Elite Beat Agents Review (DS)

Age Rating:

Can’t find one, but I’d guess at a 7+ PEGI, if not less.

What is it?

A touch-screen rhythm game

Is it fun?

Yep

Is it worth the money?

Yes. Unless you can’t stand pop music from any era.

Why?

It’s simple. It’s upbeat. It’s fun.

Sure, the plotlines are cheesy and ultimately pointless. Doesn’t matter! I only saw them when i was losing anyway. The rest of the time I was too busy focusing on the moving targets to care. Speaking of which, keep some eyedrops within reach if you wear contacts. You’ll thank me later.

This game checks all the boxes for handheld play. Each level is a convenient 5-ish minute chunk of gaming with plenty of challenge. Tracks are snippets of western chart pop through the ages, from songs by Queen through to Avril Lavigne. They do tend to be slightly dubious cover versions but that’s balanced out by the sheer chirpiness of the game. Its learning curve is pretty smooth, starting off easy but with new concepts and tempos that keep every level feeling fresh.

That being said, as much as I enjoyed the game, the appeal did pall quite quickly. Perhaps it’s because I completed the storyline in one sitting while confined to bed, off sick. When I had completed all the tracks once, I felt no incentive to go back and try for the high score S-ratings. After playing through ‘I Was Born To Love You’ so many times, I just can’t bring myself to fire it up again. YMMV however, and I know plenty of people who are determined to play again and again to achieve those S-ranks.

Elite Beat Agents is a happy cheery rhythm game. The only reason not to buy it would be that you really can’t tolerate the track list. This music isn’t for everyone.

Links

Elite Beat Agents tracklist at PocketGamer
Elite Beat Agents Official Site (Warning – Flash-based site with scary loud music)

Screenshots:

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