Odama is now available for the Nintendo GameCube at a retail price of $49.99. The title is developed by Vivarium and published by Nintendo. The game's official website can be found here.
As a young general who seeks to avenge his father's death, you must use the gigantic ball named Odama to win your many battles. Players use the Nintendo GameCube Mic, which is included with the game, to direct soldiers into battle and out of the Odama's way. Since the title is styled after a pinball game, players also take control of two flippers that help direct the Odama ball. The game currently has a 71 percent average review ranking according to GameRankings.com (based on 5 reviews).
Eurogamer.com (score: 6/10) says, "Anyway, I'm usually loath to advise rentals, but in this case I'll make an exception - not because I'm copping out, but because I want you to fail. Failure's rarely been as interesting as it is during your first hour here, and if you care about games rather than simply caring about which games are good, you'll want to play it for at least that long."
GamePro.com (score: 4.0/5.0) says, "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."
1Up.com (score: 6/10) says, "Explaining a game like Odama is as silly as yelling at troopers via the microphone, throwing the controller, and muttering a slew of expletives while you stalk away from the GameCube. But, for whatever reason, you'll come back. It could be Odama's learning curve, or it could be the mocking and taunting the game does when you fail a map. Or it could just be that the game, despite its flaws, has a unique charm that somehow has you itching for another round. It's not a game for everyone, but it is a game for masochists."