Odama Critic Reviews

And despite being extraordinarily challenging in that way that makes die-hard games totally addicted but can drive off casual players, it is a game that every Nintendo fan must play.

Odama is a rare treat of a game as it's unique, extremely playable, and a lot of fun. If you can get past the wacky difficulty that isn't consistent from level to level and don't mind a game being a short 5ish hours then you're in for a treat.

Weird and funny at the same time. As a pinball it is nothing extraordinary and in a strategic sense it is quite simple. But when both the elements are combined, the result is much more than you would expect.

Odama is imaginative and is proof that you don't need to be more annoying than Jessica Simpson, like Katamari, to be a successful whacky videogame.

Such things as clunky control, the hit and miss graphics, the relatively short time to finish the game, and the need for a little more tweaking on the overall implementation of a great idea really hold Odama back.

My biggest nit with Odama is that it is very difficult to win. But you can keep trying. And victory will sometime be yours. The other guys don't even have a giant ball on their side.

This is not pinball as we know it, but once again Nintendo comes up with a quirky take on an old idea. Very novel, but perhaps too complex for newcomers.

While any pinball game should have an element of randomness, there are times in Odama when an accidental ball bounce floods a river and sweeps your entire army away in one fell swoop.

In short, controlled bursts Odama is fun but in stretches no longer than half an hour. And for all the uniqueness and quirkiness of the title, it can't offset the fact there's more luck involved than actual skill.

Odama takes the hard way and really makes you work to see every one of its twelve levels. This will fascinate many looking for something new from Nintendo's camp, but the whole thing seems a bit done in by a clunky, uninteractive control scheme and a cramped presentation.

Initial frustration is a must for this game, as it is very complex for a pinball title. Reading the manual is a must, so all of you hardcore gamers (myself included) who tend to skip the manual, you better back up and read it. It helps a lot.

There are a good number of entertaining moments, but the frustration can really hurt one's enjoyment. It's definitely for the hardcore gamer, and those that enjoy doing multiple things at once when playing a game.

The mash-up idea's splendid and it offers real depth and innovation. In fact, once you get over the control hurdle, you'll find a very decent, challenging and rewarding game.

Odama is the third-best console game that involves rolling a giant ball over people. This is not the faint praise that it would initially seem to be, but neither is it the best of recommendations.

It's definitely unique as far as strategy games go, but Odama's novel mechanics and oddly authentic samurai feel are kneecapped by punishing difficulty and oft frustrating controls.

I just can't get behind it as it suffers from too high a frustration factor which could have been easily tweaked. There are simply too many gameplay elements going on at once which results in an uneven experience.

If you want a game that has never been done before then you deserve to give Odama a try. Just be prepared to succumb to the unforgiving difficulty and quirky gameplay.

The idea is solid, solid enough that it should be revisited in the future, even if the execution this time around is lacking.

One gets the feeling that the developers couldn't come to a decision as to which particular aspect should carry the most weight, be it pinball or strategy, and in the end Odama ends up feeling like a game without focus. The game can also be punishingly difficult

Any aspirations the game may have held for greatness are obliterated by outdated graphics and sometimes-clunky execution, with drawbacks ranging from an unnecessary sluggish framerate to collision detection glitches, occasionally lacking microphone voice recognition and stupidly inputted cursor commands.