I have always been a fan of music games, most notably the Bemani series by Konami. I even enjoy non-Bemani games from time to time. One such game that stands out is Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan (Go! Fight! Dance Squad). This game is very "Japanese-y" in the sense that it's just quirky enough to not be anything else.
Story: 8/10
I'm actually impressed that a music game such as this actually has a "story" of sorts. Each song is a scenario where a person wants help from the ouendan. They proceed to dance and affect whether or not the person succeeds in their task. For example, the first song is a student trying to study for his entrance exams. The better you play the game, the better he studies. In fact, you don't need any Japanese knowledge to follow along with the story. The presentation is easy enough to where anyone can follow along and get an idea of what's happening.
Gameplay: 10/10
This game is simple in nature. This simplicity actually makes the game more fun. All that is required from you is that you tap on the circles in the correct order and time designated. These timings are based on the beats and rhythms of the song. I found that the method behind the game was a very good use of the touch screen. Some people might find that the game itself is a gimmick, but keep in mind the game came out in 7.28.05 when the gimmick games were comnig out.
Graphics: 10/10
I rated the graphics high not because of graphical quality, but the use of the graphical styles. For the storyline elements, a manga-style approach is used. With this, I did not expect photorealistic images nor would I prefer it. When the manga is animated, it only uses a few frames of animation making it appear very simple. As before, this is to give a feel as if you were reading a manga/comic. The touch screen is different though. During the course of the game, you will have 3 characters modeled in 3D dancing along with the song. These look quite good given that people complain that the DS can't do 3D.
Sound: 10/10 (with headphones) 9/10 (without headphones)
The sound is pretty good for compressed music on a handheld console. The point deduction is not against the game itself, but rather against the hardware. The DS's speakers are just too weak to produce a high quality output of audio. There are 15 unique songs in the game and each sound good even coming through the DS itself.
Overall: 10/10
Simply put, I really enjoy this game. I find that the replay value is very high because of the nature of the game. With 4 difficulty levels, each player will find something they enjoy the most. The difficulty isn't near anything like Beatmania IIDX, but I still got a little flustered when I couldn't pass the final song on Hard for the first time. I believe even those who don't enjoy the DDRs or IIDXes of the gaming world might enjoy Ouendan.
Story: 8/10
I'm actually impressed that a music game such as this actually has a "story" of sorts. Each song is a scenario where a person wants help from the ouendan. They proceed to dance and affect whether or not the person succeeds in their task. For example, the first song is a student trying to study for his entrance exams. The better you play the game, the better he studies. In fact, you don't need any Japanese knowledge to follow along with the story. The presentation is easy enough to where anyone can follow along and get an idea of what's happening.
Gameplay: 10/10
This game is simple in nature. This simplicity actually makes the game more fun. All that is required from you is that you tap on the circles in the correct order and time designated. These timings are based on the beats and rhythms of the song. I found that the method behind the game was a very good use of the touch screen. Some people might find that the game itself is a gimmick, but keep in mind the game came out in 7.28.05 when the gimmick games were comnig out.
Graphics: 10/10
I rated the graphics high not because of graphical quality, but the use of the graphical styles. For the storyline elements, a manga-style approach is used. With this, I did not expect photorealistic images nor would I prefer it. When the manga is animated, it only uses a few frames of animation making it appear very simple. As before, this is to give a feel as if you were reading a manga/comic. The touch screen is different though. During the course of the game, you will have 3 characters modeled in 3D dancing along with the song. These look quite good given that people complain that the DS can't do 3D.
Sound: 10/10 (with headphones) 9/10 (without headphones)
The sound is pretty good for compressed music on a handheld console. The point deduction is not against the game itself, but rather against the hardware. The DS's speakers are just too weak to produce a high quality output of audio. There are 15 unique songs in the game and each sound good even coming through the DS itself.
Overall: 10/10
Simply put, I really enjoy this game. I find that the replay value is very high because of the nature of the game. With 4 difficulty levels, each player will find something they enjoy the most. The difficulty isn't near anything like Beatmania IIDX, but I still got a little flustered when I couldn't pass the final song on Hard for the first time. I believe even those who don't enjoy the DDRs or IIDXes of the gaming world might enjoy Ouendan.
