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Are you an Elite Beat Agent? Prove it.
Buzznet.com is hosting an Elite Beat Agents video contest sure to produce some laughs over the next few weeks, as it calls on Agent wannabes to serve it up in front of the camera. Various colored DS systems and copies of Elite Beat Agents are at stake (and some promo swag too). Here's a tip: Lose the "secert agent" camp for Ouendan's military-cheerleader routine. Osu! Tatakae! ...
Elite Beat Agents sequel possible
MTV.com's Stephen Totilo recently sat down with Nintendo's one-and-only, ass-kicking, name-taking man in charge Reggie Fils-Aime, where the man in charge admitted that he has a great amount of respect for the touch-screen tapping game. He also says that, given the sales figures for the game, a sequel is likely. Personally, we'd love to see a sequel, however we wish it to be more a sequel to Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! than Elite Beat Agents. Nothing personal against the agents with the most elite of beats, we just feel that the song selection and gameplay of the Japanese edition were superior. What about you guys? [Via 4cr]
PSP Fanboy review: Gitaroo-Man Lives!
I have a sad confession to make. I never bought the original Gitaroo-Man. However, the gaming gods have been kind enough to forgive such a sin, and they've ported the game to the PSP in the energetically-titled Gitaroo-Man Lives! I became interested iNiS's games ever since Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! landed in my DS, and I have to say that this handheld offering is just as good and stylish. There's a reason why the original PS2 game was nominated for an "Original Funk" award from SCEA.
Metareview - Elite Beat Agents
Purists may scoff at these 'men in black' who lack the flair of Ouendan's male cheerleaders. They may also wince at tracks like Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi" and Ashlee Simpson's "La La," included for Western-aligned palettes. Alas, cultural transitions are often difficult, but at least the series' unique rhythmic core has not been tampered with. IGN (95/100) - "Westerners who've played the original Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! might end up a little disappointed that the Nintendo of America version might lack the kitschy Japanese flavor ... [but] with new characters, popular Western tunes [IGN 'heart' Ashlee Simpson], and plots that actually make sense, Elite Beat Agents retains the awesome, addictive gameplay core." GameSpot (89/100) - "One of the strangest things about Elite Beat Agents is its soundtrack. The grouping of songs that Nintendo has assembled here is equivalent to someone taking the individual music libraries of a teeny-bopper kid and his or her parents, tossing it all into a jar, shaking vigorously, and then scooping out a random handful of songs." GameDaily (70/100) - "Elite Beat Agents is still a good game that deserves a shot with any music-loving Nintendo DS owner out there. It's a surprise Nintendo took the chance at releasing this game in the States, but it's as much of a surprise that it's actually quite good, and compares well enough to the import classic to make it a recommended buy." [We recommend: Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan]
DS releases for the week of November 6th
It's here at last -- Elite Beat Agents! We're told some other games might be coming out as well (who knew?), but we're too busy tap-tapping at the keyboard and practicing rhythm to think about much else. Which is probably too bad, because it's a good week for game releases. If this deluge of awesome sauce continues, we're not going to have any money left to throw a New Years' Eve party this year ... but we'll have a sweet collection of DS games, right? It's all about priorities .... Of course, supplies are subject to manufacturer delivery. DS releases: Barbie: 12 Dancing Princesses Bomberman Land Touch! Chicken Little: Ace in Action Digimon World DS Elite Beat Agents Micro Machines V4 My Frogger: Toy Trials Tom and Jerry Tales Uno/Skip-Bo/Uno Freefall Winx Club: The Quest for the Codex GBA releases: Final Fantasy V Advance Polarium Advance The Sims 2: Pets Tom and Jerry Tales Winx Club: The Quest for the Codex
Elite Beat Agents ad rocks YouTube
We knew those Elite Beat Agents were popular, but the commercial hitting #1 in games on YouTube is quite a feat! We can't say we're too surprised, not after seeing all sorts of people clustered around the game at the Fusion Tour, but it's definitely an exciting moment for DS fans nonetheless. Check out the ad itself after the jump. Think it captures the game?
Today's Hottest Game Video: Elite Beat Agents
Elite Beat Agents stars in today's most-watched YouTube game video; the winner is a commercial for this DS game. The ad shows the level and song featured in the retail kiosk Elite Beat demo. We haven't seen it yet on broadcast TV, but we usually skip through commercials. The ad does all it can to explain what this game is about, and we're not sure it succeeds; Elite Beat may need to be played to be fully grasped. The commercial also makes no mention of the crazy song list used in the game -- something non-gamers may understand better than the gameplay. Elite Beat Agents is a tough game to explain. At least the ad captures the "what the hell is this?" feeling we have while playing. View the video after the break.
Elite Beat Agents site at your service
The official English Elite Beat Agents site is up and ready to rock your socks. There's a montage of game footage tucked away behind the "action!" button that's certain to get toes a-tappin' and heads a-bobbin, so unless you're around people who understand your fascination with guys in dark suits who gyrate to pop music ... well, you can see where we're going with that one. Then again, it's totally worth the explanations, so just go check out the site already. [Via 4cr]
Gitaroo Man pre-order swag (and other less important games)
Gitaroo Man Lives! plans on burnin' down the PSP come November 14th, and if you pre-order the game online at Gamestop, you'll not only secure yourself a copy of the game, you'll also get a 5-pin set (which looks suspiciously like the ones given away in Europe a while back). Although the game is merely an updated port of the PS2 cult classic, there are tons of people out there that haven't had a chance to play this rad game from the creators of import-favorite Ouendan. It received some rave reviews, so don't be afraid to break out the dough.It appears as if you'll be able to pre-order Pimp My Ride and NFL Street 3 and get some swag too, but I stopped reading 'round there. You can head over to Gamestop Gamespot (why are they named so similarly???!) to get all the details.
Elite Beat Agents track list
Would we be correct in saying that everyone and their dog is as excited for Elite Beat Agents as we are? Something about those slick male cheerleaders makes us giggle. So, you can imagine how excited we were to see the track list for the game. Sure we had to muffle laughter over artists like Cher and Ashlee Simpson. The game did get a few more cool points for featuring David Bowie and Queen. Without further ado, we present to you the Elite Beat Agents track list: Walkie Talkie Man - Steriogram ABC - Jackson Five Sk8er Boi - Avril Lavigne I Was Born to Love You - Queen Rock This Town - Stray Cats Highway Star - Deep Purple Y.M.C.A. - Village People September - Earth, Wind and Fire Canned Heat - Jamiroquai Material Girl - Madonna La La - Ashlee Simpson You're the Inspiration - Chicago Survivor - Destiny's Child Without a Fight - Hoobastank Believe - Cher Let's Dance - David Bowie Jumpin Jack Flash - Rolling Stones Makes No Difference - Sum 41 The Anthem - Good Charlotte [Thanks Ben!]
David Bowie and Cher become Elite Beat Agents
Glancing at the newly revealed track listing for Elite Beat Agents instills some sort of inescapable fear of impending doom and cataclysm. There's every reason to suggest that lumping songs from Madonna, David Bowie, Chicago, Cher and Earth, Wind and Fire (ask your parents) onto a single storage medium could run the risk of melting the entire universe into an amorphous puddle of writhing pain. Oh, Ashlee Simpson's on there too. She usually has that effect all on her own. Chris Kohler at Game|Life has scooped the entire song list for the upcoming DS game -- which, by the way, is the English spin-offy version of Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!, a music-and-rhythm masterpiece made most memorable by its screen-tapping J-pop tunes, inspired humor and screaming male cheerleaders. Instead of trying to twist the game into a shape more suitable for the Western market, Elite Beat Agents aims to present the same gameplay (insidious spinners included), but with new scenarios, secret agents instead of cheerleaders, and different music. Different here having the definition of fruity and from a strange time. Discovering how these "college frat party" songs (says the game's designer, Keiichi Yano) match up with the visuals and gameplay will no doubt amuse us to no end, especially when it comes to hits like Y.M.C.A., ABC and (gngghh) Sk8er Boi. [Thanks, JKTrix. You're the inspiration.]
It's no Ouendan, but ... Elite Beat Agents boxart
Of course, nothing can replace Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, but Elite Beat Agents certainly looks like it's going to take the torch and run with it. Check out this fresh new boxart for the rhythm game set for November. We think it's pretty groovy.
Groovy new Elite Beat Agents screens
This year's PAX was indeed the land of the DS, and we're not just talking about all the people relaxing with Pictochat. A wealth of new screens have surfaced from the Expo, particularly for the DS, and these new shots from the forthcoming Elite Beat Agents are definitely droolworthy. The rhythm-based game of personal cheerleaders as government agents is due in November and it cannot get here fast enough. The new screens simply are not enough to fill the void! [Thanks, Andrew!]
Real Ouendan cheerleaders believe in you!
We have to update Joystiq, but we're feeling so dejected and uninspired. If only we had some motivation or some measurable system of support. We can't let the readers down! We need some assistance. We need oh ... oh ... OUENDAAAAAAAAANNN!! This article would simply not have been possible had it not been for three musically inclined, amazingly synchronized strangers bursting forth from the closet and radiating encouragement. It would seem that one of the best games on the DS, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! (that's the title, not a sign of enthusiasm) is rooted in reality, at least the kind of distorted reality you'd expect to discover on the planet of Japan. The embedded video depicts a very real and personal cheerleader squad facing one of their greatest challenges yet -- a lonely man in search of female companionship. Judging by the state of his home, it's probably best if said female turns out to be a maid. It's amazing to note that the cheerleader squad has been around for sixty years, encouraging (and perhaps frightening) people into action with obnoxious shouting, frantic arm movements and the general appearance of having a full-blown seizure. The world definitely needs more of these guys. Next year: The establishment of the world's first Elite Beat Agency! [Thanks theKiko! You did it!]
Missed Gitaroo Man? It lives again!!! First review
There are two kinds of people in the world: those that have played Gitaroo Man and those that have not. Chances are, you're in the latter group. IGN has posted up one of the very first reviews of this music game, and it's all swell. The game features some sharp visuals, complemented by its zany uber-Japanese style. Mix in a soundtrack that covers everything from "happy sunshine flower time" Jpop to "I want to kill myself while wearing leather" grunge, and everything in-between, and Gitaroo Man has the makings of a game that everyone must own. IGN simply states the game is "one of the finest games the genre has ever produced." The game received a mighty 8.8.If there are any flaws, it has to be that there's nothing really new for veterans of the original. But, more likely than not, you may have missed this original title when it came out on the PS2. Don't miss it again.(And for you DS owners, don't forget to pick up Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!, one of Inis' other music games.)
In the groove with Elite Beat Agents
You've seen it in action -- now see it in stills, courtesy of Gameworld Network! Or at least in a regrettably short preview. For such an intriguing title, there seems to be a tragic dearth of footage of Elite Beat Agents out there, so we'll take what we can get. This latest preview focuses largely on comparisons between the original Japanese title Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan and the unconnected "sequel" Elite Beat Agents scheduled to hit in November. The game features all new stories created just for the English version, but from the levels listed in Gameworld's preview, they're just as filled with wacky hijinks as the original. In the two stories mentioned, players have to assist a dog mistakenly shipped far from home and a teenage girl forced to babysit when really, all she wants to do is snuggle with her boyfriend and talk about going steady. When the distress is too much, these sad individuals call for help and those saucy men in black, the Elite Beat Agents themselves, show up to help out with a little hip action, Bob Fosse-style.A limited amount of attention is given over to the controls, which is fitting, since things don't seem too complicated. There are circles that need to be tapped. Tap the circles. Keep the beat. Save the day. And keep it all cool and superfly. Right on!
PSP impressions: Gitaroo Man
During the last day of E3, the very last game that I got my hands on before being ushered out the door like some kind of animal was Gitaroo Man over at Koei's booth. I had honestly never played a Gitaroo Man title before, however was familiar with the premise. Basically, you're a kid, with a cool dog sidekick, who battles evil as the Gitaroo Man, the ultimate guitar-wielding super hero. I played two songs before I was forced to leave, which were the first and second song, coincidentally. The gameplay of the title is rhythm-based, where the player is forced to time button presses to the song through several segments of the song, which each have their own distinct play style during the overall song's "battle." One area asks you to press either the X, O, Triangle, or Square buttons in time with icons representing each respectively as they fly toward the center of the screen, while other segments ask you to trace a line with the d-pad while pressing the O button in time with marked riffs in the song. Overall, the gameplay was loads of fun and left me wanting more.
Elite Beat Agents gameplay video
Elite Beat Agents, the wacky English version of music-and-rhythm seizure game, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!, sees the cheerleaders getting replaced by gyrating secret agents who swoop in whenever people are in need of their rhythmic assistance. In the case of this video (higher resolution version here), they're called upon by a frantic film director struggling to complete his latest masterpiece, "Romancing Meowzilla." Looks like the English variant will be every bit as zany and unpredictable as the Japanese original. [Thanks, Sense!]
