If you've been waiting for a sequel for Konami's Elebits then here's a rumor that'll probably make you very happy. Apparently, word has been going around that Elebits 2 should be coming out this year. For more on this, be sure to check out the full article.

Konami is offering a 50 percent discount for its Wii-exclusive Elebits on their official site. In case you didn't pick up this game when it first came out or want to find out more about the game, you might want to head on over to the full article by clicking on the "read more" link below.

IGN editor Matt Casamassina recently had a chat with video game producer Shingo Mukaitoge about the possibility of an Elebits sequel. Well, not really talked about it but Mukaitoge's response to the editor's direct question kind of revealed his plans. Casamassina shared:

Take what you will from this, but when I quizzed him about the possibility of doing a sequel to Elebits, he paused for a moment, smiled, and would only say, "That's a secret." He also indicated that the team is already underway with their next Wii project and that it would be announced soon.

Elebits (or Eledees in Europe and Australia) was developed by Konami and is an exclusive Nintendo Wii title. It was first released in Japan on December 2, 2006 and was North American fans got their copy a couple of days after. Gamers in Europe, on the other hand, had to wait until May 4, 2007.

The game is about the small creatures called Elebits. They serve energy source for the world and can literally power up anything. Problem begins when a strong lightning storm suddenly hits the Earth causing a massive power outage as well as the disappearance of the Elebits.

After Elebits got that drastic name change to Eledees, Konami is going full throttle in promoting the upcoming electron-charged game by finally giving the game a final release date.

As you know, the Capture Gun will be one of the main weapons you'll be able to use as you zip-zap your way through more than 25 game stages. Featuring more than 15 different types of Eledees (you can check out some of them here), you'll also be able to create your own stages via the Edit Mode.

If you're still a bit hesitant about getting the game, you might wanna check out the screens and gameplay vids we have so you can get a quick-see of the game. So if you like what you're seeing, you might wanna start saving up now. You wouldn't want to be short on moolah when the game's released on April 18 now, would you?

Konami's got an interesting spin-off for the Elebits, and it has to do with your mobile phones. The company will be releasing a mobile comic book based on Elebits, which can be picked up by all major Japanese networks.

Entitled Elebits: The Star Where my Father Is, it focuses on a young boy Ted and his mission to go into space. Ted's father was an astronaut and, four years before the comic begins, it seems that his dad never came back from outer space. The comic will look at Ted's construction of an Elebits-powered rocket that will take him into outer space to search for his missing dad.

Talk about sentimental. We never would have expected as serious a theme as the loss of family from such a lighthearted Wii game. In any case, we do hope to see some version of that comic on our own phones, if only because the premise of a boy reaching for the stars is something we all recognize in ourselves.

It feels a bit weird to suddenly have to call a game we've been following for quite some time now with an entirely different name. Although the change is not that drastic (heck only three letters have changed), it's gonna take some time before we'll probably get used to calling Elebits by its Euro name, Eledees.

Gameplay is pretty much the same, Kai will also get to use his Capture Gun as players progress through more than 25 stages of the game. The game will also feature more than 15 different types of Eledees, as well as an Edit Mode which will allow users to create their own stages by giving them the freedom of selecting the placement of materials AND the Eledees. If you wanna know more about the electron-charged fellas, you can check out some of them here.

And to psych up our fellow European Wii users even more, Konami has also released a new batch of screens that give users a glimpse of what's in store for them once Eledees hits the shelves this spring.

Let's assume that you don't have enough money to pick up Elebits. Then, let's go a step further and suppose that you didn't get a Wii for Christmas. It's almost 2007, and all you have with you is your underpowered old laptop. You're a sad left-out gamer in poverty.

Well, if you don't mind the fact that Elebits Shuffle, the flash game, is nothing like Elebits for the Wii, then you can perhaps fool yourself for a bit and make the last few hours of the holidays feel a bit better.

To play the puzzle solving, Elebits-inspired, hopefully ad-free flash-game click the read-link below.

Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean we have to stop bringing you the latest goodies from your favorite games, right? Sooo...upon hours of scouring the internet for the latest news on Elebits, lookee what we have here: a whole buncha electrifying screens!

Now we know the game has shipped to stores already, but just in case you're still trying to decide whether to adopt the cute little electron-charged fellas or not, we're bringing you a whole buncha screens that might just help you decide. And if these screens still don't do the trick, you can always check out the backyard domino gameplay vid we brought you earlier. Published and developed by Konami, Elebits is currently selling for US$ 49.99.

  

FourHMan alerts Aeropause that Elebits has a particularly amusing bits of product placement from Epson. Just check out the images above to get what we're talking about. So, is it that good type of bad-advertising that's just so bad, its funny? Or is it more of just plain bad, Youfail.org-type bad? Or is it really not that bad at all, and it's actually a smart money making move? We'll let you guys decide and voice out your say on the comments section.

Anyway, this makes us wonder if they conducted any studies to correlate the effects of exposure to insane stupid cuteness and the printer buying habits of consumers.

Since its release in 1989, EGM (or Electronic Gaming Monthly, for those who are not in the know) has been regarded as one of the most reputable gaming magazines. Of course, reputable doesn't always equate with pleasing everybody, and when EGM bashed Elebitsrecently, well, let's just say it made a few heads turn.

Aaron Linde was one of those who didn't agree with the "4" verdict that was handed by EGM. What was his grounds for objection? Well basically, he refutes EGM's claim that Elebits is a port, and that "it's a slightly tweaked and barely revamped title that was already fine on a last-gen system".

In response to that, our source claims that Elebits is "a solid, fun, creative game that shows what the Wii is capable of." Now if you ask me, I'm all for cute characters and all, but I guess it's not everyone's cup of tea. What do you think?