Elite Beat Agents

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Heroes bring the funk by tapping in rhythm.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the comic humor presented in this wacky software is over the top and will be lost on younger children. Also, some of the storylines feature scantily clad women with jiggling breasts, and a story of the loss of a parent. While quirky and silly, there is something wonderfully appealing about this game, which makes it fun for kids and families to explore. It is one of the best games released in 2006 for the DS.

  • The game and purpose of Elite Beat Agents is to help the downtrodden.
  • Not applicable.
  • Comic strip version of scantily clad women.

What's it about?

In ELITE BEAT AGENTS, players tap and rhythmically drag the DS stylus on the touch-sensitive screen. The zany premise is that there's a secret agency called the Elite Beat Agents (EBA), which exist to help the downtrodden. Think Men in Black meets John Travolta's Saturday Night Fever. When the agency detects a plea for help, three agents appear and, with the players' help, dance their way to solving the problem.

Each of the stories is presented on the top screen in the form of a manga-style comic strip. Each episode has three possible endings, which relate to the amount of energy produced in terms of points. The most common move involves tapping a sequence of numbered dots corresponding to the beat of the music. How well you execute these moves affects how you fill your Elite-o-Meter -- if the meter runs out, the good-deed-doing is over, and the EBA fails at their mission.


Is it any good?

 

Reading the witty dialogue and watching the charismatic agents dance greatly contribute to this title's fun. It does a good job of tying in both oldies and current pop songs (from the Rolling Stones to Sum 41) to the storylines. The game also offers longevity: In the single-player mode, players can explore the 19 songs in three levels of difficulty. The multiplayer mode lets players cooperate or compete.

The easy level is accessible to anyone, but the harder levels are devilishly challenging. This game is best for kids 10 and older, because the humor will be lost on younger kids. Also, some of the story lines are inappropriate for younger kids because they feature scantily glad women with jiggling breasts, and the loss of a parent. For DS owners, this unique title brings the funk -- rock out and save the world!


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about why this crazy title is so much fun to play. Is it the challenge of tapping to the music? Is it the crazy storylines? Is it watching the Elite Beat Agents dance like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever? Who in your family is best at keeping the beat in this video game? Kids might be surprised at the hidden talents of friends and family.


This review was written by Jinny Gudmundsen
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
AGH!
Ok, here's the thing about this game, it is BORING! I played this for fifteen minutes and then stoped and got out my Gameboy color to play something that didn't have annoying music. I really don't understand how this game got such good reviews! The gameplay is repetitive and the songs are lousy. Ages 8-13 might find it enjoyable.

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Teen, 15 years old
April 9, 2008
 
THIS GAME ROCKS!
I love this game. Great songs, great stories, it rocks. Rent this game!

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Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
The Elite Beat Agents are @ your service!
Think Men In Black meets The Gorillaz meets Donkey Konga. EBA is an awesome DS game about three agents helping people in wacky situations. Only they do it by music. You help the Elite Beat Agents by tapping to the beat on your DS touch screen while situations unfold on the top screen. This game is probably a "lite" E10+ because of some comical violence (rather mild), a girl movie star's you-know-whats doing something rude, and some bad stuff in the music itself, as well as a rather sad story about halfway through about a girl's father dying and him coming back as a spirit . But don't let that stuff stop you from playing this awesome rhythm-action game that looks like a manga come to life with music. It's so awesome. I say 9+.

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Teen, 15 years old
April 9, 2008
 

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Kid, 13 years old
February 3, 2011
 
Perfect for people who like music and spies
This game is good till the final boss. HE IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Teen, 15 years old
April 12, 2009
 
so awesome so not
the agents are so stupid in this game. but don't take my advice.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
the BEST
This game is DA BOMB! It's extremely fun addicting with nothing to worry about content-wise! Anyone can enjoy it! Ages 10+.

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Teen, 15 years old
August 21, 2009
 
This is my favorite game for my DS bar none

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
it's like guitar hero on the ds
who knew that tapping stuff at the right time could be so fun nintendo oh and harmonex or what ever the creators brand who made guitar heros name is any way good game

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This review was written by Jinny Gudmundsen
Platforms:Nintendo DS
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Music
Developer:Nintendo
Release date:November 7, 2006
Price:$30
ESRB rating:E10+ for cartoon violence, crude humor, lyrics, suggestive themes

This review was written by Jinny Gudmundsen

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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