: 10/10/10 (very rare!) for Zelda. The 7.0/7.5/7.5 for Rayman is about right. Excite Truck at 7.0/7.5/6.5 is spot on. They bag on Wii Sports a bit too much though (6.5/5.5/7.0). "Bryan" of the 5.5 for Wii Sports is another one to disregard in the future ;).

rickconker - it is definitely worth a rent. You won't regret that one bit. I do have a nagging suspicion that the game is a bit on the short side (one review said 25 missions and I've already gone through 8 or so). So you can probably beat it during a rental, and then, as you say, pick it up later for the level building stuff.
 
[quote name='botticus']Heh, once EGM/1up gave Trauma Center and Madden 6.5s, I knew to ignore them for the rest of this generation.[/QUOTE]

Hehe - I haven't played either of those, but it did seem their Madden review was a bit harsh. They basically say it is unplayable (on defense anyway).

It just sucks that this crappy (as in crappily-written) review will pull down Elebits' score in Metacritic and GameRankings. Right now it is sitting at a respectible 80 on Metacritic (putting it, interestingly enough, behind only Zelda, Trauma Center, and Madden), but they haven't gotten the EGM average in there yet.
 
Much respect to io for the great review. I'll hopefully pick Elebits up on Saturday (Friday night traffic is too much of a pain in the ass around here for me to want to deal with). I had high hopes for this one, and it looks like it was largely justified.
 
My kids are playing around with the level editor now. Apparently I unlocked 2 sets of objects to place and my youngest is placing Wiis and Wiimotes all over the floor ;).

I apologize for the crappy, crooked picture (had to hold the Wiimote steady while snapping the pic as well), but you get the idea anyway.

 
[quote name='Apossum']Was I the only one who noticed a ton of slowdown?[/QUOTE]

The only slowdown I've seen so far is when I made my own level with about 500 Elebits in it. It got a bit choppy then, but not too bad. I just played a multiplayer level (on a normal level) with my son and we were throwing stuff all over and there was no slowdown.

Edit - OK, I played Mission 12 tonight, which is a fully outside, in-the-town mission. Now, first off, I was surprised by this because I thought the whole thing took place in the house and yard. So this was a pleasant surprise. This is a HUGE town. It was a 15 minute (I think) mission and I didn't get to half the town (yet I still managed to get a 'B' ranking). the negative, though, is that there is quite a bit of slowdown out there. It comes and goes, but gets pretty bad at times. A slight disappointment to be sure. However, this mission adds a ton of variety. It is a completely different thing than the very cramped first mission that you do in the kid's room. And I'm still getting hit with new Elebit types, new powerups, and new mission restrictions (the latest is to not let too many black Elebits attack you).

This game is going to be *very* challenging to get all 'A' ranks (is there an 'S', I don't know ;)) and find all three pink Elebits in each level. This last level was just enormous - I kept getting messages for things I could activate that I never ended up seeing.

It looks like the next level is back indoors but in a different location than the house. Very nice.
 
What, no other comments from anyone else? I can't be the only person playing this game ;). My kids worked on the level editor a bit more. They stacked the Wii's into towers, then played the level and threw them all over the place. Fun stuff.

One concern with the editor. Maybe I haven't figured this out or unlocked it (and the manual is useless), but what I can't seem to do is put Elebits in the appliances or INTO objects. You can put them under just by dropping an Elebit and then placing the object on top of it. When you play the level they pop out from beneath as expected. But how do you put them IN things, like the pizza boxes, or cups, or garbage cans? If you try to put them in through the top (of, say, a cup) they just end up on top of it. There should be a button to hold down to place them within things and that would work with regular objects and appliances (that need to be turned on when playing).

I have a nagging suspicion though that the level editor is lacking this feature and that is a bit unfortunate. However, it says something in the manual about the '2' button (during editing) doing something with 'time'. I can't figure out what it does though. See that X'ed out icon in the top left of my screenshot under "Total Cost"? The '2' button toggles that off and on but I don't know what that means.
 
[quote name='sonderiaom']I love this game; how's that for a comment?

I'm curious to know how many of the pink elebits on the certain levels others have gotten.[/QUOTE]

I've gotten them all on about 3 of the 15 levels I've played (well, they don't exist on levels 7 and 15 as those are boss battles). Besides Mission 1, I can't remember which others I've gotten them in. When you get them, it comes up in one of the other sections what the criteria for getting the last one to pop up is. Though maybe you only have to get 2 to see how to get the 3rd? Because I've got it showing me how to get them on 2 levels where I haven't actually gotten all 3 yet. When I play in a bit I'll write down the criteria and post it here along with the levels I've cleared them on already.
 
[quote name='io']I've gotten them all on about 3 of the 15 levels I've played (well, they don't exist on levels 7 and 15 as those are boss battles). Besides Mission 1, I can't remember which others I've gotten them in. When you get them, it comes up in one of the other sections what the criteria for getting the last one to pop up is. Though maybe you only have to get 2 to see how to get the 3rd? Because I've got it showing me how to get them on 2 levels where I haven't actually gotten all 3 yet. When I play in a bit I'll write down the criteria and post it here along with the levels I've cleared them on already.[/quote]

I've only got all 3 on one of the levels.

Within the Elebits notes, it only states how to get the last pink elebit on levels 4 and 5 by getting "less than 3 noise violations". On mine anyway.
 
[quote name='sonderiaom']I've only got all 3 on one of the levels.

Within the Elebits notes, it only states how to get the last pink elebit on levels 4 and 5 by getting "less than 3 noise violations". On mine anyway.[/QUOTE]

OK, I have the notes for Missions 1, 5, 11, and 14.

1 - Clear in under 5 minutes
5 - Less than 3 loud noises
11 - Clear with 80% of capture gun durability (ie, keep the black Elebits from hitting you too much)
14 - Less than 6 broken objects

I have no idea what triggered the notes on the two levels that I haven't gotten all 3 pink Elebits (11 and 14). Apparently I've only done it in Mission 1 and 5. In Mission 1, I think I unlocked everything first try - at first I thought the game was going to be too easy ;).

On Missions 11 and 14 I got a C on one and a B on the other but for whatever reason I have Score Attack more and Challenge Mode unlocked on both. So maybe when you do that you get the hidden Elebit clue? Either that or maybe I caught 2 of the 3 on those levels.

Anyway, I'm off to play!
 
Ah, apparently you can get 'S' rankings. Just got 3 tonight. Once you've been playing for a while go back to the first mission - it's pretty easy to get there. Strangely, though, I got an 'S' on my first try of one of the later missions (the amusement park - yay, new location!).

I wasn't able to get any more 3rd Elebits or get any more clues for them either. It does seem that once you get the pink Elebits, they don't show in the levels any more. On that first one I had already gotten them and I replayed it (to get the 'S') and never saw them again.

It is going to be very hard and time-consuming to unlock every mode for every mission (ie, that's the depth to the game).
 
I started playing this last night, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far. I can see how it's comparable to Katamari Damacy (everything eventually and gradually is pickup-able and unlockable, object layout sometimes wacky, simple graphics, different play modes). I think IGN's review is fair, with the exception of the graphics comments; they're simple but not enough to make me think about it. I've never thought, gee, I wish these objects were prettier. I do wish the physics were a little more realistic, with everything not being so bouncy. I also have a really hard time with the drawers and such because instead of staying closed, they bounce back open. I also find it a little hard to do "insert" stuff, like DVDs into DVD players. I also wish you could zoom in your view. Maybe not during gameplay, since that would be unrealistic, but like in the Elebits room. They're really cute, and I'd like to just observe them from any angle and location I want. (Maybe you can do this, and I just don't know how.) And I have noticed few very, very brief periods of slowdown; nothing totally distractng yet.

I know I just listed all criticisms, but I do like this game. I've only gone up to the first boss, but I already want to replay missions to get all the pink Elebits and get better grades. In fact, I think I'll go do that right now.

btw, anyone else think the Epson product placement kind of odd?

Oh, and I got the blue/green Elebit. Not rare, but I'm kinda glad to get the most recognizable Elebit anyways.
 
I just played the first boss and with like 2.5 minutes left, I was stuck with apparently one more split ghost to find. Could not find it anywhere. Looked up, looked down, tore that place apart! Never found it, time ran out, LOL. I figure I'll try again tonight.
 
I played up to level 22 today, and I think my hand is gonna fall apart into little pieces. This game needs those "Why not take a break?" warnings for stupid people like me :(
 
[quote name='judyjudyjudy']I played up to level 22 today, and I think my hand is gonna fall apart into little pieces. This game needs those "Why not take a break?" warnings for stupid people like me :([/QUOTE]

We must be living parallel lives, I'm at about the same place ;). The third boss (not sure if that is level 22 or 23) is TOUGH. I had to play that level about 8 times before I beat it. Now my hand is thoroughly cramped.

I looked at the special notes section and now I'm seeing alot more things unlocked in there - apparently you can get capture gun upgrades and restriction-elimination, things like that by clearing certain stages. However, I don't quite get it because I've cleared those stages and the things are not active. These are the "Hidden Items".

The slowdown on some of these levels is unfortunate. That is something that should definitely be improved if they make a sequel. I would imagine more power can be squeezed out of the Wii to make this work a bit better. But there really is a lot going on in some of these levels. Not only do you have all the Elebits but once you start tossing large objects around they bounce and jostle up against each other, trying to work out the physics. It is an impressive amount of stuff to keep track of.
 
I found a "hidden" item. It's on level 11, right outside the front door of the main house inside one of those chests. It looks like a dark crystal of some sort and when I selected it, it says that it "couldn't be broken yet...".
 
[quote name='sonderiaom']I found a "hidden" item. It's on level 11, right outside the front door of the main house inside one of those chests. It looks like a dark crystal of some sort and when I selected it, it says that it "couldn't be broken yet...".[/QUOTE]

I see, so maybe if you play through the level the hidden item is there the next time? I just don't get the "instructions" on them - it just says clear such and such level, which I've done. I'll try 11 again and look for that.
 
I just picked up the game tonight to rent (and I plan on actually getting it to own later, but I want to play it so bad, so I rented it).

I do have to say that I'm really enjoy it. I love the simple presentation, and I like lots of the music. The sound effects are wonderful, and throwing around everything in the house is a real treat. I laugh and stare in amazement everytime I trash an entire room. Then I pickup something and do it some more.

I do notice slowdown, especially when I'm really close to a bunch of Elebits that have just popped out of a device or something. But its nothing bothersome. A quick slowdown and its back to destruction. And while the physics may not be incredibly realistic, I find the bounce to be a little more 'fun'.

One thing that really amazes me is the fact that the little red Elebits always manage to find a place to hide really quickly. With all the chaos and things out of place, it just seems really amazing to me.

Now back to playing. I want to get lots of time in before I leave to start the Wii line at Circuit City. T_T
 
[quote name='io']I see, so maybe if you play through the level the hidden item is there the next time? I just don't get the "instructions" on them - it just says clear such and such level, which I've done. I'll try 11 again and look for that.[/quote]
My Bad, it wasn't Level 11, it was Level 10; I thought I was farther along.

And as well, the Noise restriction things before on the pink elebits were on levels 5 and 6.

Edit: hmmm, my bad again, I was right the first time on the hidden item.
 
[quote name='sonderiaom']My Bad, it wasn't Level 11, it was Level 10; I thought I was farther along.

And as well, the Noise restriction things before on the pink elebits were on levels 5 and 6.

Edit: hmmm, my bad again, I was right the first time on the hidden item.[/QUOTE]

OK, I haven't started yet - so it IS level 11? :rofl:
 
[quote name='io']OK, I haven't started yet - so it IS level 11? :rofl:[/quote]

Heh, yeah, it is. And I found it again, finally being able to pass the level, and when I threw it around, it didn't give me any message. The message popped up originally such as when you select one of the new items around.
 
[quote name='sonderiaom']Heh, yeah, it is. And I found it again, finally being able to pass the level, and when I threw it around, it didn't give me any message. The message popped up originally such as when you select one of the new items around.[/QUOTE]

I played it twice and I can't find it. I don't even see any chests. Oh well, maybe I'll try it one more time.

I did figure something out, I think. Getting the second pink Elebit (or *possibly* the first, I'm not sure) seems to unlock Score Attack mode AND give you the clue for the 3rd Elebit in the Elebits Notes section.

Also, I completed 5 Challenge missions and unlocked the first "hidden item" (as opposed to "rare item" which is what I think we were talking about originally). It is very pathetic as what it does is DISABLE all items and gun upgrades so you have to play with the level 1 gun and no item boosts. OK then... Some of the later ones are pretty good though - but I need to unlock more Challenge modes (and then beat them!) to get anywhere near those. Some of the Challenges are pretty tough.
 
Still haven't decided if I'm going to keep my preorder yet (I saw it on the shelf at Blockbuster, think I'll use one of my free rental coupons first), but I was lucky enough to have a store with few preorders, so I snagged an extra Elebit for my fiancee. Even luckier, it was a red one, so I'll be wrapping that one up and giving it to her next week, and I get to keep my blue one.
 
[quote name='botticus']Still haven't decided if I'm going to keep my preorder yet (I saw it on the shelf at Blockbuster, think I'll use one of my free rental coupons first), but I was lucky enough to have a store with few preorders, so I snagged an extra Elebit for my fiancee. Even luckier, it was a red one, so I'll be wrapping that one up and giving it to her next week, and I get to keep my blue one.[/QUOTE]

Bastard! ;)... I told you how the manager at my store opened all of them and held me a blue one because he thought it was rarer (out of 9, the store got 6 red ones). Oh well... I've been very tempted to go to eBay for a red one, but so far I'm resisting the urge.

The game is fun though, definitely worth keeping. But, yeah, they did have it for rent (but not for sale of course) at my GR as well. I think I'm going to rent Excite Truck myself.
 
[quote name='sonderiaom']I found a "hidden" item. It's on level 11, right outside the front door of the main house inside one of those chests. It looks like a dark crystal of some sort and when I selected it, it says that it "couldn't be broken yet...".[/QUOTE]

Fulfill the prophecy, gelfling!
 
So, the game's been out for a weekish now. Does it have some legs or get old after a few days?

I'm hoping it'll be under the tree this time next week, but we'll see. :)
 
[quote name='daroga']I'm hoping it'll be under the tree this time next week, but we'll see. :)[/QUOTE]

You and me both.
 
[quote name='daroga']So, the game's been out for a weekish now. Does it have some legs or get old after a few days?

I'm hoping it'll be under the tree this time next week, but we'll see. :)[/QUOTE]

I could *see* it getting old after a few days, but not for me. I'm taking a break from it now because I rented Excite Truck and want to play that as much as possible during the rental period.

See Blaine's Elebits editor thread for a link to a video of a cool user-made level. I want that level! The editor could keep you busy for a long time by itself.
 
I love this game.. I need the red plush one, my store got one in (and 0 preorders, so I got to take it home) and it was, unfortunately, the ugly blue one.
 
I'm at level 6 or so...damn my hand hurts. Feels like a really long jerk-err, never mind. Anyway, the narration scares the crap out of me.
 
yeah any additional impressions, after a little bit of the game being owned? I bought metal slug today, but I'm hesitating on opening it, because this game looks good too.
 
I gave my hand two days rest before starting up again today. Only got up to stage 26 before I decided I want to play a level more leisurely. The stages are getting pretty big, and I'm haven't found any pink elebits for several levels now. I wanted to feel more productive by replaying some of the first several stages and maybe unlocking some stuff I missed. I got S-level on the first couple, and I unlocked a rare item in stage 3, I think.
I got a permanent elebit radar, which is pretty handy.
I really enjoying replaying the levels, much like I did for Katamari Damacy.
 
[quote name='judyjudyjudy']I gave my hand two days rest before starting up again today. Only got up to stage 26 before I decided I want to play a level more leisurely. The stages are getting pretty big, and I'm haven't found any pink elebits for several levels now. I wanted to feel more productive by replaying some of the first several stages and maybe unlocking some stuff I missed. I got S-level on the first couple, and I unlocked a rare item in stage 3, I think.
I got a permanent elebit radar, which is pretty handy.
I really enjoying replaying the levels, much like I did for Katamari Damacy.[/QUOTE]

Judy, damn I played level 3 OVER AND OVER trying to find that. Can you tell me (in spoiler tags) where/how you found it?
Otherwise I did the same as you - went back to the earlier levels after progressing pretty far. They are pretty easy to ace (get 'S') once you play some of the longer ones. I still haven't found the rare items though. And I'm missing some 3rd pink Elebits even in some of the early stages. Have you done many of the Challenge levels? Those are a definite change of pace and some are quite difficult (tend to be very short, tricky, goals to achieve).

I'm taking a break to play Excite Truck now (a rental).

I'm glad to hear there's 26+ stages. I stopped at 23 or so because I had heard it had 25 levels (which is why I thought it was a bit short). Didn't some review say 25 levels?? Does anyone know exactly how many levels there are?

And for those asking, just read back through this thread - I posted some VERY LONG impressions of the game a few pages back. Summary - it is well worth it. I consider it the best game out for the Wii (along with Zelda). If you liked Katamari Damacy at all, you will like this. And likewise you probably won't like it if you didn't like Katamari - for all the freaky KD haters out there ;).
 
[quote name='io']Judy, damn I played level 3 OVER AND OVER trying to find that. Can you tell me (in spoiler tags) where/how you found it?[/QUOTE]I hope I'm talking about the right level.
You start off in a bedroom facing the bed. If you turn around, there's a closet in the corner. There's like a top shelf to that closet (I think it has it's own door), and the item is sitting on that shelf.

Edited to add: Yeah, I noticed the first two are really easy to get S-rank. For some reason, I can't get better than a C on the third stage. :bomb: I tried a couple challenge modes (passed stages 1 & 5 challenges), but I don't have very many unlocked. I'm way behind in terms of extras, so yeah, definitely didn't mind taking a break from the story mode.
 
[quote name='judyjudyjudy']I hope I'm talking about the right level.
You start off in a bedroom facing the bed. If you turn around, there's a closet in the corner. There's like a top shelf to that closet (I think it has it's own door), and the item is sitting on that shelf.
[/QUOTE]

See, I'm wondering if there's something that needs to be done to trigger these. Like I said I played that level several times and tore it all up each time. I know exactly what you are talking about - there's nothing up there but some Elebits when I play it. What does it look like? I've gotten everything else on this level as far as I know (unlocked all modes, gotten an 'S', etc)...
 
[quote name='sixersballernum3']Could someone post pictures of the plushies? I can't seem to find them.[/quote]
7f5f_1.JPG


elebits2.jpg
 
[quote name='Scorch']
7f5f_1.JPG


elebits2.jpg
[/QUOTE]
I'm not really into these things but I have to say the red one is way better. But maybe that's because it reminds me of Psychonauts...
 
[quote name='io']See, I'm wondering if there's something that needs to be done to trigger these. Like I said I played that level several times and tore it all up each time. I know exactly what you are talking about - there's nothing up there but some Elebits when I play it. What does it look like? I've gotten everything else on this level as far as I know (unlocked all modes, gotten an 'S', etc)...[/QUOTE]I can't remember, but I think it was like a glowing white ball. I couldn't see it very well because of my view angle of the shelf. Shooting it first brings up a message saying you found a hidden item or something. Then you shoot it again to actually take it, I think? Like I said, my grade on this stage right now is a C, so rank obviously isn't it. (btw, am I supposed to do this stage faster? Break less stuff??) I know I have the challenge mode unlocked for this one, as I've repeatedly failed it over and over again. Not sure if I got score attack or eternal... but yeah, my stage 3 stuff is pretty incomplete. Not sure what triggers it...
 
[quote name='judyjudyjudy']I can't remember, but I think it was like a glowing white ball. I couldn't see it very well because of my view angle of the shelf. Shooting it first brings up a message saying you found a hidden item or something. Then you shoot it again to actually take it, I think? Like I said, my grade on this stage right now is a C, so rank obviously isn't it. (btw, am I supposed to do this stage faster? Break less stuff??) I know I have the challenge mode unlocked for this one, as I've repeatedly failed it over and over again. Not sure if I got score attack or eternal... but yeah, my stage 3 stuff is pretty incomplete. Not sure what triggers it...[/QUOTE]

Hmmm... Now I'm going to have to try this again before I go to sleep ;). It is possible that I don't have the 3rd Elebit in this level - and you need to have the Challenge Mode unlocked to get the rare item. I will have to see. I get all the levels mixed up, but I do know I played that one many times.
 
ok, I figured it out. I just finished Level 23, that godawful boss and then I checked the Elebits Notes and several more things appeared for me.

Under Rare Items it has:
Fixed Radar, Obtain this item in Mission 3. Complete Mission 3
Camouflage Unit, Obtain this item in Mission 11. Complete Mission 11
Repair Unit, Obtain this item in Mission 6. Complete Mission 6
Auto Repair unit, Obtain this item in Mission 12. Complete Mission 12
Capture Range Exp., Obtain this item in mission 20. Complete Mission 20
Item Boost Unit, Obtain this item in mission 18. Complete Mission 18
Sensible Shoes, Obtain this item in mission 8. Complete Mission 8

Once I found the item in mission 11, the crystal like I was talking about before, I couldn't break it; I could only select it and it didn't come up with anything. I have no idea how to "complete" these missions.
 
Well, I beat Story Mode today. It is a fairly short game, with only
29
stages. I think I had 11 or 12 hours clocked. However, I haven't unlocked most of the stuff, so I still spent a couple hours playing it after I beat Story Mode. I managed to find a couple more pink elebits and unlocked Sensible Shoes. It's certainly got replay value, and I'm probably going to spend the next couple weekends trying to unlock more stuff. Also, some of the hidden items can only be obtained getting a certain rank for beating the game (I think I got "King of Silence"). I'm not sure how to start a new game while retaining all the stuff you've already earned...
 
Finally rented this and started playing - half hour got me through the tutorial and first chapter. Fun but chaotic game.

io, thought you would be interested to know that the picture you sent me was waiting for me two weeks later, told me I had received an image as soon as I started up the game.
 
Finally got this in from Gamefly and I was surprised at how similar it is to Katamari Damacy. I'd have to say Katamari's better since you can get both of the PS2 games for the same price for a better experience. I got up to level 20 within about 8 hours, so I'm hoping there's not much more to go. The levels where you're in the
open city/town
are the best since it's less crowded and easier to mess around in. The
vacuum power-up
is the coolest part of the game.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top