Grim Pinball for Nintendo’s Gamecube

Posted by dkidwell on March 28th, 2006 — Posted in console games, parenting

Nintendo usually has titles that I’m perfectly comfortable with my youngest kids playing, but recently they announced a pinball variation that is downright grisly!   “Odama” is a pinball game based on medieval Asian battles, and you use the paddles to roll a large ball over the battle field, bashing walls and troops alike.  Since you have to maneuver the ball through your own men, many of them get rolled.  Friendly troops yell out when crunched, “We’re on your side dummy!”  (Gamermom side note – ‘dummy’ and ‘stupid’ are terms that are frowned about in our household.  Using either term will bring a mighty admonishment, more so than many more common expletives.  None of the kids or their friends are actually ‘stupid’ and it’s very demeaning thing to call someone.)

Since you are killing off your own troops, Nintendo seems to have apologized ahead of time.
From their website:

The main character in Odama is Yamanouchi Kagetora, the general credited with creating the Way of Ninten, a philosophy that puts the greater good above the individual’s needs. With this philosophy to guide him, he finds that his individual soldiers can band together to create a force strong enough to defeat even the most powerful enemy.

Hmmm, so maybe that justifies the collateral damage, but the video they’ve released for the pre-launch does not indicate any of this nobility.   I can hear Spock clearly in my truegeek brain, “The needs of the many, out weigh the needs of the few, or the one.”  But do the troops extol such virtue? No, instead you hear “This is no way to die!”  Other dieing troops yell out proclamations that add a touch more depth: “Good bye, my liege,” and “Tell my kids I love them!”  Or simply, “Ow ow ow!”

As Odama gets closer to launch, I hope we see a bit more of the game.  Right now, it’s looking like it’s got all the brutality of medieval warfare, which may have been the point.  We are likely stick with more traditional pinball games here.