Page 1 of 1

So I imported the DS game, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!...

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 1:01 pm
by Ngangbius
... because I want to play good games that utilize the system, but so far it has been only released in Japan.

Here's the basic gist. You play as a cheer squad(a male cheer squad for the most part, but...) and it is your job to seek out people who are in trouble and in need of some encouragement to help them overcome their problems. You use the stylus to touch various numbers at the right time and the correct sequence on the screen in order to get the perfect cheering session. Sounds simple, right?

Image

Yes the object of the game is pretty simple, however like most games in its genre the tricky part is getting the timing right.

The game starts out with two modes Easy and Normal, but you can unlock Hard mode after beating normal mode and Hell mode after beating that.

When you play the game for the very first time you are automatically thrusted into the tutorial mode. There, you can learn all the different beat icons in the game. The first kind are the standard stand-alone beat which is labeled by a number which you can touch once. There is also a conjoined variation of the beat in which you would have to hit the same beat multiple times. Another beat is a rolling drum beat in which you would drag a rolling ball using the stylus at the end of the note. A variation is the continuous rolling in which you drag the ball back and forward from on point to another until the beat is finished. The last beat is the spinning wheel in which you use the stylus to spin a wheel round and round until you fill a spin meter to the top before the beat hits the mark.

You can see what all the beats look like here: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/aosj/operation/index2.html

Now, while this game is in Japanese it is fairly easy to navigate(heck, there is a FAQ to tell you what the options are). The game also have auto save incase you are worried of accidentally erasing you game.


About the missions, you really don't need to know Japanese to know what is going on for each character's story since the manga-like panel presentation and the simplicity of their plots make it easy to follow. When the level starts with the music cue, the story takes place on the top screen while the game takes place on the touch screen. Though, you probably won't see some of the action on the topic screen while you are busy hitting the notes, at intervals you can see if you actually helped the person in need or not depending on your results each session.

About the music. Yes, it is liscenced music from well known Japanese music artists such as Asian Kung-Fu Generation and The Ufuls and while the sound isn't PSP-quality, it sounds dencet on the DS. And hey, it even has L'Arc~En~Ciel's Ready, Steady, Go!.

So, did anyone else here import this? Also to the people who have probably imported both Ouedan and Dai Gassou! Band Brothers how do they both compare and contrast in terms of difficulty, gameplay, etc.? I was looking into getting Band Brothers and I want to see if it was worth spending $45 to import it(thanks to a Play-Asia coupon) or is there any other GBA or DS game I should import instead?

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 1:23 pm
by j-man
Hell mode
Fiver says localisation would have that changed to Heck mode.

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 1:38 pm
by Ngangbius
Who says that this game would ever have a chance of being localized?

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 2:00 pm
by Kishi
All my import-savvy buddies have been telling me this is the game to get. I guess I'll look into it.

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 3:39 pm
by Plorpus III
I got it for Christmas and I suck terribly at it.

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 3:50 pm
by Squirrelknight
Anything that has an Asian Kung-Fu Generation song in it can't be bad.

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 4:26 pm
by Ngangbius
Plorpus III wrote:I got it for Christmas and I suck terribly at it.
Do you pay attention to the rhythm of the songs?

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 4:44 pm
by Locit
Squirrelknight wrote:Anything that has an Asian Kung-Fu Generation song in it can't be bad.
Fuck yes.

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 5:44 pm
by Baba O'Reily
This looks like a silly, silly game.

I must have it.

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:39 pm
by gr4yJ4Y
Oh, it's good. Made me want to get a DS. But I still haven't imported this game yet. I played a friend's copy for like one song the day he got it... then he took it away from me. But it was fun while it lasted.

The way the circles slow go into the point you have to touch is rather unique and makes for some good gameplay.

Re: So I imported the DS game, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!...

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 9:22 pm
by Squirrelknight
Ngangbius wrote:? I was looking into getting Band Brothers and I want to see if it was worth spending $45 to import it(thanks to a Play-Asia coupon) or is there any other GBA or DS game I should import instead?
I played a friend's copy of Band Brothers before, and it was pretty addictive. I've heard from friends who own both that Ouendan is the superior game, but I haven't played Ouendan yet, so I wouldn't know. But like I said, for the hour or so I played Band Brothers, I was pretty into it. It's a pretty standard music game-- tap a button or rub the screen as it's icon scrolls by. Multiplayer is pretty cool, every player chooses an instrument and has their parts to play... It really feels like you're playing in a band with a few friends.

Well, except for the fact that all the songs in the game are midi-recreations of the originals, and not very good ones at that. So while it feels like you're part of a band, any music you play will end up sounding like a ring-tone from the late nineties.

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 9:31 am
by j-man
Kind of like how Donkey Konga's soundtrack sounded like it was recorded by Pop Idol drop-outs with a kareoke machine?

Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 2:19 pm
by Esrever

Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 3:10 pm
by Dash
Hooray! Time to watch it sell maybe 2 copies!

...Then again, European sales of Colossus and the re-released Ico have apparently been strong. Maybe European gamers are starting to gain a taste for the bizzarely wonderful. How is Psychonauts doing sales-wise over there anyway?


I want this game so bad it hurtsmy wallet.

Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 7:28 pm
by Ngangbius
I predict the English version of Ouedan will have a completely different soundtrack list which would give me an excellent excuse to buy it again. :grin:
Dash wrote:...Then again, European sales of Colossus and the re-released Ico have apparently been strong. Maybe European gamers are starting to gain a taste for the bizzarely wonderful
Or it could be because Sony of Europe knows how to hype and advertise those games, unlike SCEA's measly ads.

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 11:28 am
by Squirrelknight
Ngangbius wrote: Or it could be because Sony of Europe knows how to hype and advertise those games, unlike SCEA's measly ads.
You mean you don't like cheese? Even portable cheese?

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 2:12 pm
by Ngangbius
I'm refering to their attempts to advertise SoTC not PSP which have been amusing and I'm assuming successful.

Heh, "Watching carpet."

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 6:46 pm
by Squirrelknight
Wow, I was actually joking about the PSP ad campaign. You're the first person I've seen who likes those ads.