Elite Beat Agents

"It's Got the Beat!"

Well, this is a great game. That's this game in a nutshell. Though I'd love to type that and be done with it, I have to write a full blown review to get it put on Gamefaqs. So here it is, the big review.

+- Presentation -+

Well, this game is done really well. Presentation is a part of that. You start the game with a short yet very informative tutorial. The game's style and feel is bright and welcoming, being bright and cheery. The comic-panel storylines are another great feature of the game. That's why I've given presentation a ten out of ten.

-=10/10=-

=- Graphics -=

And the brightness and cheeriness brings us upon the graphics. The graphics are charming, making you feel happy with their bold lines and the overall comical feel. The DS Lite only multiplies the light-hearted feel of the graphics. So it looks nice. VERY nice. That's why I've given Graphics a ten out of ten.

-=10/10=-

^- Story -^

The story is that of a governmant called the Elite Beat Agents, who cheer people up and motivate them through tough situations through the power of song and dance. They do this for people who are in scenarios like having to babysit a troublesome trio while wooing her date, or a retired baseball star braving a fire-breathing golem who attacks his biggest fan. There's only one thing I wish would have been elaborated- the agent's story! You go through four difficulties, each with nineteen stages, and never learn one thing about our beloved agents! That's why I had to drop the score to a nine out of ten.

-=9/10=-

+-= Multiplayer =-+

In multiplayer, you can team up with friends, or face off with them in two gameplay modes. You can beat your favorite songs together, easily comparing your skill levels in Co-op mode, or face off with your pals in a Vs. Player match, where you can see who's better at playing with smaller icons, one of the gimmicks. You can also team up (1 vs. 2) on your opponents or have and equally fair two versus two match. You can also share DS to DS your replays which you can play against. It's fun to watch my brother attempt to beat my S-rank on September or Walkie Talkie Man. The multiplayer provided an enjoyable experience, and so netted itself a nine out of ten.

-=9/10=-

%) Sound (%

Of course, being a sound game, the quality is great. The sound effects are happy and joyful like the graphics. Everything sounds like it's straight out of one of those bubbly little cartoons on TV. There's only one problem- the songs. The songs aren't the greatest song choices in a rhythm game. They're hits nonetheless, to one person or another. For examples I'm listing Sk8ter Boi and YMCA. That's dropped the sound score to a nine out of ten.

-=9/10=-

*! Gameplay !*

Only the biggest part of any game, gameplay is what it all comes down to. So, this is all you've been waiting for, and I have to say this: it's great. Seriously, this game delivers unique gameplay. You've seen Guitar Hero and Amplitude (Which play relatively close to each other) and Donkey Konga, maybe DDR or Singstar, but this game isn't like any of those listed. Gameplay is 'unlocked' in my terms, meaning it's very open to change, as you can change the space of a note ever so slightly on the touch screen, but in Guitar Hero it has to be right on the same time, same place, as to imitate how the note would be played in real life. This causes the game to be unexplainably open-ended, even to the point where an editor could be released to edit only the stages in the game. But then, you want to know more about it? Well why didn't you say so? What you do is watch the touch screen, and tap various spots on the screen in the beat of a song (Usually the lyrics are what you're going to). Sounds easy? It is, at first . It gets hard. Very hard. It's just challenging enough to keep you stuck, but easy enough for you to say 'I can do this!'. But then, there are different types of notes. There are beat markers, which you tap once. There are phrase markers, which require you to hold it and follow a beach ball. Then, there are spin markers. Similar to bosses, grand finales, etc., they're done by rotating your stylus on the screen to turn them. After a number of turns, they're cleared. The gameplay is simple, yet captivating and VERY enjoyable. That's why it receives a ten out of ten.

-=10/10=-

Replay Value: 10/10. You'll complete the game fairly quickly, but trying to S-Rank all the songs is quite a feat.

Overall Score:

-=9.5/10

To Buy or Not to Buy: Buy it.
Don't Buy it if: You dislike music games, you're afraid of and/or hate happy colors, or you EXTREMELY can't listen to the songs.

Pros and Cons overview

+++Pros+++

Captivating Gameplay
Fun Graphics
Innovative
Replayable
Multiplayer Fun

---Cons---

Difficult at later levels
Frustrating
Songs aren't that great

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/07