Good ingredients, cooked bad.
There's an actual story in this game! After the death of his father, a young Japanese man leads an army of limited resources against a vast empire, Unfortunetely for the bad guys, he has the Odama, a giant ball that crushes everything. You can start to see where the pinball gameplay comes in. However, the Odama can also crush your troops, so its time for the GC Microphone to save the day.
With the microphone, you can use 11 different commands to order your troops around. These involve attacking enemy forces, getting out of the Odama's way, and seizing the enemy gate. Despite my doubts, I was surprised to see that microphone works well.
How does all of this work at once? Well, once you start the game, you'll use the pinball bumpers to bump the Odama around. Between your two bumpers, the Commander (presumably your character) stands guard, and he'll attack any enemies who dare come neareth. Unlike most pinball games, you can tilt the battlefield, allowing you to alter the course of the Odama, for the better or worse. Eventually, the Odama will hit and shatter the enemy game and you'll have to direct a group of men with a giant bell into it. If the Odama hits the bell, all enemies will be knocked down.
It sounds pretty innovative, which it is, but it's very hard to multitask this all at once, making the game difficult and frustrating. However, it's still a cakewalk compared to older games.
Like most GC games, the graphic aren't too pretty to look at up close, but if you stare from a distance, it won't really matter. The soundtrack deserves special noting, as it really does fit the feudal Japan setting.
The final verdict on this game: Try before you buy it. You may be god at it and love it, but you'll more likely fail miserably.