"Weird, Wacky, Wonderful!"

Introduction:

Ouendan for the Nintendo DS is the kind of game this system was meant for. A game that is simple to learn, easy to pick up and play for a few minutes on the train, and it's a game that makes full use of the touch screen.

The main objective of this game is to help people out. In each level there is a person with a problem. Maybe it is having to study to pass an exam, or needing to pull a Matsuri float to impress a girl, or having to clean up can pee in a Ramen Shop (no I am not making these up). Anyway each leave starts a cry of help. OUENDAN! At which point our three uniformed heroes will save the day in the only way they can, with synchronized dancing!

The gameplay in Ouendan is like many music rhythm games. You need to follow the beats of the song and react accordingly. Unlike other games in this genre however, in Ouendan this is all done with the touch screen. You will hit glowing circles at the time a larger circle closes in on it. (This corresponds with the beat). Also at times you will have to drag a rolling ball across a pattern or spin a wheel. It starts out really easy with the first few levels but after you beat the first 4, the harder ones become unlocked.

Story 9/10: Ok the little stories are bizarre and don't really matter much but they are also very funny and can even be a distraction because the game happens on the lower screen while the story is taking place on the upper. Luckily they have allows that flash about a second before gameplay starts to remind you where to look.

Graphics 8/10: Nothing special here, but for this type of game that has never really been the point. The lower screen characters are done in 3D polygons but are not very detailed and their movement is stiff, but since it looks very funny when they dance this way, which may have been the point. As for the story graphics they are done in a very crisp, clean, comic book style that I think works very well.

Sound 9/10: Ok, I will admit my iPod sounds a lot clearer, but this is some amazing sound for the DS. All if these songs, unlike Band Brothers are actually sung with real vocals. They managed to pack 15+ full-length songs onto this cart. I know it can be done, but other than the game “Matrimelee” for the Neo Geo AES, I can't name another cart basted game to have full vocals for all songs. 1 point does go away for the fact that many of these songs are not by the original artists. Even so, they are very close; it wasn't until playing one of the songs for the third time that I even noticed a difference.

Control 10/10: If you make a mistake in this game, I'm sorry, but it's your own fault. The controls are dead on. A lot better than the touch recognition I found on some of the earlier DS title.

Challenge 10/10: When I first started playing this game I thought, “This is way too easy”. About an hour later I am sitting there playing a stage for the 7th time and just nearly clearing it. It starts out easy but it gets hard quick. Luckily they have also included a beginner mode so if you don't have the time to perfect your skills you can still play through most of the game and hear the great music. It also is good preparation for the actual game, which is tough but fair. This is a game that like any good music game you will have to get used to and practice the patterns.

Replay 10/10: This is such a great game to pick up and play a song or two. It keeps track of your high scores and I am always trying to beat them. Oh and did I mention the single cart multiplayer? If you have friends that like music games, this extends the like of the game that much more. Hasn't left my DS since I got it.

Import Friendly? Yes. While there is no option to switch the game to English, the story is told very well through the pictures in the cut-scenes. True you would get more out of this if you could read the story (it is quite funny) but I am willing to bet there will be a translation guide up shortly, or maybe I will make one myself. The game itself it very easy to understand and uses no language at all so you should be able to pick up and play.

Overall 9/10 (not an average): If you like usual but well made games, pick this up. If you hate J-Pop or random odd things, leave this one alone.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/29/05