Who you gonna call? MALE CHEERLEADERS!
Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! is one of the best games on the DS. But you won't find it at your local GameStop. It's an import game only, and it will most likely stay that way. Why? Well, it's very Japanesey and certainly not easy breezy (if you got that reference, you probably should buy this game NOW). The game features some classic J-Rock hits, and very uniquely Japanese cutscenes.
However, even if you don't have mastery of the Japanese language, you'll find yourself engrossed by the intuitive gameplay, which involves tapping, dragging and spinning your stylus across the screen to the beat of the music. The introductory tutorial that boots when you start the game will give you more than everything you need to start cheerleading away.
The gameplay is addictive and insanely fun. The motions that you must perform on the DS screen are perfectly synchronized with the music, so expect to get familiar with the tunes provided in the game. There are only 15 tracks, but each are classic songs from the world of Japanese music, with songs from artists like nobodyknows+ and ORANGE RANGE. If you're a fan of Japanese music, you'll recognize many of the names, and maybe even the songs as well, and it won't be long before you're finding your groove.
Each song comes with its own story, which changes depending on your performance in the game. The story is animated through a series of manga panels on the top screen, and although knowledge of Japanese would help in understanding what the characters are saying, you can certainly tell what they're experiencing through the very expressive artwork. The presentation goes a long way in making the game fun: the scenarios really are absolutely fantastic, and revealing too many of them would ruin a lot of the fun in discovering what the game will throw at you.
The game may only feature 15 songs, which is a fairly small amount, but there are various difficulty levels you can unlock (with a special surprise in the final one), and even at the easiest difficulties, you'll find yourself being challenged. The game, at the most difficult of settings, will throw note after note your way, and anything short of perfection will lead to failure. The game also grades you, just like in other music games, so the player has an incentive to reach an S grade in the songs they play. There is a lot of replayability, and it really is a great pick-up and play game. Just play a song on the train, close your DS, and you're on your way.
I have nothing but the highest praises for the game. While the song selection is a bit small, and the sound quality isn't too great (and the vocals are replaced by cover artists), the game has simply too many charming aspects to deny it. From the great presentation, to the solid, addictive gameplay, there is no reason for you to avoid importing this game. Nintendo will most likely not bring this game to the states, so feel free to find the game online. You will not regret it.