Elite Beat Agents is a surprise import-based hit bound to be a sure-fire winner in the hearts of numerous gamers alike.
If any someone were to ask you for a rhythm game that had a great plot, chances are that Dance Dance Revolution or Guitar Hero would not even come close to popping into your head. Amazingly enough, Elite Beat Agents does have a plot and a well-executed one at that: As a member of the illustrious Elite Beat Agents, it is up to you to cure the world of its problems and conflicts all through a matter of song and dance. Immediately after a brief training session from the commander, you are unleashed upon the world to help those in need. Each person you help has their own sub-plot told in a wonderfully drawn comic book style leading up to the point where the Elite Beat Agents come in for the rescue. From helping a baby sitter to helping a white blood cell, the game does an excellent job covering many typical instances in which people need help (with a few surprise missions you probably wouldn’t expect).
As far as gameplay goes, Elite Beat Agents, like any other Touch Generations title, is simple to point where it is a pick-up-and-play game. As numbered dots appear on the screen, you have to tap them along to the beat of the song playing in the background. On top of the tapping, there are sequences where you will have to drag a ball across a predetermined path and sequences where you will have to spin your stylus around the touch screen as fast as you can. Even though the game is simple to start, the harder difficulty modes will most likely have any rhythm gamer bound on a course of frustration. Overall, the only problem with the gameplay is the fact that the touch screen is sometimes too small to accommodate the pattern of dots; this means that at certain times your hand covers up your view of the dots causing you to guess where to tap.
In terms of graphics, Elite Beat Agents goes off on a tangent that is most certainly pleasing to look at. If you are able to picture comics like Spiderman, Superman, etc., then you have a good idea of what Elite Beat Agents will look like. The entire game revolves around a humorous rendition of the comic book style and the art compliments the action well. Just describing what the game looks like is not doing it justice, so gaze at a few screenshots and download a few videos to get a small dose of the wonders that await you. As mentioned before, the storylines unfold through a series of mini-comics, but the action does not stop there. While you are tapping away on the touch screen, more comics appear on the top screen which change depending on how well your rhythm is. Since you would most likely be distracted by what is going on in the touch screen, the game allows you to save a replay file to view later on.
Sound is Elite Beat Agent’s strongest aspect, and it shows. With songs from both the modern days and the olden days, the game is guaranteed to ring the bells of a universal audience; two examples would be Sum 41’s Makes No Difference and Village People’s Y.M.C.A. Some of the songs do not fit with their respective mission, but it is hardly a problem since all of the songs sound great and are near-perfect impersonations of the original. In addition to the great lineup of songs, the voice samples and sound effects are the best in any DS game so far. The voice samples do not sound choppy at all and the sound effects only heighten the gameplay rather than hinder it. You would be hard-pressed to find a better sounding game on the DS.
The most disappointing part about Elite Beat Agents is the value. Even though the game has good songs, there are only 19 that make up the playlist. Inis also included four difficulty modes, but considering the low number of songs there is still not much going on for the game in terms of value. Though one of the coolest additions is the inclusion of a multiplayer mode, (both single-cart and multi-cart) but in a game so simple, an online mode would have definitely boosted the longevity of the title. The reason for this is that when using the single-cart play, there is more than likely going to be a difference in experience level seeing as how you would have had the game for some time while your friend is left in the dust. Even still, there are some awesome options that can help get another friend addicted to the game: You can send your friend a tutorial, a demo stage or a broadcast of one of your replay saves.
In this gamer’s opinion, there is nothing quite like Elite Beat Agents out on the market. While some games are utilizing the touch functionality of the DS handheld, this particular game breaks beyond the boundaries of the ordinary. If you are looking for a change from the hum-drum of handheld gaming, the Elite Beat Agents are at your service!