A great " Otaku " game, for people who love quirky and strange Japanese games.
The Bad : The soundtrack is not catchy nor fun, the beat is off sometimes.
The game : is very Japanese and different !
Ontamarama is ( thankfullly ) another rhythm/action game for the DS. You fill up " Ontamas ", which are small circle like creatures by tapping them with your touch pen, which in turn fill up " notes ". The notes are on a line, and you have to tap them with the D-pad as they make their way into a circle.
This game has been deemed very difficult, which I don't necessarily agree with. The game is actually really easy until you reach some later songs on hard mode, and you can also make use of your microphone and shop to help you along the way. You use your microphone by blowing into it up to 5 times ( after using the shop to buy upgrades ), to clear all " Ontamas " on the screen. This allows you to concentrate on the notes only. Also, you use shop mode to purchase upgrades that make the game easier, ie : line lengthening, easy start, etc. Although I admit it would be nice if all those worked on hard mode.
The game is definitely worth playing for the price tag, and it's something different. I'm getting sick of only seeing DS players playing Mario Kart or the like when I'm in public. It has it's flaws, like it's generic soundtrack. A little annoying J-Pop could of helped. Also, critics are right when they say the timing of the notes are little bit off, as the notes do not correspond to the music well.
Nontheless, if you've played alot of DS titles and are running low on high quality games, pick up Ontamarama. Shop mode adds replay value and again, you can buy it new for 20 dollars !