Title: Elite Beat Agents

Date: 11.10.2006

Genre: Simulation

Platform: Nintendo DS

Developer: Nintendo of America

Publisher: Nintendo of America

Last year in Japan, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! (henceforth Ouendan), a quirky rhythm game best summed up as “Poke Poke Revolution”, was released to little fanfare and approximately two natives bought the game. Over Lik-Sang, Play-Asia, and other import sites, however, foreigners were buying the game and giving it rave reviews for good reason. The game fully used the DS to its potential, providing near pure songs with interesting smooth graphics and dishing out gameplay unlike anything the world had ever seen at that point.

Later, Inis discussed making an English version of Ouendan and while this made perfect sense (after all, the many consumer had been English-speakers), many fans feared for the localization and how the unfortunate ability to understand the lyrics would devastate the game. Even later when the songs were slowly leaked out, it grew even more frightening. Sure, songs like “Walkie Talkie Man” by Steriogram and “Jumpin' Jack Flash” were interesting, but “Sk8ter Boi”? Or “Material Girl”?

However, once in the context of Elite Beat Agents, the songs, the most critical part of any rhythm game, prove their worth and Inis was well-founded in all their decisions. As in any rhythm game, songs will grow on you and, especially something as immersive as EBA, you soon learn to ignore the reputation of each song and simply enjoy the melody. Watch some of the videos on Youtube or elsewhere if you find the final songlist to be lacking. The songs do match the game and, yes, it could have been better, EBA has a little something for everyone and, over time, you will appreciate every song it has to offer.

You may have noticed all this talk and nothing about gameplay. EBA is essentially the localization of Ouendan, a very famous DS game, and so I thought that should have received the most care. Many people liked Ouendan's soundtrack simply because they did not understand the circumstances of each song. “Neraiuchi” is comparable to “Material Girl”, “Koi no Dance Site” to “Sk8ter Boi”, but no one complained because they largely didn't know.

So, for those who haven't heard of Ouendan, what is Elite Beat Agents? There are three elements encountered in gameplay. The first and most common consist of two concentric circles. The outer circle encloses and when it overlaps the inner circle, you tap. The “notes” are usually in rhythm with the lead singer and occasionally with whatever instrument is at the forefront. Second, a track can emerge from a standard note in which, once again there are two concentric circles, but after you tap, you hold and follow a ball that appears along a track, once again with the music. Finally, a spinner appears in which you simply spin. It's all extremely simple and EBA quickly reveals itself to be like the best of games, virtual or not, in that it is simple to learn, but extremely difficult to master.

Watch some of the replays for Ouendan or EBA. If you haven't played the game, it may look easy, but a quick demo will prove your lack of ability. And this shows EBA's replayability. While there are only 19 songs and they average around 3 minutes in length, EBA will captivate you for a long time to come. The linear goal of beating the game on all difficulties will require most a few weeks of practice; it certainly did for me when I first got Ouendan. But, like other rhythm games on the market, just seeing the credits isn't enough. You'll see the weakness of your high scores and, thanks to the review function, see where you need to practice. Already, videos of S-Ranks, the highest honor in EBA, are emerging and, for any player, securing them is the final goal, and one that will take many months. The gameplay is so strong that the whole presentation (graphics, animation, story, etc.) could be removed and the game would still warrant the same grade that I have given it. Onlookers will see something odd, but once they try it out for themselves (if you can tear yourself away for a bit!), they too will agree that the game is addictive, even after just one or two plays, if not very hard.

But EBA does have a fine presentation. At the time, Ouendan had the best graphics and sound on the DS, and EBA plows ahead. By using a twice as much memory space (128 MB vs. 64 MB), EBA presents smoother images for its manga animations and dancers with finer polygons and no longer seem to have Parkinson's. The dancers (or Agents, as the game prefers to call them) are of particular note as they now have unique moves for each song, such as doing a certain number during “Y.M.C.A.” They look a tad odd, but are fiercely entertaining, much to the benefit of any spectators.

And EBA hasn't lost any of its charm in its cross across the sea: the scenarios are just as humorous and over the top as Ouendan, which was notorious in this regard. Stories range from a taxi driver delivering a pregnant lady to a hospital to a novice magician saving a casino from a bandit attack to a disgruntled nut salesman taking on kissing zombies with his nut shotgun to a former “Rookie of the Year” saving a boy from a fire golem in an amusement park to the liberation of humanity from alien oppressors via unified percussion. And that's a short list. The illustrations that explain the going-on's, both before the actual song and in-between gameplay, are top-notch and really show how much can be done with just a few frames. The 90's manga look is still here and it is still particularly striking.

However, for the benefit of all, the audio quality has also been improved. Ouendan was incredible in this regard as it delivered nearly perfect covers, at least from an audiophiles’ standpoint. But it had serious compression on the lower range of sounds, greatly twisting the bass. Again, with the expanded space, EBA delivers pristine sound quality and, arguably on some songs, covers that improve on the original songs.

EBA is finally out and it truly improves on Ouendan's awesome formula in every way. You can save your replays and play against them. You can skip the intros (I would have several days extra from RSG's 40 second long intro if Ouendan had this). High scores track all of your statistics, and so much more. Ouendan was a must-buy for any DS owner, but sadly many refused to import. With this game on our own shores, if you have a DS, then you must buy this game. And if you don't have a DS, this game is worth buying a DS for, I assure you. Hopefully, we, as consumers, can induce a cycle, much as Katamari Damacy is on its way to being a flagship franchise, maybe EBA/Ouendan can become a permanent touch-screen staple.

Game Score

B+

Reviewed By: Contributed