Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2

Overview

Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 (which can be translated to "Burn Hot Rhythm Soul Go! Fight! Cheer Squad 2") is the sequel to the DS original, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan which was released in Japan in 2005. The game follows a group of superhero male Japanese cheerleaders, known as Ouendan, who travel all across Japan (and even outer space) to solve various people's problems through song and dance. The new twist for the second entry in the Japanese series is the presence of rival Ouendan, whom are playable in half of the game's stages.

Story

As in the original game, the Yuuhi Town Ouendan come to the aid of locals in need, firing them up and cheering them on in order to give them the will to succeed. However, a rival ouendan known as the Encouraging Nobility appear on the scene, causing a rivalry to stir. The two ouendan squads continue aiding the townsfolk separately until once again, the entire world is threatened by an apocalyptic event; the threat of the sun's death and the freezing of Earth. When things become truly dire, the rival squads team up to cheer on the world, and with their collective spirit, reignite the sun.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 is exactly the same as both Ouendan, and Elite Beat Agents before it. Using the Nintendo DS stylus, the player taps out the rhythm of the song playing.

Hit Markers

Circular, numbered icons that appear on the touch screen during play are called "Hit Markers". Each marker in a sequence must be tapped in numerical order. To assist in timing, rings close around each marker. As the ring lines up with the edge of the circle, the player taps the marker to match the song's rhythm. Based on the player's accuracy, each individual marker is worth 50, 100, or 300 points. Missing a marker entirely reduces the player's health meter. The player can eventually unlock the ability to play the game without the use of the guide circles for extra challenge.

Phrase Markers

"Phrase Markers" are essentially Hit Markers with tracks that extend from them. The player must tap the marker with the stylus and then hold it to the screen while following a ball that rolls along the track to the other end. Small dots line the path, and points are tallied for each dot the player essentially collects on the track. Some Phrase Markers display an arrow on the other end of of the track, indicating that the player must reverse direction.

Spin Markers

"Spin Markers" appear at key points of songs. Essentially a giant wheel, the player must spin it as fast as they can to fill a gauge before a circle closes in on the wheel's axel. Spinning more than is required yields bonus points.

Health

"Health" is represented by a bar at the top of the touch screen. The bar is divided into red and yellow sections; if the player's health is in the yellow during a song checkpoint, then that particular portion of the song is considered "passed". The gauge constantly depletes and must be filled by hitting markers successfully. The more accurate the player is, the more the gauge will be filled. If a marker is missed, a chunk of the meter will be docked. If the meter depletes entirely, the level is failed, and the stage's client will hit rock bottom.

Elite Beat Agents Bonus

While Ouendan 2 is the sequel to the original Japanese Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, a western spin-off, Elite Beat Agents, was released in between them. Elite Beat Agents, which was not released in Japan, features new heroes that resemble secret agents rather than cheerleaders. The game's characters, dilemmas, storylines, and soundtrack were all tailored for a western demographic, but in terms of gameplay is identical to the Ouendan titles.

For a limited time in 2007, people that bought Ouendan 2 could take the game to Japanese stores equipped with DS download stations and download data to unlock EBA character skins for use in the game. The EBA characters use the same dance/cheer animations as the Japanese characters with some very slight variations.

Song List

In order of unlocking:

1. Sukima Switch - "Zenryoku Shōnen"
2. Kaela Kimura - "Rirura Riruha"
3. FLOW - "Okuru Kotoba"
4. Ken Hirai - "Pop Star"
5. Hitomi Yaida - "Go my way"
6. The Checkers - "Julia ni Heartbreak"
7. Going Under Ground - "VISTA"
8. Home Made Kazoku - "Shōnen Heart"
9. mihimaru GT - "Kibun Jōjō ↑↑"
10. Tomoyasu Hotei - "Bambina"
11. SMAP - "Bang! Bang! Vacances!"
12. Ai - "Believe"
13. Kishidan - "Zoku"
14. Porno Graffitti - "Music Hour"
15. Hyde - "Countdown"
16. Sambomaster - "Sekai wa Sore o Ai to Yobundaze"

These tracks are unlockable after a certain amount of points have been obtained:

• Orange Range - "Monkey Magic"
• Nana starring Mika Nakashima - "Glamorous Sky"
• ZZ - "Samurai Blue"

All songs are cover versions, with the exception of "Samurai Blue" and "VISTA".