Odama (GameCube) Preview

Vivarium Inc might not exactly be a name that rings too many bells in your mind, but it is quite clear that Nintendo has chosen the right partner for this extremely fresh and intriguing title. It is being dubbed by Nintendo itself as 'Military Pinball', is due at a currently undisclosed date in 2005 and looks to be shaping up very nicely so far, with sharp visuals and a bucket-load of innovation. But hey, what else would expect from something with the 'Nintendo' tag on it nowadays?!

Odama is all about mixing the intensity of classic pinball action with the sights, sounds and complete savagery of war together to create one tasty little dish, served on a GameCube platter. When the first images of were snapped at E3 of this year, many believed that Nintendo was about to unleash a new war-themed First-Person Shooter...but how wrong we all were! Instead the two swords that were seen in the grab were none other than flippers that are used to launch the giant pinball, known as the 'Odama'

Whereas Super Mario Ball and its limited world's were suited to handheld gaming, the action of Odama would be completely out of place in the portable world and obviously can only be realised to its full extent on a system as powerful as the GameCube. You see the 'tables' found within are not of the normal kind, as previously mentioned. They are jam-packed with battalions and troop barracks that you can go crashing into with the Odama and you desperately try to stay in the game, collecting prisoners of war to join the fight on your side and attempting to avoid the disaster of crushing your allies!

A lot of thought and strategic planning has to go into the way you play as there is more at stake than simply racking up the highest score possible. Your aim is to challenge a General's army in battles set during the period of the Japanese feudal wars. Using the flippers on the battlefield you must fling the Odama around in order to destroy the enemy's barracks and turrets, hit the soldiers to make them join your ranks and generally aid your troops as they endeavour to liberate more of the screen, dam rivers, uncover extra flippers and eventually make their way to the gate of your rival.

But this is not merely a one-player experience! Bring along a friend and you can rouse your troops, spurring them into action using the Donkey Konga bongos, almost as if you are standing there on the sidelines, drumming your forces on to victory. The second player can even control where the troops head towards, ensuring that they do not inadvertently wander into the path of the Odama and get crushed. However, there are repercussions to this