Elite Beat Agents: Agents are go!

[quote name='Hollow Man']The only big issue I have with this review (besides the stupid pot shot about how the Agents could beat up the Cheer Squad) is the fact that they claim the cover of "You're the Inspiration" is great. Nobody, not even Chicago, can make that song good.[/QUOTE]

:cry:

But I love that song.
 
[quote name='Hollow Man']19 songs is quite a few, considering a DS game card won't hold nearly as much information as a PS2 disc. It's not a just comparison to hold it to the same number of songs as Guitar Hero.

-HM[/quote]
That's a good point, considering the size of DS cartridges 19 songs is pretty good. I was expecting it to be more around 15.

How big are DS cartridges now anyway?
 
I finally had a chance to actually play the game, and I LOVE it! :applause::applause::applause:

I haven't played the original (Oendan), so I'm completely new to this one... The thing I like the most about the game is the incredibly well done story sequences, which are presented as a series of panels like you'd find in a comic book. The music is also a blast, especially considering how much they managed to pack onto the DS cart.

I consider myself pretty good at Frequency and Amplitude on the PS2, but this game started kicking my ass around the third song! And that's only on the 2nd difficulty level! Can't wait til I unlock some of the harder modes and see what this thing is really capable of throwing at you.

One thing I noticed is that you don't really miss much of the story when you're concentrating on the rhythm part of the game... the upper panel seems to keep roughly the same scene looping so you don't have to worry so much about looking up there between beats... I did, and kept messing up, but at least I'm satisfied I won't miss out by focusing on the game more.

Well... all I can say is this is one game every DS owner needs to at least rent... definitely one of the top games for the DS and showcases just how well the touch screen integrates with the system.
 
[quote name='Masterkyo']Bestbuy Buy 2 get 1 Free all DS games start Sunday this week :)[/quote] The uber thread states that it is b2g1 for touch generation games, not all DS games.
 
[quote name='guessed']The uber thread states that it is b2g1 for touch generation games, not all DS games.[/quote]
It just so happens that EBA is a Touch Generations game :)
 
[quote name='Apossum']since I pretty much ignore american pop culture, you are kinda right-- it's fun because its wacky japanese pop that flows well with the crazy japanese animations. but the music is a lot more interesting and complex than the american stuff they put on EBA.

i would take a morning musume song (don't even know which one was by them in ouendan or who they are) over Cher's "Believe" any day.[/quote]

^ I second that opinion :applause:

oh btw Morning Musume.'s song is "Koi no Dance Site"
that's the office lady going to the ball one
 
[quote name='daroga']It just so happens that EBA is a Touch Generations game :)[/quote]

I know that, and it pleases me :D, but I didn't want people thinking it was b2g1 on all DS games, which is what Masterkyo had posted.
 
It's too bad I can't think of a third game I'd like. My gf would love Clubhouse games. Maybe I should just be nice and give her the free game and make it a second copy of Elite Beat.

-HM
 
I was going to pick this up after work tomorrow at Gamestop since it is in the mall I work at and I just saw their website upped the price to 34.99. Man I hate that they do this to all the hot ds titles. Why don't they just charge the actual retail price. I guess I will just have to see if walmart gets it tomorrow.
 
I'm going to pick this up this week in the buy 2 get 1 Touch Generations deal at Best Buy. Sure the songs may not be the best, but it looks like it's a hell of a lot of fun to play.
 
Ok, got my copy tonight. Have played through 13 or 14 of the songs on normal. Was pretty much able to get to there with no trouble, which is undoubtedly due to the fact that I'm currently playing Ouendan on ultra hard, and only have 5 songs left on that difficulty. After that, normal seems slow, and it's something of a challenge to not race ahead of the circles. But if you've never played Ouendan, you will find the game challenging (Ouendan 0wned me until I got the swing of it).

Anyway, there are certain aspects of the game I like better than I expected, and some are worse. What's better than I had thought? Well, the interface and animations are a bit snazzier than Ouendan's. The game has more polish as you move from song to song, and I like the animation frames as the agents come in to save the day (via, car, zeppelin, etc.). It has a great feature where you can watch the last 5-10 seconds of where you screwed up and failed a song, which is a nice addition. Also, some of the songs are better than I expected, with some of the covers being quite reasonable ("Let's Dance", "Highway Star" and "YMCA" come to mind).

What's worse? The stories in general seem very lightweight compared to Ouendan. Although I do admit that as the game progresses, the stories do seem to get better (its counterpart story to Ouendan's dead boyfriend is really depressing). But some of the covers are horrible. "Material Girl" and "Rock This Town" are definitely subpar and weird compared to the original versions. And the clank and clunk sound effects as you tap are definitely more annoying than the symbal crashes and whistle blows of Ouendan (but you get used to it).

And on a side note, the "Agents are go!" reminds me too much of Gatchaman's "Bird go!" (but no one else will care, heh).

I'm looking forward to getting to the harder levels so I can get in more of a speed groove. The excellent gameplay of Ouendan is still there, and you really can't beat the $20 that this goes for if you follow my lead and take advantage of Best Buy's Touch Generations sale this week (my friend gave me $20 for his own copy of this, and I picked up Clubhouse Games for my girlfriend).

-HM
 
really strange
I'm playing normal mode and only 15 songs+1 bonus(Jumping Jack Flash comes right after the final song) are playable
something tells me those 3 other songs are secret songs..like you'll have to unlock it somehow
game play/rthym is abit slower though ...I still haven't not able to beat the hard mode on osu tatakae ouendan....

few of the covers aren't so bad
Canned Heat is better than I though
...but I can't stand The Anthem cover song the most

alright
just checked again
the missing songs are
Survivor - Destiny's Child
Believe - Cher*got it unlocked :D 2 more to go
ABC - Jackson Five
 
"Believe" got unlocked for me while playing Normal mode. Unfortunately, I can't remember what song I finished that unlocked it (and how exactly it got unlocked).

EDIT: According to Wikipedia, cumulative high score is what unlocks songs ("Believe" being first, then "ABC", then "Survivor").

-HM
 
Somehow this game makes The Anthem an even worse song. It is made cooler by the fact you're fighting a lava monster playing it.
 
[quote name='Hollow Man']"Believe" got unlocked for me while playing Normal mode. Unfortunately, I can't remember what song I finished that unlocked it (and how exactly it got unlocked).

EDIT: According to Wikipedia, cumulative high score is what unlocks songs ("Believe" being first, then "ABC", then "Survivor").

-HM[/quote]
ahhh sweet I just got it unlocked it too
to get "Believe" unlocked, you'll need to achieve the rank of "Captain of Soul"

I still haven't beat the normal mode for Osu! Tatake! Ouendan
are there any unlockable songs too?
 
I was able to unlock "ABC". Only one more to go.

Oh yeah, and I finally put a good permanent swirl in my touch screen. Was bound to happen sooner or later with all the Ouendan and now this.

-HM
 
[quote name='DARKiLLUSiON']I still haven't beat the normal mode for Osu! Tatake! Ouendan
are there any unlockable songs too?[/quote]

Unfortunately, no.

-HM
 
This game is kicking my ass up and down the row. I have a newfound respect for my immune system, and not just because it means I'm filled with hot, red-headed nurses.
 
So this game seems harder on the whole then Ouendan due to the songs being a bit longer then the ones in Ouendan. Jumping Jack Flash is no Ready! Steady! Go! though.
 
"Jumping Jack Flash" is a good song, but the cover isn't as good as the original (after all, we are talking about a legendary band here, so a cover just isn't going to be nearly as good). Add to that the fact that the song just doesn't move as fast as "Ready Steady," and you've got yourself a limp ending.

And don't talk to me about the song before "Flash". It's really abrasive and unpleasant. Coming from me, a guy who listens to Slayer regularly, this means something.

-HM
 
Picked this game up this afternoon. Like everyone else said, it pretty much kicks ass and is incredibly addictive. It's really difficult but not in a frustrating way, more in a need to play again because this time I'm going to beat it way. Picking this up the day before a test probably wasn't a good idea but oh well...
 
Has there been a sequel for Ouendan announced in Japan? After playing Ouendan and now this, pretty much I'll import immedately / pay what ever price they want for any more games in the series. ;)

I may not like EBA's track list as much as Ouendan's, but EBA is great. :)
 
EBA is good, but it does seem like on "hard" there are too many songs when I'm doing a hell of a lot of tapping along with the song lyrics, which isn't as fun as doing it to the song's rhythm. "Material Girl" comes to mind, plus that Good Charlotte song. Although on "ultra hard" (with the divas) it seems this has been toned down.

The fun of the game comes with being able to get as "one" with the song as possible, and that was easier for me to to with Ouendan. Eh, who knows! You still can't beat the fact that this game is half of Ouendan's price (at least this week).

-HM
 
I just finished the game on one star difficulty tonight (I'm a pansy) and I'm really enjoying it. It's taken me a while to pick up on the exact rhythm that they were going for for some of the songs, but I think it's going to be quite a bit of fun to progress through the various difficulties for the game.

I do have to say that I was getting pretty damn sick of Jumpin' Jack Flash after my 4th or 5th playthrough.
 
i personally think the rhythms are much less intuitive in this game than in ouendan. it took me a long while to get all the hits right at the beginning of the ninja car designer song.
 
No, that level just blows.

The nigger car designer song's beats stick mostly to the fucking UPBEATS of the perussion. Niggers and their syncopation.
 
[quote name='psunami']I do have to say that I was getting pretty damn sick of Jumpin' Jack Flash after my 4th or 5th playthrough.[/quote]

Wait until you get to hard and insanely hard. You'll be doing it much more than that. 30? 40? 50 times maybe?

Some of the rhythms were a bit weird in Ouendan, such as the Cops and Robots song, and parts of "Ready Steady" on normal. But I agree the ninja song in EBA is a bit weird (headphones help).

I also think that playing on insanely hard (the divas) is a bit easier in some places, especially for "Material Girl" and "Let's Dance". They throw less notes at you, and certain patterns seem more on the beat than what it is on hard.

-HM
 
[quote name='zatos']So how English friendly is Ouendan? I am thinking about picking it up...[/QUOTE]
As someone who has never imported a game before, I've had Ouendan for for 3 days now and I'm struggling very little with it. Very simple menus and well drawn art make it pretty simple to navigate and understand.
 
[quote name='Sn0brawler']As someone who has never imported a game before, I've had Ouendan for for 3 days now and I'm struggling very little with it. Very simple menus and well drawn art make it pretty simple to navigate and understand.[/QUOTE]

Oh yeah thats right, DS is not region locked, is it?
 
[quote name='zatos']Oh yeah thats right, DS is not region locked, is it?[/quote]Nope, Ouendan is very import friendly. Numbers are the arabic numbers we use for the beats, and the menus are set up in such a way that makes sense ("Let's see, I just failed, and I have two options. The big flame probably means retry and the dinky one probably means quit...")

If you like EBA at all, import Ouendan. I was lucky enough to get it for $35 shipped from a fellow CAG, but having played it now, I'd have paid $45 or 50 easy.
 
Thre's a large thread in here about Ouendan, but I imported it last month for $39.90 shipped from yesasia.

Simply put, if you like EBA, and don't mind the fact that you won't be able to read the comic book panels (you'll understand them fine, since the pictures and animations are great) or read what rank you're at, then import this game. Immediately.

It's about as import friendly as any game is going to get. And if you have EBA, then you'll have no problem with it at all, since the menu structure is exactly the same.

But if you need help:

http://crackedrabbitgaming.com/guides/ouendan-menu-translation/


-HM
 
Just started playing this this morning, and I'm having a blast. The covers are fairly decent; I was particularly impressed with "Let's Dance" and "Canned Heat". I really like how you can skip the first few seconds of every song and go straight to gameplay. I remember being impatient watching the intro of "Ready Steady Go" over and over again in Ouendan. Bonus stages are a nice extra, though I only have "Believe" unlocked that moment. The parallels between this game and Ouendan are really interesting, like the stage order and such. I like the "sad stage" in this one just as much (maybe even more) than Ouendan's sad stage. I think I'm going to have "You're the Inspiration" stuck in my head all week.

I only had the last stage of the last level unbeaten in Ouendan, and I wasn't sure if I'd ever get back into it. Hopefully, if I ever beat EBA completely, I can go back and finish that one off.
 
I hate Canned Heat with a passion. My head is going to explode. The stupid song stopped me for a while on cruisin' and now on sweatin'. It's so aggravating. Any suggestions?
 
[quote name='judyjudyjudy']Just started playing this this morning, and I'm having a blast. The covers are fairly decent; I was particularly impressed with "Let's Dance" and "Canned Heat". I really like how you can skip the first few seconds of every song and go straight to gameplay. I remember being impatient watching the intro of "Ready Steady Go" over and over again in Ouendan. Bonus stages are a nice extra, though I only have "Believe" unlocked that moment. The parallels between this game and Ouendan are really interesting, like the stage order and such. I like the "sad stage" in this one just as much (maybe even more) than Ouendan's sad stage. I think I'm going to have "You're the Inspiration" stuck in my head all week.

I only had the last stage of the last level unbeaten in Ouendan, and I wasn't sure if I'd ever get back into it. Hopefully, if I ever beat EBA completely, I can go back and finish that one off.[/quote]Yeah, I remember not being able to skip the RSG intro. Although that made it feel like even more of an accomplishment when you finally beat it. I just got got 1.8 mil on JJF in two stars. I'll probably start 3 stars tomorrow.
 
JJF on two stars has kicked my ass the past two nights. Last night I couldn't get through the third section (with the sections of 11 beats then the spinning, then 11 more beats...) then tonight I finally got that down halfway decently and a part in the final section has been kicking my ass. I agree with EGM's review, a practice mode to do specific parts of the song would have been nice. Having to play through the first half of the song over and over gets repetative, especially when it's not challenging, it's just there.

Other than that, no real complaints about this game. Oh, wait. Cher. Seriously, why? The other songs I wasn't sure about (La La, Material Girl...) have actually been fun. But Believe just isn't, at least on the lower difficulties.
 
I like that they kept the game without a practice mode. Makes it more 'hardcore' where you can't just practice it section by section, but you have to play the whole level over and over from the beginning. It's got an old-school NES feel to the challenge.
 
This sounds like a great game...Thanks for the info on the GGC as well, I am a little bit of a newb with that stuff so I didn't know about it.

And here I was going to buy FF3 this week, now it looks like it will be EBA instead!
 
EGM gave this game a glowing review. (Not sure if that's been mentioned yet or not.) I was underwhelmed with the download station demo, but based on the good reviews I'm definitely looking to pick this up at some point. They should have given the demo a little more meat.
 
wubb, go check YouTube videos for the Highway Star, Makes No Difference, or The Anthem levels and you'll see a bit more meat. The demo level is "Difficulty: Noob" and thus not meaty.
 
ah I just unlocked hard rock! mode

JJF on sweatin was pretty hard

I can only imagine how hard rock hard is
 
Well once you get the hang of the game, the harder difficulties aren't that hard. For me, they're easier since it's easier to keep the rhythm when there are continual notes rather than sporatic ones.
 
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