I've got the music in me!!

Recently, you've probably all noticed a trend of music and rhythm games flooding the market. Especially this weird game called Guitar Hero. Heard of it? Anyways, Guitar Hero is not for everyone (an entire game of just Aerosmith music... really?), but there are plenty of other music games out there that let you bust a move without playing a plastic guitar with rainbow buttons.

Dance Dance Revolution (GCN) - This one predates Guitar Hero (and similar games) by a long time. As you probably know, you tap your feet on the dance pad to the rhythm of the song. Get the beats right to get new songs, etc. This game is fun. You don't have to know how to dance to play Dance Dance Revolution. You want proof? I can play DDR. So there. My personal favorite version is DDR Mario Mix for Gamecube. Expensive and hard to find nowadays, but fun.

Donkey Konga (GCN) - If there's an under appreciated music game, it's this one. Released for the Gamecube in about 2004, it had you slapping DK bongos to the beat of loads of different tunes. The song from the Chips Ahoy commercials, anyone? Donkey Konga and its great sequel Donkey Konga 2 were great party games and it's a stinkin' shame they quit making them. They did release a 3rd one in Japan, but it never made it here to the states. In any case, this is a must-play.

Wii Music (Wii) - This one looks cool. It's a way to let everyone in the family play a music game, but you don't necessarily have to know how to read or play music to do so. You can change the instruments to a song, too. The game features loads of instruments like the clarinet, cello, drumset, whatever. Plus, you don't need plastic instruments to play. You may hear people say, "But it's not Guitar Hero." WELL, NO DUH!!! I coulda told you that. To be fair, I haven't played it yet (hopefully Dec. 25th changes that), but it's made by Nintendo. Case closed.

Electroplankton (DS) - I don't actually own this one (yet [surprisingly]), but I have played it. It's less of a 'follow-along' music game and more of a fee-style/do whatever the crap you want to do kind of game. There are different 'planktons' on the screen that you tap or move around and they made different sounds. It's a very cool, very entertaining, and very hard to find game.

Elite Beat Agents (DS) - I don't care what anyone says. Elite Beat Agents is the best music game out there today. And that's saying something. You tap and drag icons on the screen to the beats of several classic songs, many of which are superior mixes to the originals. I still find it incredible how much fun, emotion, and hilarity they crammed in this game. It's one of those games that's worth buying a DS for.

And with that, I'm off to tap beats to the addictive 'Jumpin' Jack Flash.'

Have another music game that's awesome? Let us know in the comments.

-benjamines

Currently Playing: Elite Beat Agents, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Super Princess Peach

Agents Are Go!!

There's an issue that must be addressed here. There are problems happening all over the world, and people keep trying to help, but they're not sure what to do. There is mass confusion and chaos on the horizon. And somehow, people forget where to look. I shall tell you where to look. Elite Beat Agents.

Yeah, I know. You probably haven't heard of them. Many haven't. But I guarantee you once you get to know them, they can help you solve so many of your life's problems, you will wonder how you got by without them. A local babysitter recieved help with some snotty kids thanks to the EBA. A Texas oil baron won back his supermodel wife with their assistance. They even helped a car lot owner steal back the secret plans for an amazing new car. How in the world do they know how to solve everything? It's simple, really. It's in the music.

Elite Beat Agents is a DS rhythm/action game similar to other music titles. Think Dance Dance Revolution with a stylus. Beats appear on screen, and you tap, drag, or spin them along with the beat. Sounds hard. And sometimes, it is. But there is simply no way to know how amazing this game is until you play it.

You follow the lives of various people across the globe as they battle life's problems. The EBA help out with jazzy beats and sweet moves. Your job is to keep the song going by correctly nailing as many notes as possible. The first mission puts you in the situation of the babysitter with 3 uncontrollable children. Through the inspirational beats of the EBA, the babysitter and her (future) boyfriend find ways to take control over the miniature monsters. Awesome.

Helping a babysitter in a video game? You bet. Not only is it fun, it's hilarious. The graphics are in a neat comic-book style. And it is stinkin' funny. But it's not just funny. It's exciting. It's thrilling. And sometimes, it's even touching. It's amazing how much emotion they crammed onto a tiny DS cartridge.

One story has a deep sea diver hunting treasure to the song YMCA. And the Agents in the background actually do the YMCA dance. Awesome. Another has the car lot owner trying to steal back the car plans to the beat of Canned Heat (the same song Napoleon Dynamite danced to). Awesome.

I can guarantee you by the time you finish playing this game, you will be sweating bullets. And you will enjoy it. The game starts out easy enough. But it's hard. Dang hard. Yeah, it's hard enough that there's no chance you'll get some of the songs on the first try. In fact, on the highest difficulty, every song is a challenge. But the game is so engaging, so intense, and so fun, you have no choice but to keep going until you beat the song.

Obviously, the heart of any rhythm game is the music. This game doesn't let down. Obviously, some songs are better than others. People have different tastes. No problem. This game has everything from the Rolling Stones to Good Charlotte and everything in between. Even better, many of the songs are covers that are actually better than the original. Wow.

Elite Beat Agents is one of those few games that has a perfect mix of great content, extreme emotions, infinite replay value, perfect difficulty, and endless fun. It is a game that everyone needs to play. I don't mean just DS owners. I don't even mean people who like video games. EVERYONE. MUST. PLAY. THIS. GAME. It's that good.

Pros:

• Excellent music!
  
• Emotionally charged stories.
• Stinkin' hard, but perfect for the game.
  
• Funnest. DS. Game. Ever.
  

Cons:

• There are none.

This game has earned a Blatantly Biased:






In case you were wondering, this is only the 12th game to receive this high of a Blatantly Biased score, the only DS game to get a 10 (so far), and the first since Kirby Air Ride (Gamecube, 2003).