direct soldiers by giving voice commands. There are 11 commands, ranging from generic (moving left and right, advancing and retreating) to map-specific and special moves. Development Odama was developed by Vivarium Inc. and chiefly designed by Yoot Saito, the creator of Seaman for the Dreamcast. According to Nintendo producer Shigeru Miyamoto, the publisher was initially taken aback by the game's curious mix of pinball and real-time tactics and Saito's initial pitch, "I want to make a pinball game set in feudal Japan." However, Saito eventually convinced them after creating a demo of the game. Odama debuted at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 2004. This version of the game showcased the use of the DK Bongos, which allowed a second player to raise troop morale and distract enemy troops by repeatedly beating the drums. However, this feature was absent from its E3 showing the next year and dropped prior to the game's release. Reception The game received "mixed" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of three eights and one seven for a total of 31 out of 40. Odama won IGN's Most Innovative Design for a GameCube game in 2006. References External links 2006 video games Nintendo games GameCube games GameCube-only games GameCube microphone games Microphone-controlled computer games Pinball video games Real-time tactics video games Video games about samurai Video games developed in Japan Video games set in feudal Japan Single-player video games