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Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan: Reviews

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Game Score: 10/10

Just when you think you've seen everything, "Guitaroo Man" creator Inis comes up with "Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!", which is short for "Go! Fight! Cheerleaders!"

And before you get excited, these aren't the cheerleaders you are expecting, in short skirts and belly-barring outfits. (Well, there are, but you have to play the game at least twice to unlock them.) These cheerleaders are big, hulking man in black trenchcoats, wearing the battle scars of their, uh, cheerleading. The Ouendan are more like a gang, roaming the city, looking for people needing inspiration. What kind? You name it! The schoolboy needing support to defeat a dodgeball rival to win the heart of maiden fair. Or the office worker who must defeat a giant mouse attacking the city, a secretary wanting to impress her boss, even a violinist battling diarrhea on his way to the concert - the Ouendan will cheer them all on to victory (and maybe, with their help, save the world with the power of Cheerleading).

The game is a rhythm game, and before we even get to the gameplay, the soundtrack is great. Yes, it's all in Japanese, but many of these songs inspire a guy to rock out with his, uh, unit out - if nothing else, do yourself a favor and get a copy of the sountrack to rock out in your car.

Ouendan works by tapping the DS screen in time with the music. Each level shows a series of circled numbers with a collasping outer circle around it. When the inner circle touches the inner one, it's time to tap. Do it perfectly, and you get 300 points. Do it badly, and you might only get 50 - or worse, none at all. While you're tapping away at the screen in time to the music (which can get frantic at faster songs), a Cheer Meter above tracks how much Cheer Power you have. When it's in the Yellow, all is good, and good things happen to the people you're helping. Miss, and it goes into the red zone, and your cheerleading targets fail - and when the meter runs out, it's Game Over, and the sad ending.

The game soon goes beyond circle tapping with ball sliders (keep your stylus on the ball as it moves around the screen) or spinners, where you have to make a circle as quickly as possible. All along, the cheerleaders are in the background, pumping up the game.

As mentioned, the songs are all in Japanese, and so are the menus - but luckily, you don't need to understand a word of Japanese to enjoy the game or the stories (which are told in comic book format). The only thing you have to remember is "Yes" and "No", and if you get it wrong the first time - well, you'll get it right the second time.

There is also a multiplayer option, but as I'm the only person I know with this game - let alone a DS - I haven't been able to test it. The only thing that would make this game better would be the ability to play unlocked videos/music, but this is a game that once you start, it's hard to stop until you've mastered it all.

And trust me, once you unlocked the girl cheerleaders at "Extreme" difficulty, you'll be working on mastering it for a long time.

DarkPaladin