 Print this page |
Elite Beat Agents DS - Review
|
RRP: £29.99
Out 13 July
Games on the Nintendo DS aren’t exactly known for being sensible or typical. The one thing most DS games have in common is that they’re weird. There may be some straightforward posts but the real success of the DS has been its original Japanese titles. Games like Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney and Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain don’t exactly fall into the category of standard gaming fare – but they are what the DS is all about. Elite Beat Agents is another game that has its roots planted firmly in Japanese gaming.
It was so Japanese, in fact, that an entire story rewrite, new characters, graphics and a completely new song list were required for it to make any sense whatsoever to Westerners. It was worth the effort because what we get is utterly compelling gameplay with a weird and wonderful story to go along with it.
The game is all about music. The Elite Beat Agents are secret agents who sort out people’s problems by dancing and inspiring them to greatness: you could be getting a pregnant woman to the hospital, or fighting a virus inside someone’s body. It makes so little sense it might as well be in Japanese – but it’s all about the beats You’ll tap the dots on screen in time to the music, sometimes sliding the stylus along a line or spinning a disc as quickly as possible. There are songs by Madonna, Cher, The Village People, The Rolling Stones, Freddie Mercury and David Bowie. There are 19 tracks to unlock, all re-recorded covers – although they are excellently kitschy and fit the scenarios.
The gameplay can be extremely difficult to master but you won’t get so frustrated that you’ll give up. If you’re looking for something genuinely new and you can keep a rhythm this is the game of your dreams.
9/10
Review by Kirsten Kearney
