Don't be fooled by it's kiddy appearance, Elebits is an addicting and unique game!
A game shop moved in to a vacancy in a shopping center near my house, so I brought a few games in to trade.
I glanced at the Wii games - not a huge selection - and decided that Elebits had a chance. It was a bargain at $15, but it was used.
I brought it home, popped it in the Wii, and started playing.
I noticed right away the ease of use; there isn't much to it. Basically you're picking up objects to find Elebits, which are little electrically-charged entities that make electric things work. You use the Nunchuck to move, and to look around you point your Wii remote at the edge of the screen. You pick up and move objects by pointing at one, holding B or A, then moving the remote - capturing works by pointing at an Elebit and tapping B or A.
Now your capture gun can only pick up a certain weight. To improve it, you have to capture enough Elebits to turn on appliances, which outputs charged Elebits - in turn giving you more pick-up power.
The satisfaction comes in picking up objects. Usually the larger the object, the more amusing it is to fling it around. In later levels you're picking up cars, houses, and buildings; and if you can upgrade your gun enough, you can move the moon!
The missions can be very hard due to the amount of Elebits needed in the time limit provided. Sometimes other limitations are implemented, like noise level and object breaks, which make the mission harder, but not impossible. Basically, if you are using the right strategy for the level, it shouldn't be too hard.
Replay value is good because you unlock new missions by achieving different objectives in each level. Graphics aren't half bad; I'd say remeniscent of Katamari for PS2. They fit the fun, frantic environment you're in (of course I'm a more casual gamer so graphics aren't my top priority).
I'm not giving this a 9 or 10 because the story isn't very interesting, and the base game only lasts for 30 missions. There is an edit mode, but unless you're really familiar with how to use it, it's hard to do anything. Also, you can't use all of the objects you unlock - you can only select three categories.
PROS
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-Gameplay is engaging, unique
-Simple game, little or no learning curve
-Missions keep you occupied long enough for the game to last you a while
-Challenge and Time Attack missions add more life to the game
-Great value, even at retail pricing
-Satisfying
CONS
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-Storyline is boring and cheesy at best
-Edit Mode is hard to use and limited
My first review on Gamespot!