Elite Beat Agents FAQ

Written by Tommy Gun. Screenshots by Tommy Gun. Last updated: 01/07/07

Elite Beat Agents is the American “sequel” to Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. Technically it’s not a sequel, but it’s not a localization either. It’s an all new game with new songs and stories. The mechanics are almost exactly the same. It’s not a continuation of the Ouendan story since the characters are different. This debate will probably never end, so call it what you want. I call it a “sequel” (in quotes).

Since so many things are the same in EBA, much of the Ouendan FAQ is still relevant (and some of the Fan Obsession page). I have updated some of the terms and things to match EBA. Please visit the Ouendan FAQ if you need help on Spin Markers, want to know how scoring works, etc. This page is for all the new stuff in EBA, and to list all of the differences between the two games. This page contains spoilers, so use the contents links below to skip to the sections you want to read.

If you like this page, be sure to check out our other Elite Beat Agents guides!

Song List:

Note: These are all covers. The original artists are listed here for reference.

Steriogram – Walkie Talkie Man
Sum 41 – Makes no Difference
Avril Lavigne – Sk8er Boi
Queen – I Was Born to Love You
Stray Cats – Rock This Town
Deep Purple – Highway Star
The Village People – Y.M.C.A.
Earth, Wind and Fire – September
Jamiroquai – Canned Heat
Madonna – Material Girl
Ashlee Simpson – La La
Chicago – You’re the Inspiration
David Bowie – Let’s Dance
Good Charlotte – The Anthem
Two parts:
1. Hoobastank – Without a Fight
2. The Rolling Stones – Jumpin’ Jack Flash

Bonus Songs:

Cher – Believe
Jackson 5 – ABC
Destiny’s Child – Survivor

Difficulty Levels / Characters:

Hard ROCK! **** Elite Beat Divas (also, Secret Unlockable)
Sweatin’ *** Agent BA-1 “Chieftain”
Cruisin’ ** Agent BA-2 “J”
Breezin’ * Agent BA-5 “Spin”

Scores for Each Rank Title:

(Thanks to AquaHaute for the values)

80,000,000: Lovin’ Machine
50,000,000: Five-star Commander
35,000,000: Hero’s Hero
25,000,000: Legendary Agent
20,000,000: Four-star Commander
15,000,000: God of Groove
10,000,000: King of the Beat
6,000,000: Three-star Commander
3,000,000: Captain of Soul
1,500,000: Master of Dance
400,000: Soldier of Song
000,000: Trainee

Screenshots:

Gameplay: Here you can see normal gameplay. Notice the new fonts and graphics. They’re a bit cleaner and easier to read.

Options screen: EBA has a bunch of new options.

Stage Info: When you click on a stage you get more information about the target (bottom screen). It tells you who you’re helping, and some info about that person. The top screen has song info, difficulty, etc.

Hits Size Comparison: Here is a comparison between Hard ROCK! difficulty and the rest. It really isn’t a huge size difference when you compare them one-on-one, but when you get a bunch of hits on screen you’ll definitely notice it. The red on blue is a magnified diagram to show the difference. Red is Hard ROCK!, blue is the rest.

“Which game is better, EBA or Ouendan?”

If you’re wondering which game is better, or which you should get, it really depends. They’re both great games, and most fans will tell you to get both if you can. A huge part is the music — which songlist do you like better? Ouendan has j-rock/j-pop, EBA has popular American songs. Can you afford to import? Are you sure you’ll like the gameplay? If not, maybe you should go for EBA because it’s easier/cheaper to get, and you can trade it in later if you don’t like it (which won’t happen!). EBA has easier spinners, but the rest of the gameplay is just as tough as Ouendan. EBA has more songs — but if you don’t like many of the songs, that won’t matter (seriously though, even the “bad” songs are fun to play. Give it a chance). Do you like multiplayer? If so, get EBA. It has single card play, and it’s easier to get a second copy to do full multiplayer.

EBA also has other improvements (listed below), but they’re all things you can live without if you like the Ouendan songs better. Ask yourself those questions and then decide. If you’re really on the fence, I’d say get EBA first, and then once you’re completely addicted, import Ouendan. ;) They’re both amazing.

“Elite Beat Agents” vs. “Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan”

There are plenty of obvious changes in Elite Beat Agents compared to Ouendan — new songs, more songs, different stories, new fonts, different colors, English language, etc. Below are the not-so-obvious changes.

Additions:

Review (on fail): Short replay of the part you failed at. Very useful for learning the hard parts without having to play the song again only to fail (*cough*Shanghai Honey on Insane*cough*). Option appears when you fail a song.
Replay Save: You can save your replays to watch later, and play against them in “Vs Ghost” multiplayer. Only one save per song, regardless of difficulty. Go to the options menu to watch your replays.
Rumble Pack support: Shakes on each hit, phrase marker, etc.
Bonus star/picture: If you pass every scene in a stage (red circles), you get a bonus star, and an extra picture (on most stages). See Example (ABC).
Skip song intros: Instead of only being able to skip the cutscenes, you can also skip the song intros, straight to where you start playing (Yes!). Hit the “skip” button in the bottom right corner.
Skip graph draw/score count: Simply tap the screen when it starts graphing your progress after a song, and it’ll skip straight to your rank.
Bonus songs: There are three bonus songs you can unlock (by reaching 4th, 6th, and 9th rank). Once you unlock each one, it’s available in all difficulties.
Voice clips in cutscenes: Some of the stages have voice clips (e.g., “You Bet, Kid!”).
Single Cart multiplayer: In Ouendan you can only send a demo tutorial. EBA lets you play a bunch of songs in VS, but only the first two difficulties.
EBA star stamps: On the results screen where it charts your “appeal” it will give you stamp with a number of stars on it. It depends on…how many scenes you passed? The text at the bottom says one of these:
1. EBA Fair
2. ?
3. EBA 3 Stars
4. ?
5. EBA 5 Stars
Gallery: View eight different pictures of the agents (on each difficulty level). These are the quick cutscenes when you unlock a new area.
Slowdown issues: Not intentional, of course. Some of the songs (most noticeably Survivor) have some slowdown issues, which may mess you up and cause you to get a lower score. Many people don’t notice it at all, so you don’t really need to worry about it, but on the highest difficulty you might see it.
Shows highest rank/score on map screen when you click on a song.
The first few songs on the easiest difficulty have a little glove icon that moves around pointing to the hits.
Double hits at the beginning of some phrase markers.
The endings change slightly depending on how many sections of the song you pass. (Thanks Teraman!)

Updated Features:

Much improved hi-score screen: (see stage icons, below) Instead of the scrolling score screen (which you had no control over), EBA lets you click on each stage icon to view your score. Not only that, but the full results are shown (how many misses, etc. See image at right), instead of just the rank/score! Note: “Perfect!” (full combo) is NOT shown on the hi-score screen!
Also, the bonus star is shown on each icon if you got it, so you don’t even have to click to see which ones you need. You can easily see all your ranks by looking at the background color of each icon:
- S = orange/red (the actual letter S is blue, however)
- A = gold
- B = blue
- C = purple
- D = green
“Elite Beat” and “Beat” shown on the results screen (Ouendan has them in the game, but doesn’t show them in the results). See image above.
Map screen is 3D: Instead of a flat 2D map you drag around, it’s a 3D globe. The 2D map is faster and easier to find each song, but the 3D globe is just so pretty.
Easier spin markers: Many people had trouble with spinners, so it’s nice that they made them easier. You can now get even more bonus points from spinners if you’re good at them, and you won’t fail them as easily if you’re bad.

Stuff That’s the Same:

Art style: The cutscenes use the same art style, most notably when the characters get mad, and their eyes turn white and triangular, etc.
Sound effects in cutscenes: Some of the sounds are from Ouendan, like when a character gets upset (“AIIEEE!!”).
Some characters: There are a few cameo appearances from Ouendan characters.

Minor Differences:

Red circle when you pass a scene is a perfect circle, instead of “painted.” Same with the X.
Cutscenes read from left to right since it’s in English.

“I need help with Jumpin’ Jack Flash!”

It’s a tough song, but you’re in luck! I created some note charts for JJF on Sweatin’, to help you memorize the difficult parts. The link is in the guides section, or just go here:

Note Chart: “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” – Sweatin’

Other Stuff:

From Momentary: The “put the DS to sleep in the tutorial” easter egg has been left in. This time, when the DS is opened, Commander Kahn accuses you of sleeping on the job and orders you to get back to work. The tutorial then ends, as with Ouendan.

Stage Summaries:

Note: These were taken directly from the Wikipedia article. They have removed them because wikipedia is not a guide, so I have copied them here. I did not write these, credit goes to everyone who edited them there.

Trio of Mayhem! Love and Boyfriends!! (Walkie Talkie Man): Jane is a babysitter who wants to go steady with Don Tanner, the football team’s star receiver. Suddenly, her day off is interrupted by a troublesome trio of kids who, if left to their own devices, would force Don to leave and ruin her chance for love. It’s up to Jane’s babysitting skills and Don’s football talent to save the day.
Red Carpet Premiere! Smash Hit or Box Office Crash! (Makes No Difference): Chris Silverscreen is busy directing his latest movie, “Romancing Meowzilla”. However, the filming isn’t going well. Chris is warned by his boss, Mr Fanny, that if his new movie isn’t a big hit, he’ll be fired.
Hey Taxi! To the Hospital, and Hurry!! (Sk8er Boi): Jack is a taxi driver who has the bad habit of going crazy behind the wheel and driving like a maniac. He is warned by the police not to speed again or else lose his taxi license. Jack will have to wait to take this advice, however, as he must rush a pregnant woman in labor to the hospital while dodging the cops.
Art and Beauty! Love and Happiness!? (I Was Born to Love You): In 15th Century Florence, Leo is an artiste who is adored by many girls, who beg him to paint their portraits. However, he is unhappy because he cannot seem to find the true art or the true beauty. That is, until one girl in particular takes his interest by storm, but she is resilient to his offers to paint her portrait. Leo must use his artistic abilities to woo this girl and get the ‘Vulcanoooo’ he desires.
Magic Meets Madness! The Show Must Go On! (Rock This Town): Thomas Petree is a magician who works at a Las Vegas casino with his assistant, Angelina. Thomas had just blown his paycheck on the slots, and they are both shocked to find out that their magic show had been cancelled. They’re even more shocked to find this is because the casino has been overrun by bandits! Thomas has to use his magic tricks to rescue Angelina, his boss and, of course, their paychecks from the “Full House Gang”.
A Pug’s Life! 400 Miles from Home!! (Highway Star): Sam is the beloved pug of Ted. One day, Ted plays basketball with his friends while Sam takes a nap. Unfortunately for Sam, he took a nap on a truck, and upon waking up realises he’s 400 miles from home! A long journey is ahead of him.
Ahoy, Mates! Sunken Delights and Adventure!! (Y.M.C.A.): Captain Brooke has been searching the oceans in the hopes of finding treasure. However, after searching for three months with no results, Brooke’s crew mutinies and leaves him behind. With only his parrot as company, Brooke’s only choice is to find that treasure once and for all.
Cry Wolf! Meteorology and Parenting!! (September): Sofie is a weather reporter who is generally very busy, so when her son David hears she has the weekend off, he is very excited at the prospect of a picnic. But apparently there’s rain during the weekend. Not wanting to disappoint her son, Sofie exclaims that it’s going to be blue skies and sunshine this weekend. To keep her son’s faith, and her job, Sofie must personally ensure clear skies.
Family Honor! Introducing the Secret-Weapon Ninja!! (Canned Heat): Ken Ozu is the spoiled heir to Sushi Motors. However, the plans for their latest top-secret car have been stolen by a rival company and locked up tight. Ken’s father commands him to earn his keep by using his “ninja powers” to retrieve the plans. Problem is, he’s not very good at it. Can he overcome his nervousness and rescue the plans?
Survive! Celebrity Lives and Desert Isles!! (Material Girl): Norma and Isabella Carrington are two celebrity sisters that usually live in the highest of luxuries. However, a stormy night on a cruise ship leaves the sisters stranded on a desert island. They are surprisingly positive about their situation, the prospect of being stranded on an island being an intriguing one, but nonetheless call for help from the EBA! Now they have to use their survival skills (or in this case, their sex appeal) to make friends with the wildlife and survive on the island.
NURSE!! Gold Medal Hero or Zero!! (La La): Track star Bill Mitchell catches a fever the day before the finals in the 100m dash. Since drug tests mean he can’t use medicine, he has to rely on his immune system, personified by nurse Cap White. But she’s having problems fending off the infection, and needs help to annihilate “Mr. Virus” and his friends and help Bill win the gold.
A Christmas Gift. (You’re the Inspiration): Taking a more serious tone than the other levels, this tells the story of the Stevens family, Matthew, Lauren and their daughter, Lucy. Dad leaves off, making a promise to Lucy that he would be home for Christmas. 6 months later, Lucy is told by Lauren that Matthew had been in an accident and wouldn’t be coming back. Lucy, determined that her father will come home for Christmas, has to keep her faith up, so that he may somehow come home in time for Christmas.
Rags to Riches! Go East Wildcatter! (Let’s Dance): Colonel Bob is a rich oil tycoon, who lives a life of luxury with his (somewhat spoiled and gold-digging) wife. Suddenly, the oil fields run out, and Colonel is declared bankrupt. What’s worse, his wife kicks him out of his mansion. With only a shovel and the clothes on his back, Colonel has to work his way back up to reclaim his title as Oil Tycoon.
Batter Up! Home Run Hero Makes a Comeback!! (The Anthem): Hulk “The King” Bryman is a pro baseball star, but suddenly his game starts slipping and he is forced to retire. Now a lowly janitor at a theme park, Hulk misses the old glory days. Suddenly, a lava spewing golem appears, and takes one of his die-hard fans hostage. Now Hulk must muster up his baseball spirit to defeat the golem and save the day.
No More Music!? The Last Hope!! (Without a Fight & Jumpin’ Jack Flash): A strange alien race known as the Rhombulans attack Earth, petrifying anyone musical into stone and imprisoning the citizens, including many characters from previous episodes. With the whole planet in desperation, a simultaneous call is made to the EBA, and it’s up to everyone to fend off the Rhombulans and bring back music to the planet! However, the Agents quickly become all rocked out, and all those who were saved by the Agents must now return the favor.
Aspire! Dancing to the Limelight!! (Believe): Amanda Straw is a waitress with apsirations of becoming a great dancer. However, her daydreaming makes her a bit clumsy at her job. She’s been constantly told that she should return to her home by her boyfriend Tex. What’s worse, she’s in risk of being evicted from her appartment. She’ll need help from the EBA to raise money, improve her singing and dancing, and get up on that stage.
Here, Kitty, Kitty! Baby Hijinks!! (ABC): Max is a cat who has to look over Baby Alden while his mother goes out, with the promise of his favourite fish as a reward. However, while Max is daydreaming, Alden follows a butterfly outside, which leads him to, of all places, a construction site filled with danger. It’s up to Max to see to it that Alden is returned home safe and sound.
The Last Laugh! Just a Peanut Matter!! (Survivor): Jake Irons is a grumpy old trucker who delivers “Sarcastic Nuts & Nuts” and who absolutely hates laughter and anyone who does it. One day, the area is overrun by blue-faced, laughing zombies who turn other people into zombies by kissing them. The only cure for this disease is a heaping helping of peanuts, and it’s up to Jake to deliver the goods.

Awards:

GameSpot’s “Best of 2006” gave EBA:

IGN gave EBA an unbelieveable SEVEN awards for 2006 (in the DS category):

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