Game 4: Elite Beat Agents -- DS -- 4 Hours -- "Beat" on 2/7/2016
Elite Beat Agents is a quirky, Western-only game that I really wish I had played as a kid. Alas, I actually thought the idea was the dumbest thing ever due to the graphical style and "tapping numbers? Boring!" Fun fact as well, the game is Western-only, because it's actually a completely different thing in Japan! Known as Ouendan (Well, "Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan" to be precise), it has an entirely different tracklist, story, and set of characters. So... it's actually a Japanese exclusive, that got heavily changed to make our Elite Beat Agents. Pretty weird situation with the game that makes me wonder how it even came out over here. After the heavy localizations it's a different game entirely!
(I also had the same "Boring" thought process towards Phoenix Wright, another game I really wish I played as a kid. "Courtroom sounds so stupid for a game," *goes back to playing Animal Crossing Wild World*)
And before I dive into any actual impressions, one more thing. I just have to say how WEIRD it is that I can say "DS game title" followed by "as a kid". Then I realize the sucker is over eleven years old. I'm not old, but boy do I feel it when looking up dates.
Annnyyyways. The game.
It's a fun rhythm game that plays exactly like the popular PC game, "osu", You tap, drag, and spin to a beat that is mapped as contracting numbered circles that will pop up all along the screen.
For the most part, the songs that were chosen are both enjoyable to listen to and play along with. Their are a few bad apples in both departments (all subjective for the enjoyable to listen to part), but I feel the need to specifically mention one song from each category. Material Girl. I had no idea that I could dislike a song more for absolutely no reason. It's not even a bad song, I just really.. can't stand it. I don't know why. Then you have "Canned Heat", a song that is enjoyable to listen to, but has one of the WORST beatmaps I've had the pleasure of playing in an official rhythm game title... Actually, no, some of Persona Dancing's tracks have this beat, but Canned Heat really is bad. It's also why I have the game marked as "beat", because I don't care to play it again on the hardest (and funnest <3) difficulty, even though two of my favorite songs are barred behind it. So while I've played every song in the game, and have unlocked all difficulties, I've not actually played all songs on Hard yet. And I can thank Canned Heat for it.
Something I was unaware of because I bought the game second-handed with half of Medium difficulty already unlocked, there is actually a kind of over-arching story to the game that goes along with each stage's personal story. And it's stupid in all the best ways. Along the way though, when it wants to be? It's a freaking sad game. Holy jeez, I knew about this song/story from reading about it on here in years past, but it hit me hard anyways.
The game's final stages start with a
It is so cheesy, and I love it. The accompanying tracks to make for the final two stages are also really nice choices that fit the bill.
Because I brought up the visuals earlier, I must say that they hold up stupendously well. All of the hand-drawn characters are great. The movements are silly, the facial expressions fun, and the general designs like what you'd see in an actual cartoon. The agents that dance on the bottom screen don't have the same pros. They look like big ol' chunks of polygons. But it's fine, you're not watching that anyways, the bottom screen is for your notes, and they still look fine.
So yeah. EBA is fun, and I don't know why it took me so long to get around to it. Maybe things would have moved along faster if I didn't play "September" for an hour straight? Who knows.
If you have a DS/DSLite/DSi/3DS/3DSXL/New3DS/New3DSXL, I can't recommend Elite Beat Agents enough. It's super cheap these days, and has held up well for almost ten years. Yeah, you have a beatmap or two that shouldn't even exist, but it's worth pushing through.
Just remember. You're the Inspiration.
Edit: So after Googling some stuff, apparently there's uh... there's actually another mode after Hard.. Huh. I already wrote this all down, but if I actually feel the urge to COMPLETE the game I'll update my post with the time.
///ADDED BIT///
At 5 1/2 hours played, I've unlocked the final difficulty. It feels kind of... off? I was hoping for some more beats, but it instead chooses a speed route. The notes pop-in with just enough time for you to hit them. Wouldn't be an issue if the tail notes were obvious. But they aren't, and unless you already know the song there's not really any way to know when you're supposed to hold the stylus down.
The game is still top-notch, but I think the best experience is with Hard Mode (Sweatin'). The final difficulty little more than a novelty, imo.
Main Post
Elite Beat Agents is a quirky, Western-only game that I really wish I had played as a kid. Alas, I actually thought the idea was the dumbest thing ever due to the graphical style and "tapping numbers? Boring!" Fun fact as well, the game is Western-only, because it's actually a completely different thing in Japan! Known as Ouendan (Well, "Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan" to be precise), it has an entirely different tracklist, story, and set of characters. So... it's actually a Japanese exclusive, that got heavily changed to make our Elite Beat Agents. Pretty weird situation with the game that makes me wonder how it even came out over here. After the heavy localizations it's a different game entirely!
(I also had the same "Boring" thought process towards Phoenix Wright, another game I really wish I played as a kid. "Courtroom sounds so stupid for a game," *goes back to playing Animal Crossing Wild World*)
And before I dive into any actual impressions, one more thing. I just have to say how WEIRD it is that I can say "DS game title" followed by "as a kid". Then I realize the sucker is over eleven years old. I'm not old, but boy do I feel it when looking up dates.
Annnyyyways. The game.
It's a fun rhythm game that plays exactly like the popular PC game, "osu", You tap, drag, and spin to a beat that is mapped as contracting numbered circles that will pop up all along the screen.
For the most part, the songs that were chosen are both enjoyable to listen to and play along with. Their are a few bad apples in both departments (all subjective for the enjoyable to listen to part), but I feel the need to specifically mention one song from each category. Material Girl. I had no idea that I could dislike a song more for absolutely no reason. It's not even a bad song, I just really.. can't stand it. I don't know why. Then you have "Canned Heat", a song that is enjoyable to listen to, but has one of the WORST beatmaps I've had the pleasure of playing in an official rhythm game title... Actually, no, some of Persona Dancing's tracks have this beat, but Canned Heat really is bad. It's also why I have the game marked as "beat", because I don't care to play it again on the hardest (and funnest <3) difficulty, even though two of my favorite songs are barred behind it. So while I've played every song in the game, and have unlocked all difficulties, I've not actually played all songs on Hard yet. And I can thank Canned Heat for it.
Something I was unaware of because I bought the game second-handed with half of Medium difficulty already unlocked, there is actually a kind of over-arching story to the game that goes along with each stage's personal story. And it's stupid in all the best ways. Along the way though, when it wants to be? It's a freaking sad game. Holy jeez, I knew about this song/story from reading about it on here in years past, but it hit me hard anyways.
The game's final stages start with a
battle against aliens that have banned all humans from playing music, lest you be turned to rock. Just as one of the head aliens goes to blast everyone whom you helped in previous stages with their petrification ray, the agents valiantly hop into the blast to protect the group. Everyone that was just saved rallies together to chant out, "EBA," along with clapping and stomping. The power frees the agents, and everyone begins to dance and sing. The power is all bunched together and fired at the aliens, who are decimated through the power of music.
Because I brought up the visuals earlier, I must say that they hold up stupendously well. All of the hand-drawn characters are great. The movements are silly, the facial expressions fun, and the general designs like what you'd see in an actual cartoon. The agents that dance on the bottom screen don't have the same pros. They look like big ol' chunks of polygons. But it's fine, you're not watching that anyways, the bottom screen is for your notes, and they still look fine.
So yeah. EBA is fun, and I don't know why it took me so long to get around to it. Maybe things would have moved along faster if I didn't play "September" for an hour straight? Who knows.
If you have a DS/DSLite/DSi/3DS/3DSXL/New3DS/New3DSXL, I can't recommend Elite Beat Agents enough. It's super cheap these days, and has held up well for almost ten years. Yeah, you have a beatmap or two that shouldn't even exist, but it's worth pushing through.
Just remember. You're the Inspiration.
Edit: So after Googling some stuff, apparently there's uh... there's actually another mode after Hard.. Huh. I already wrote this all down, but if I actually feel the urge to COMPLETE the game I'll update my post with the time.
///ADDED BIT///
At 5 1/2 hours played, I've unlocked the final difficulty. It feels kind of... off? I was hoping for some more beats, but it instead chooses a speed route. The notes pop-in with just enough time for you to hit them. Wouldn't be an issue if the tail notes were obvious. But they aren't, and unless you already know the song there's not really any way to know when you're supposed to hold the stylus down.
The game is still top-notch, but I think the best experience is with Hard Mode (Sweatin'). The final difficulty little more than a novelty, imo.
Main Post