Well, it’s certainly been awhile since my last review, eh? In truth, I’m just gearing myself back up to play through FFVI so I can review that, followed by whatever else I happen to feel like reviewing. I know I’m not reviewing stuff that’s particularly NEW, but…hey, what’s the fun in being like everyone else? Just think of me as a very green upstart in nostalgia gaming.
That said, the game I’m reviewing today isn’t…necessarily old, but for some it does have a nostalgic feel. The game I’m reviewing today is none other than Elite Beat Agents, the NA spiritual successor of Ouendan. Both games are based around a group of cheerleading crime fighters, sent out to solve problems by dancing.
I can’t make this stuff up. Nintendo embodies the bizarre. I think I’ll make this my own standard from now on, and rate the game on five platforms: graphics, controls, characters, sound, and plot. Let’s get started!
Graphics – 8.7 / 10
The majority of Elite Beat Agents is not done with moving graphics; instead most, if not all, of the stories are done in a comic book-style format, which does two things for the game. One, it cuts down on the actual action and lets you focus on what EBA is known for: the rhythm and music. Two…
Well, two, it let the creators be ‘creative’ in their designs somewhat, and to express emotions in other ways than subtle facial expressions. I find it easiest to best compare those emotions to over-the-top anime expressions, or those seen in manga. Nothing about this game is subtle, really…it is ALL very over-the-top and stylized.
Where the graphics lose me is in touch-graphic design; the graphics for the touch commands are just boring, and uninventive, compared to the rest of the game’s style. Also, there are instances, such as when the Agents are setting the initial beat for a song, that the graphics DO move, and it isn’t a very pretty sight. Sure, it’s fun to watch them sway in time to the rhythm, but graphically speaking it’s jittery and looks rather unprofessional. Not ideal for a group that’s supposed to look professionally stylish and musically-inclined.
Controls – 8.5 / 10
This game is based completely around the use of the Touch Screen on the DS, and therefore controls have to be precise. Fortunately this is a game (unlike Phantom Hourglass, hem hem) that actually puts the Touch Screen to good use, accomplishing what could have been done with buttons, but would have been far too complicated to do so. Think of trying to play DDR with a PS2 controller, and you’ll get my drift.
So instead the game maps the rhythm-matching to the Touch Screen, requiring the user to press the stylus to the screen in time with the music, sometimes dragging the stylus, or making furious circles on the end-song wheel that makes everyone in the vicinity wonder if you’re going to set your screen on fire.
The upper screen in this case displays the ‘mission’ that the player is undertaking, and the images change depending on how well or poorly the player is performing. On the bottom screen, there is a bar at the top that, much like DDR’s bar, tells you how well you’re doing, with the Agents dancing in the background, and the rhythm-touch buttons superimposed over that. The game LOOKS pretty forgiving, and is, early on, with the rings helping the player pinpoint exactly when to press each numbered button.
But EBA has a pretty steep learning curve, and because the placement of buttons seems pretty erratic, it’s easy to lose your place, and can be hard to pick up the rhythm again, especially since the numbered buttons are VERY particular on when you hit them. If you fail enough (and admittedly I did, on one song) the game will fail you out of the mission, and you have to start over. The bar at the top really does not help you much in figuring out how you’re doing, and sadly because of the controls, you can barely watch the story unfolding on the top screen.
Characters – 8.2 / 10
I’m sure everyone will have their own memorable little stories and characters, but none of them are particularly notable, as the plots are really funnier than the characters are. They just fill the story for the most part, and don’t add much to the game overall.
The TRUE characters of this game are the Agents themselves, and their eccentric designs and (somewhat slim, I’ll admit) personalities sell this game. Even if I don’t like the graphical aspect of it, watching them dance is…extremely humorous, no matter how many times I see it happen.
Oh, and this guy, Commander Kahn. I just love his design, and how over-emotional he is, and his awesome uniform. Also he used to be an Agent way back in the day, but now he leads the Agents. There’s one point in the game where he’s wearing a Hawaiian shirt, if I recall correctly…I believe it relates to the two rich girls being stranded on an island, and using their charms to get what they need. I don’t remember which song it was; I just remember this guy, and how awesome he is.
Sound – 9.3 / 10
The game is called Elite BEAT Agents, hence this game hinges itself directly to its music. Remember what I said earlier about this game being a nostalgia trip for some? Well, if you’re older (unlike me) and remember the music of the 80′s and 90′s, this game will send you right back there, with a variety of songs with catchy beats. Actually, even though there are songs that I really dislike in this game, the musical choices were actually very inspired, and lined up with their plots quite well…or not. The music is good though, I can’t deny that.
Of course the song variety is actually pretty small, and I think that they could have incorporated a lot more music into the game, considering the DS’s hardware. I believe the game itself only encompassed about 16 songs, and I imagine that it could nearly double that, if not more.
But that is just a problem of variety, and not with the songs themselves that were chosen. In a game where sound is most important, it scores the best here.
Plot – 9.0 / 10
To talk about a plot in relation to Elite Beat Agents is really unfair, as the only overarching plot is that these Agents are sent out to fight everyday problems by singing and dancing. Where the real plot of the game is found, is in the story missions, which are nearly separate from each other, but in themselves tell sad, sweet, and outright hilarious stories.
The plots of each mission are pretty cool, and inventive, considering the music that’s being used. Even when the music and plot don’t match up, it is still a lot of fun to watch the plots unfold when one is not too busy dealing with the rhythm portion of the game. At the end of the game, there is somewhat of a plot involving aliens, and the Agents saving the planet from them by–what else–dancing, but by that point in the game, the player already knows that there is no real over-arching plot.
But does the game really need a plot? I say not, as the primary focus is music and rhythm. Do we expect DDR to have a plot? And what about other music-inclined games like Rhythm Tengoku, or Guitar Hero? (I know GH3 had a plot of some sort, but that doesn’t matter.) These games should be about the music, and not about some half-baked plot used in an effort to tie everything together.
Conclusion
Even where this game is lacking, it retains one thing, the one value that I consider above all else: is it FUN? Yes, the game frustrates me at times when I’m playing the difficult songs, but even when I do get frustrated, it is too much fun to listen to these songs, to watch the Agents dance, and see the people whose strange lives I help by…tapping out the rhythm to a pop song.
Some people have fun shooting Nazis. Some people have fun driving cars off cliffs. Me? I have fun by dancing to YMCA, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
Final Score: 8.7 / 10
Elite Beat Agents is © iNiS.
I claim no ownership of any of the above used images.
