Odama [With Microphone] [GC]

Who the heck is Yoot Saito, you may be wondering? Game developers haven't quite achieved rock star status yet (some have tried), so we're not surprised if the name doesn't ring any bells. Yoot's anonymity may be changing, though. The enigmatic designer has turned out impressive work in SimTower and Seaman, one of the strangest Dreamcast games ever developed. That's a fine track record, and the odd, endearing Odama is next up.

We guarantee you've never seen anything quite like this. Odama must be the first marriage of military tactics and pinball. The basic mechanics behave just like a pinball game -- there's a giant ball, flippers, and bumpers (of a sort). But every shot has the ball barreling down on soldiers who face off across a chasm. Classic pinball mechanics are bent to the will of one very strange military encounter.

The odama (that's the ball) becomes a tool for incredible destruction as it's flipped and tilted into the battlefield, rolling over friend and foe alike. Keeping the ball alive is strategy component number one, while number two is keeping your own men alive. With some well-designed boards, that could be a fun puzzle game, but there's more going on, as well.

The one board we played -- consisting of a field crossed by a river in the south and a cliff in the north -- proved more than challenging. Enemy towers give archers a bird's eye on the battle, but the odama can take them out, even knocking down several in a row. The river can be dammed by nimbly knocking a gate closed with the ball. Keep the field free and clear long enough, and your men can create a path over the cliff for the ball to crush the enemy fortress. It's all much easier said than done.

Strategy and skill are needed in equal measure, since your own troops are always at risk. Enemy units can eat away at your health by weaseling between your flippers (ouch!). Players can call in reinforcements to augment the ranks and deal with cavalry charges. Also, when the odama is charged with power, it will convert any enemy soldiers in its path, adding them to your pool of reserves.

Throughout the game, pinball mechanics are at work, so the "world" can be tilted, and the ball can be shot in a few different ways. Lob it over the river to avoid collateral damage, or power a shot directly through the ranks. The odama's pace is neither too fast nor slow, giving players just enough time to react both with troops and flippers. And while the ball does its work, the two armies are fighting tooth and nail, hoping to not end up like an outtake from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Looking more like a PC strategy title than a member of the GameCube library, Odama nonetheless has some great visuals. The one board on display moved quickly with many units on screen, and the landscape is clear and detailed. A few fun effects emphasize the game's pinball origins (as if the ball and flippers weren't enough!) while the overall ambiance is definitely linked to the RTS world.

The GameCube really needs a solid title to break new ground, and Yoot Saito's Odama could be just the ticket. Looking like one of the few games that can be called truly ingenious, it's likely to generate a rabid following. Handling the ball and troop movements may prove overwhelming, but there doesn't seem to be any way to lighten either responsibility without compromising the very unique game mechanics.

The only letdown is that we'll have to wait until 2005 is well underway before the game ships. Until then, we'll just practice with army men and a bowling ball...