Elite Beat Agents

Easily one of the best handheld games to hit us in a long while--it is fresh and addictive, easy to play, and hard to master.

This is simply a winning formula, through and through. Buy it. Love it.

I love the sound of music blasting into my duo earlobes in the morning, and the soundtrack to this game is super.

It has an addictive quality to it that I’ve yet to really find on the DS and it manages to show off just what the system was built for.

All in all, Elite Beat Agents is easily one of the best games on the DS and just about everyone should like it, whether they enjoy rhythm games or not.

But even with new characters, popular Western tunes, and plots that actually make sense, Elite Beat Agents retains the awesome, addictive gameplay core.

Ridiculous. Infectious. Simplistic. Just plain fun. Saddling Elite Beat Agents for the Nintendo DS with any one description is difficult, as the game marries absurd comedy, entertaining music, and classic rhythm mechanics in a way that is both new and altogether different from anything else available for the platform.

So, go forth, help the Elite Beat Agents save the world one step at a time, groove to the music, and hit the beats. Just don't forget to breathe. [Dec. 2006, p.106]

With stylish graphics, a great soundtrack and addicting gameplay, including the multiplayer mode, this game scores top marks and it is a worthy game for any DS owner's library of growing games.

There were a lot of times I was laughing out loud while playing this game. The cut scenes truly are great, and the gameplay itself keeps getting better and better as you progress.

Elite Beat Agents is wonderfully original in its own right and features some of the best presented and lavish comic strip animations seen in some time.

If you enjoy the genre like me, or if you like handheld games with 'a lot of tapping', you simply can't go wrong with the quirky troupe that is the Elite Beat Agents.

Elite Beat Agents is a ridiculously silly music-rhythm game with a wacky song list, a laughably bizarre story, and fantastic gameplay. In other words, it’s just about everything a music-rhythm game should be, really.

No game makes more creative use of the Nintendo DS touch-screen. Where many milk the technology for gimmicky distractions or Palm Pilot-style input, Elite Beat Agents bets the farm on precision touch-screen play, and wins big.

Overall, sure, Elite Beat Agents has trouble making the same impact as the unexpected brilliance of Ouendan, but it does a miraculous job of avoiding the constraints of the culture it arrives in, and infuses the player with the same borderline prescience of tap-judgement that rendered the original's level design so inspired.

The title just has some sort of magic to it, in spite of its humor and deliberate cheesiness, that encourages good vibes, especially by the time the over-the-top finale is completed.

Those looking for something unique to enliven a dull commute should definitely call on the Elite Beat Agents.

For a DS title Elite Beat Agents looks and sounds great. The agents are animated brilliantly (although you might not notice their dance moves due to your level of concentration) and the cutscenes are often hilarious.

Very few games can truly claim to be for all players of all ages, and this is one of them. With a delirious mix of slapstick humor, comic storytelling, infectious music, and tons of replayability, Elite Beat Agents is one of the best music-oriented games to date and stands among the cream of the DS's impressive library. Don't miss it.

Elite Beat Agents captures that rare quality, that pure joy, that makes Nintendo's own games special. It just makes you feel good with its sing-along songs, memorable characters and laugh-out-loud story.

If "wacky," "quirky," or "freaking bizarre" turn you off, you may not pick up what this game is laying down, but unless you have something against having fun, you really ought to try.

If you're into J-Pop, import "Ouendan!," because it's a great game, but Elite Beat Agents is slightly better and that's not solely based on the fact that it's longer - it's just more fun.

The designers did a great job converting the Japanese Ouendan into an equivalent Americanized Elite Beat Agents.

A blend of entertainment and fun. Forget about epic RPGs that force you to endlessly level up your characters. Take a break from that puzzle game you’ve been drooling over for the past four hours. Never mind the platformers, the action games, and anything else that you happen to have in your DS right now. Despite its crazy concept, this game is a force to be reckoned with.

EBA performs admirably, making improvements where needed and retaining the same charm, humour and enthusiasm as its imported cousin. It's a more accessible entry into the franchise, but there's nothing to stop anyone from picking up both.

While the multiplayer modes were fun, I found that the main game was much more compelling and ultimately what kept me booting up my DS.

Not even dodgy tunes stop Elite Beat Agents being one of the most entertaining and accessible games on DS.

You'll be hard pressed to find a game that's as fun and as addicting as Elite Beat Agents can be. It's unique; it has a great sense of humor; and if you take the time to get good enough at it, you can rest assured that it will be in your DS for a long time.

A quirky, imaginative title that is exactly the reason why the Nintendo DS is dominating the market currently.

If you only buy a handful of games each year Elite Beat Agents should be among them. It’s fun, plain and simple.

Sod all the talk of the Japanese original – Elite Beat Agents is a truly superb title that’s a joy to play from start to finish.

You won't find a stranger and more addictive rhythm game on a handheld system than Elite Beat Agents.

Minor complaints, though--this is the most creative and entertaining music game this side of "Guitar Hero". [Dec. 2006, p.151]

It can be digested in small chunks making it perfect gaming for the on-the-go types, and there’s honestly no other handheld game like it.

Addictive. [July 2007, p.92]

While it's true some of the quirkiness of the humor is better conveyed in the Japanese counterpart, Elite Beat Agents is no slouch, and is an overall very fun game.

A hilarious and reasonably original bemani game. Too bad the sound quality is so low. [Sept 2007]

Loses its oddball way slightly in the translation, but this is still great. [Aug 2007, p.71]

Agents is a great mix of purposely nonsensical story and engaging gameplay.

Dodgy track list aside, this is a consistently fun and often funny title that keeps the charm and oddity of the Japanese original intact. It's also one of those games that could only work this well on the Nintendo DS, and it's difficult to resist these Agents' combination of charm and dance prowess.

A near-perfect example of the rhythm/action genre on the DS. Elite Beat Agents is stylish, fun and engaging from start-to-finish, and a highlight in the DS unique catalogue.

On the easiest level, you can knock out all the game's songs in an evening. But then you'll see how gratifying it is to do the same song on a harder level. At that point, Elite Beat Agents pretty much has you.

A sequel that ticks all the right boxes. All the original’s most important facets remain intact. [Jan 2007, p.115]

The crappy songs don't help, but this remains a decent rhythm action game for the DS. And it makes no more sense for being in English. It's no "Rhythm Tengoku," of course. [January 2007, p.73]

Elite Beat Agents is a wonderful DS game, entertaining but wound up a little too tightly.

The idea behind Elite Beat Agents is one of the best I've seen. The story is told with near-perfect timing, and the engine itself is solid. However, the song choice is incredibly spotty, and the multiplayer modes are a disappointment.

The Americanized version has lost something in translation, but for those who don't know any better; Elite Beat Agents delivers a fresh portable gaming experience with far-reaching appeal.

A one of a kind game that is original and fun.

It's the music that's important here, and Elite Beat Agents delivers. [Jan 2007, p.86]