Dancing is something I just don't do unless it is confined to the bedroom, CD playing, and where there are no prying eyes to see my Napoleon Dynamite inspired dance moves. You see, I just don't have a real feeling for the rhythm and beats, though I'd like to think I have better rhythm than some people. Luckily, there is Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Tamashii: Osu Tatake Ouendan 2 (jeez, isn't that like the longest title in existence). No, we don't know what that means, but we do know it's got rhythm and plenty to spare.

THE STORY SO FAR
"There are times in life when everything seems to be against you. When the world has gotten you down. Times when you want to give up and go home. Yet, in these desperate moments, you are not alone. From a secret lair, a glorious trio of stylin' sentinels arrives to save the day! They bring power, hope, love, and courage. They are the undisputed titans of funk! They are…the Elite Beat Agents! The Elite Beat Agents are go!!!"

Yeah, yeah, that is from the Elite Beat Agents review we did, but it fits so well, and besides, it was an American version of the original Osu Tatake Ouendan, so why should you expect Ouendan 2 (from here on out) would be any different?

You take on the role of Ouendan, a team of motivational cheerleaders, who by using the power of rhythm and music you'll help them overcome any problem and save the day. There is an overarching story by the end, but it is mostly the little stories of the individual people. This time around, you'll help a boy trying not to turn into a werewolf on a date with his girlfriend, help a robot fight a cat, help a kid not wet his bed, help someone get a job, and many more. The nicest thing about the whole thing, is that if you played the original Ouendan, you'll experience many of the same characters throughout your journey, such as your first mission being helping a kid get his first job, who turns out to be the kid you helped get into college in the last game. New to the game is a rival Ouendan squad, and though they aren't rivals as in bad guy equivalents, it's still cool to have the dueling squads.

Though it is hard to really pay attention to all the action, the story is nice and fun, but the gameplay and challenge is what will have you playing songs over and over.

SINGLE PLAYER: GAMEPLAY
I generally don't like hard games, though there are some exceptions, because it feels challenging for a reason and not meant to just extend game length. The greatest game I can think of that falls into that category is Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox (I would get so frustrated with that game and those bosses, but I'll be if I didn’t' feel compelled to keep playing to beat it). Well, Ouendan 2 is the exact same, because though I beat the game on normal difficulty, that just isn't good enough for me. I must unlock all the difficulties, all the songs, all the characters, and perfect each one. I must! And if you fall in love with this quirky game, then you'll find yourself in the same trance.

There are only three things you have to worry about with Ouendan 2: 1) tap the screen, 2) slide over the screen, and 3) spin the screen. It sounds simple in process, but I'm here to tell you this is unquestionably one of the hardest Nintendo DS games I've ever played. The way the levels progress is, you'll have a song, and as the song plays, numbered circles will appear with circular lines closing in on them; when the line is right about to hit the marker, you tap it with your stylus (the closer you tap it to when you are supposed to the more points you get). As for the sliders, you'll have to touch the circle then follow the ball on its pre-determined track. And for the spinners, you have to spin them in circles very quickly so the light in the back lights up before the line circle closes in.

You'd think tapping circles and such would be easy, and at first so did I, and that is why I didn't want to go out and buy the game. However, don't go thinking you'll breeze through this. For the most part, the circles you tap and drag go along to the beat of the music, so you'll have to pay attention to timing and rhythm, because while some may come slowly, others follow in line in rapid succession. And though the game doesn't have a terribly high number of levels, after everything is unlocked, you actually can multiply that number by 4 since the difficulty levels don't just speed the songs up near the higher levels, but they make you tap more circles and do more slides too, so they aren't the same levels.

The challenge of the game isn't the fact that if you don't hit a circle you know you suck with rhythm, but rather you have what amounts to a health bar that is constantly going down as the music progresses. By performing the best you can and hitting your markers exactly, you'll give yourself health. It is a game over if the meter reaches zero. The other big thing is that you want these people to have happy endings, so before each of the three or four sections come along, you want to make sure you get the Circle segments and not the X segments.

The thing is that though the levels only take a few minutes (as long as the songs last), you'll rarely beat one on the first try. You won't even beat some on the tenth try. Ouendan 2 is one of those games where in some cases (the harder difficulties in particular) you must replay levels over and over and over until you learn proper movements, where circles will be, etc. You will hear every song on here multiple times, but you'll still be compelled to beat them. You'll say, "Okay, I'll stop after two more tries," and the next thing you know you are on your thirtieth try.

Is it frustrating? Yes, but it is also so fun, rewarding, and uplifting to sit there and go, "Finally, I beat it."

MULTIPLAYER: GAMEPLAY

Sadly there isn't any multiplayer over an online connection, so to play the game against someone each one of you will need a system and a game card. Up to four players can play together, with the main matches being Versus play where you'll compete against each other, trying to get the best runs. Or at least, I think that is what happens – hard to make Japanese out.

GRAPHICS
The graphics aren't advanced, but they get their anime styles across very well, plus the animations of the Ouendan dancing more than makes up for what it isn't graphically. It should be noted that the graphics don't have to be that amazing, because the game is really the tapping of the screen where everything else is just the extra oomph to the package.

SOUND
In a game where music plays such an important part, the game would fail if the sound work was anything below great. There isn't too much voicework from characters, but the exaggerated cries of "Ouendan" sound nice and the sound of the beats that issue from your DS when you tap the screen certainly gets you going. As for the songs, though they aren't everyone's cup of tea, they are catchy beats. Unlike the last Ouendan game, I'm not familiar with any of these songs previously, whereas I knew the title song to Fullmetal Alchemist before. Still, there are some catchy and groove infected songs, and unlike the past Ouendan game, the circles and sliders seem to generally match-up better to the music this time around.

IN CONCLUSION
In a world where videogames have gotten a bad rap and so many are mature rated adventures that focus on adult themes and ideas, Ouendan 2 is the exact opposite. Ouendan 2 is pure unadulterated fun and pure bliss. Just writing about it makes me smile and wants me to go straight back to it and start playing again. You can't sit still with this game either, because you'll find your feet tapping, head bobbing, and you'll be humming the words to these songs in your head. The American music I know the lyrics to make a better game in my book, but I still can't deny still having fun with this same style of game.

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