Customer Reviews

Elemental Gimmick Gear

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

At first glance you see EGG in the game store and think to yourself "NEXT! " I did too, figuring it to be some goofy game catering to children and poeple like my little cousins. But I took a second hard look at it, and I'm glad I did. Although it's story and sequences of events technically makes it a RPG game--the actual feel during most of the interaction is more like Golden Axe only it's screen is not limited to scrolling just left to right. And the viewing angle is quite a bit further away. The enemies vary from little cute critters,(after smashing one you feel slightly ruthless) to mutated spiders, and other E.G.G.'s.(these you SHOULD be ruthless with). During fights with certain special enemies though there is a very realistic 3D combat mode that you enter into. I was constantly impressed by the way it makes you feel like you're one with the action, part of the game even. As far as the storyline goes, it's a pretty simple idea. You are Sleepman(I hope they call it something in the US version-either way they let you rename yourself once the game starts) who has just awoken from a several century nap. And of course, you don't remember anything. The idea might be old but when you play E.G.G. you'll see that they did an excellent job of dusting it off and evolving the story into a very interesting tale with some twists to it. I haven't finished it yet(haven't even scratched the surface) so I don't know what other surprises have yet to be revealed. But so far, the farther I get into E.G.G. the more satisfied I am that I picked it up. And I'll be looking for EGG2. Jya ne.(Japanese "see you later)

As the story begins, a group of workers uncover a strange machine from an ancient ruin. Within the machine's cockpit, they find a man, in a slumber of some sort. Taking note of the, strangely, spiritual feel surrounding the machine, the diggers flee the area in a panic.

The machine is pulled form the ruins using man-made vehicles, and is given the name Elemental Gimmick Gear, and it's pilot, Sleeper. Soon, mankind develops copy-cat EGGs, similar to the original, and use them as vehicles. So it remains for the next 100-or-so years, the sleeper in his perpetual slumber as humanity progressing with the EGG as a new tool.

One day, a group of EGGs are exploring the ruins where the original EGG was found, and they manage to activate a device of some sort. Suddenly, the ruins explode with life. Tentacles extend violently from the dome-shaped exterior, tearing into the ground, destroying buildings, streets, and forests. A thick fog surrounds the ruins, and people come to know it as Fogna.

So begins Elemental Gimmick Gear. The Sleeper wakes up under the care of Selen, and is given the name Leon (you can actually choose your own name, if you're into that sort of thing). Leon is unaware of his identity, and remembers nothing of his past, so Selen suggests that he head out to Fogna, which is as close to a home as one could possibly hope to find at that point. Leon equips his original Elemental Gimmick Gear, and heads off into the game world.

EGG survives on its gameplay alone, much as the old 2D Zelda games could get by with a simple story involving Link's attempts at saving the princess. EGG, with its overhead perspective, will actually make you think of a 16 bit RPG - or, more recently, games like Alundra, Shining Wisdom, and Neutopia (okay, okay . . . Neutopia is actually from the 16 bit era - I just couldn't resist the chance to mention it). As in those games, you travel about the markedly different overworld and underworld sections of the game, fighting baddies and solving puzzles as you attempt to advance further.

EGG gives you plenty of control over the main character. Your primary means of attack is a teeny-tiny punch, but you can also block, and spin around like a top, taking out any enemies which lay in your path. You'll also find yourself, at times, exiting your EGG and walking around without arms. As you progress, you'll gain a grappling hook for pulling yourself across chasms, a fire attack for burning enemies and ice blocks, an ice attack for freezing enemies and areas of water, and more. You can also grab power ups along the way, raising your attack, defense, and "mind" abilities.

Despite all these features, the overhead action system is the main complaint I have against the game. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that, if more thought had been put in this area, the great Miyamoto himself would overwhelm Birthday with his praise over the game. The punch attack is just too basic, and it never seems to be fast enough to actually prevent you from being struck by your opponent. I think a combo of some sort would be welcome. As it stands, much of my experience with the overhead action was punch - get hit - punch - get hit . . . over and over, until someone emerged victorious. The spin attack isn't much of an option, unfortunately, as it drains energy and takes too long to start up. Sure, the game is very liberal in giving you energy restoration power ups (the enemies drop items when you kill them), but it seems like the developers should have concentrated on squeezing a bit more from the dated battle system. I have a feeling that many people are going to find themselves, rightfully, frustrated.

If you can ignore that, though, you'll find a game worthy of comparisons to Zelda. The game's brilliance lay in the puzzles that are encountered in the dungeons, and how you're required to make use of every item and accessory in your arsenal. You'll push blocks onto switches in order to open doors, melt ice blocks in order to advance through tight passageways, and have to work with conveyor belts, changing the directions over and over again until you get across. It's classic action/RPG gaming, the likes of which you're probably not going to see on the Dreamcast for a long time coming.

There are some truly inventive puzzles throughout the game that go beyond the simple pull the lever and cover the switch thing. You'll sometimes have to freeze enemies in order to use them as blocks. Sure, this is just a minor twist to the push-the-block thing, but it feels infinitely cooler. Instead of using bombs to break through dubious cracked walls, you need to make EGG spin, and slam into the wall. You can also use EGG's spinning form to travel through chutes, and can hop into cannons and flowers in order to blast yourself to different sections of the dungeon. What's more, these puzzles aren't just scattered about here and there. Instead, they're strung together one after the other throughout the course of the dungeon. It's not as involved as in something like Legend of Oasis, but getting through these things still manages to bring a rewarding feeling.

Here's a pretty cool old-school RPG adventure with some decent 3D action thrown in for good measure. It's not as good as, say, Square Soft's offerings on Playstation, but it's pretty good nonetheless. E.G.G. offers a unique quest with 3D battle sequences, and it remains a treat to play, even if it gets a little boring in parts. Don't be thrown off by its weird name or its old-school 2-D appearance, because you'll find plenty to enjoy here if RPG is your thing. It'll get slaughtered the second Time Stalkers and Eternal Arkadia arrive, though...old-school can only last so long. At least the Easter Bunny didn't show up anywhere in the game. Pretty good stuff.

If you are in real need of a role playing game there you go.Otherwise there are better out there on the 16 bit Nintendo the game looks great the story lacked the hooks to pull me into the game and some of the areas in the game where very how do i put this GRRR! The bosses looked awesome i'll give them a 5.The reviveing enemys was GRR! I guess what i'm saying is buy it ONLY if u really need a role playing game to hold u over untill a better one comes along...won't be a long wait i'll tell you that.

If you're into action RPGs, this is a fun game, hands down. The gameplay is a nice mix of 2D and 3D (2D for main exploration of the map, and 3D for boss battles and such). The artwork for the 2D portion is excellent: the 3D portion is dated (compared to newer generation visuals), but still runs smooth on the Dreamcast.

There's also a whole variety of enemies to go after and many locales to visit. Fighting consists of punching enemies or using your "spin mode" to spin the E.G.G. around the screen to destroy things (both of those fighting actions are available in the 2D and 3D modes). The E.G.G. concept itself is funny though: a bi-pedal war/utility machine? Shaped like an egg? That spins? Seeing the E.G.G. spin around the screen destroying everything in its path might be reason enough to see this game in action.

The storyline is really interesting as well: you wake up with amnesia and are given the E.G.G. machine in order to find out who you are, and what's going on with the planet. Probably most importantly, the amount of CG video is kept to a minimum, and used appropriately(so you can actually play the game instead of sitting there, wondering when you'll get to play again).

One important tip: find Luckie and beat him early in the game. You'll be glad you did, and it'll save you a lot of frustration throughout the game.

Overall, I'd recommend this game to any action RPG fan!

I passed this title by when it was first released. There was a virtual flood of next generation RPGs on the market at the time, and they all seemed flashier.

Now, all these years later, I've picked it up, and I must say, it feels fresh and unique, which says a lot about game design.

One of the biggest gripes I've heard, is about the graphics. The 2D graphics to be exact, as there is 3D game-play here as well. I've tried to remain un-jaded over the years, and being a gamer for so long helps. I find the hand drawn graphics to be beautiful, and well done, and in no way do they take away from the rich experience.

Not to repeat all of the positives that have already been posted, let me just say that playing it now that the 'me too' flashier RPGs of the time have passed, I find it a deep, refreshing, singular experience. The likes of which, we could use more of.

If you have an open mind, want to try something new, and don't mind a game with almost an older PC-type feel, give it a shot, you may be glad you did!

This Game Is Awsome! It Has 4-Player Capability And has an awsome story line. by the way don't let the graphics turn you away cuz the game it great!

Elemental Gimmick Gear was all but ignored when it was originally released in 1999. It was a top-down 2D action RPG, only four months after the Dreamcast was released in the US with its, at the time, considerable muscle. But if it was released tomorrow on XBox Live Arcade or Steam, it would garner rave reviews and probably win Indie Game of the Year. Why?

First of all, even 2D, the game is beautiful. It features well-animated characters on top of gorgeous and colorful hand-drawn backgrounds. Anyone who digs the artistic stylings of more recent games like Braid or Aquaria would feel right at home. The game is littered with the occasional full motion video, which are mostly CG scenery with hand-drawn characters. Speaking of characters, the character design will remind most Sega fans of the Phantasy Star series. The main character himself resembles Rolf from Phantasy Star II. In fact, E.G.G. is one of the first games I can recall using that technique. Boss battles are presented in full 3D, however, they are merely on par with other early Dreamcast games and really add nothing to the game.

The game has a very nice soundtrack. It is acoustic-sounding, emphasizing piano and strings. In fact, it is very reminiscent of Motoi Sakuraba of Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile fame. It also sets the perfect mood for Fogna and its surroundings. There is no voice acting, but the sound effects are very good, with all the metallic clunky noises you'd expect from a game featuring mechs.

The story builds very slowly, but it is really quite gripping. The main character is discovered 100 years before the game starts, sleeping in a machine in 5000-year old ruins. Catastrophe strikes 100 years later, and the mysterious Sleeper awakens and sets off to restore his memory. The setting is very unique, and the game always gives you enough tidbits of information to keep you interested.

The gameplay may be the biggest feature of the game. It is, more or less, a Zelda clone, with some Megaman-ish elements. The player explores the world and its dungeons, slowly gaining abilities and unlocking more areas in the process. Enemies drop power-ups and money, and as mentioned above, E.G.G. "features" 3D boss battles. It is also stuffed with mini games of all sorts. Puzzles, races, and side quests abound.

The one quibble I have with the game is that the translation is a bit on the literal side. Japanese is a very context-dependent language, and the translation reflects this. Although it's never hard to understand what the characters mean, they sometimes say things that sound a bit odd.

On the whole, E.G.G. was a fantastic game, completely unappreciated during its time. I can only hope it gets ported to more modern consoles so that others can experience this masterpiece.

if you like 2d games you must get this game.

If anyone liked the Super Nintendo Zeld, This is a great addition to have in a much fun filled journey on this Game! I Love it, and I fully recommend it!