Did you know that the lead characters in Elite Beat Agents were originally inspired by the Village People? It's true. They were even supposed to be called the Disco Rangers. Thank God for rewrites, eh?

Anyway, IGN has posted a few new bits of info regarding the sequel to the popular Nintendo DS rhythm game Osu! Takakae! Ouendan! In his GDC session entitled "From 'Ouendan!' To 'HELP!'": Inside the Elite Beat Agents", VP of Development at iNiS Corporation Keiichi Yano announced that a new rival group of cheerleaders will be introduced in the upcoming sequel. Players will be able to both encounter and play these new cheerleaders.

 

Yano also mentioned that the original Ouendan cast of characters will be returning, albeit with a subtly edgier art style. Oh, and before we all forget, the sequel will be called Moeru! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashi: Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2, which, Yano says, loosely translates to "Burn hot rhythm soul!" Nintendo is expected to release more details regarding the sequel later this week.

Keiichi Yano didn't reveal any details regarding a possible Elite Beat Agents (Elite Beat Agents = U.S., Ouendan = Japan, OK?) sequel, but IGN says that Yano did have some hopeful words that the series may continue in some capacity, either on the Nintendo DS or on another game platform. Yano also mentioned that he is currently in talks with Nintendo about developing for the Wii.

Nintendo of Australia has announced that new downloadable demo games for the Nintendo DS have finally gone live at Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection hotspots all around Australia. Aussie DS owners can just grab their Nintendo handhelds and leg it on over to the hotspots. There, you can test drive games such as Mario vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Elite Beat Agents.

The hotspots also feature some unique Animal Crossing items that you can download to your copy of the game. A special Nintendogs function that allows Nintendogs owners to experience the joys of Bark Mode without having someone else physically there to play with is also available. For a list of the hotspots near your area, you can check out the Nintendo Wi Fi Connection hotspots list by clicking on the Read link below.

Japan game news may not seem very relevant to an English-language game site whose audience is largely from the United States and Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and United Kingdom and Ireland, but you know that when it comes to Nintendo games, the Japanese market is something to pay attention to.

DS. Just look at Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan (Go! Fight! Cheer Squad) from iNiS - it became the "instant DS classic" Elite Beat Agents,. Japan is going to get the sequel later this year, and Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 (Burn! Burning Rhythm Soul Go! Fight! Cheer Squad 2) promises more fun: 4-player wireless play. Where do we sign up to demand Elite Beat Agents 2?

Mistwalker's tactical role-playing game ASH: Archaic Sealed Heart will also be released this year.

Bad news. The release date for Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is no longer 2007. It's now "undecided release date" according to Siliconera.

Wii. The brain-testing game Wii Yawasaka Ataka Juku or Yawaraka Atama Jyuku (let's just call it Wii Big Brain Academy,) looks like it will be released on April 26, 2007. The racing game DK Bongo Blast (Donki Kongu: Taru Jetto Resu - "Donkey Kong barrel jet race") is another 2007 Wii game along with Wii Fitness.

According to Siliconera, these are the Wii games that Nintendo will publish in 2007:

• Fire Emblem: Goddess of Dawn - Feb 22
• EyeShield 21 - March 8
• Super Paper Mario - April 10
• Wii Yawasaka Ataka Juku (Wii Big Brain Academy) - April 26

TBD Wii Games in 2007:

• Wii Fitness
• Disaster Day of Crisis
• Mario Party 8
• Project H.A.M.M.E.R
• Wii Music
• Super Mario Galaxy
• Super Smash Brothers Brawl
• Battalion Wars 2 (BWii)
• DK Bongo Blast
• Forever Blue
• Mario Strikers Charged
• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (We want to add that the wait for this game has been long, but it's been justifiable. We want them to take their time with making this game perfect for the Wii.)
  

Announced with an undetermined date:

• Animal Crossing
• Kirby

Fans definitely know how to build something that justifies their fandom. That being said, ClickBeat is no exception, as it attempts to bring Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! (aka Elite Beat Agents) to the PC.

ClickBeat is a customizable rhythm game for the PC, much like those finger-tapping dance sims we've seen around on the internet. However, ClickBeat's premise lies in clicking the circles in time with the song.

Just like Elite Beat, the closer your timing for clicking the circle to the beat, the better your grade for that click. You'll also be rated on your clicking prowess, but don't be surprised to get a D till you master the intricacies of the game.

Best of all, the game makers included ways for people to add their own custom scripts to go along with new music. There aren't a lot of those custom scripts right now, but one of them may be of interest to RPG fans, as it's Frog's Theme from Chrono Trigger.

If you want to try out this rhythm game, you can download it from their site, along with some additional custom scripts. Enjoy!

There's more interesting news about the Game Developers Conference 2007 (GDC): this March's conference will include lectures from Ubisoft producer Jade Raymond about Assassin's Creed (slated for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC), from Rare Ltd. about Viva Pinata (focusing on the graphics engine), and from Keiichi Yano about making the cult hit Elite Beat Agents for the DS. This is according to the GDC News blog (via Gamasutra).

Checking the GDC's blog shows a lot interesting sessions. We're curious about the Final Fantasy XII postmortem (it'd be nice to know more about how they handled the technical issues of transitioning between the quest screen and the battle screen in that gorgeous PS2 game).

There's also a tutorial on law, because you have to cover your assets when you're making development deals. Just look at our recent article on the courtroom drama between Spark Unlimited and Activision.

There will probably be lots more of these announcements from the GDC in the next days. The GDC will be on March 5 to 9 in San Francisco. We can't wait for another conference full of quotable quotes, flame bait, big news, jaw-dropping revelations, and gaming love!

Remember the original "Dance Fever" with Denny Terrio? Probably not. His career was back in the days when dinosaurs wore platform shoes and tight pants and danced under the mesmerizing disco ball. Ask your folks about it. They were there. Anyway, let's move on to Nintendo's "Feel the Elite Beat Dance" Video Contest.

Starting December 14 up to January 2, 2007, Nintendo and Buzznet.com are inviting gamers to boogie-oogie-oogie and shake, shake, shake your booty - that's how they called dancing back when your folks were still cool. Inspired by Touch Generations' rhythm game, "Feel the Elite Beat" online video contest gives you and two of your friends a reason to dress in your best "secret agent" costume and dance to beat of the Elite Beat Agents.

Sure there's the big possibility your future kids will see your video and groan with the same kind of embarrassment you have for your parent's disco dancing days. But that's in the future. For now keep your eyes on these prizes:

• One Grand Prize: 3 Nintendo DS Lite systems, 3 Elite Beat Agents games, 3 "Secret Agent Kits" including a t-shirt, headphones, and sunglasses
• Two Runners-Up: 1 Onyx Nintendo DS Lite, 1 Elite Beat Agents game, 3 "Secret Agent Kits" including a t-shirt, headphones and sunglasses
• Five Consolation Prizes: 1 Elite Beat Agents game

So what you waiting for?  Start shaking your groove thing and show them how you did now. (We apologize for the 70s overdose. Just sat through a "That 70s Show" marathon.) For more info and contest rules check out Buzznet.

By now, pretty much everyone with a DS knows about Elite Beat Agents. You guys know the story: the super-secret bunch of dudes dubbed the Elite Beat Agents roam the world looking for people in need of 'rescue' in the form of an emotional boost or encouragement, and when they find such people they perform a song and dance number that supplies their targets with "groovy" energy to help them overcome their problems.

One very important question has remained unanswered for quite some time though: What songs will be included in the game? Elite Beat Agents is a rhythm game, and we all know that rhythm games can live or die depending on the soundtrack. Well, wonder no more because the question has just been answered. We present to you guys the Elite Beat Agents soundtrack!

1. Walkie Talkie Man - Steriogram
2. ABC - Jackson Five
3. Sk8er Boi - Avril Lavigne
4. I Was Born to Love You - Queen
5. Rock This Town - Stray Cats
6. Highway Star - Deep Purple
7. Y.M.C.A. - Village People
8. September - Earth, Wind and Fire
9. Canned Heat - Jamiroquai
10. Material Girl - Madonna
11. La La - Ashlee Simpson
12. You're the Inspiration - Chicago
13. Survivor - Destiny's Child
14. Without a Fight - Hoobastank
15. Believe - Cher
16. Let's Dance - David Bowie
17. Jumpin Jack Flash - Rolling Stones
18. Makes No Difference - Sum 41
19. The Anthem - Good Charlotte

Whoo! Nineteen songs! That's four more compared to the original game, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. Says designer Keiichi Yano, "We wanted everyone to have lots of songs to play, so we put in as much as the DS Card could hold! There are 19 songs you can play. As to how many levels are in the game, you will see in November."

Frankly, we can't wait to see what Yano-san means. Elite Beat Agents will hit shelves on November 8th.

We are pleased to tell you that if you are attending the Nintendo Fusion Tour, you will be able to get hands-on with a real Wii, just like the lucky people who were invited to the Wii Party! The great difference between the Wii party and the Nintendo Fusion Tour is that any member of the public can visit the latter and actually have the opportunity to play the console at the event. The NFT will stop at many venues between September 27th and November 11th all over the US.

The NFT will bring you a combination of music and next-generation video games, a combination that should blow your socks off! The lucky people that get to attend a venue for the NFT will also get to play a selection future releases for Nintendo's latest portable console, DS, including Elite Beat Agents.

NFT 2006 features bands such as Hawthorne Heights, with support by Relient K, Emery, Plain White T's, and the Sleeping. On the games side of things you can expect to get your hands on Wii titles such as Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Wii Sports, Excite Truck, Wario Ware: Smooth moves, and Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, but this list is subject to change.

Head over to the Nintendo Fusion Tour website now to book tickets!

With all of the Wii news that flooded the Interwebs, Nintendo's announcement of the release date for the funk-a-delic crackshow that is Elite Beat Agents was overlooked. To remedy the sacrilege, we proudly tell all of our readers who are eagerly awaiting the release of this title that Elite Beat Agents will hit shelves on November 8.

Remember, remember, the 8th of November, alright? On that day, you'll be able to use your mad cheering skillz to help a lost dog, a babysitter, and a lot of other folks in this cracked-up rhythm game from iNiS. So you better get yourself ready for some head-bobbing, stylus-tapping action, coz Elite Beat Agents is about to come your way.

Rhythm games have come a long way since the Dance Dance Revolution days. And it's a good thing for us too, as we get to play various versions of these entertaining diversions that call for rapid hand-eye coordination. 

Elite Beat Agents from iNiS is one example of a game falling into the "rhythm game" genre. It works like most rhythm games do: just follow the beat with your controller. Sounds pretty easy, eh? However, this particular game has a sort of CIA ring to it, as the lead characters work as secret agents.

Huh?!

We know you're probably wondering how the dancing part fits into this game. Well, to enable your characters to become the heroes of the day, you have to look for people in dire need of help, and give them a boost by dancing to a funky musical number. Yep, that's taking moral support to a whole new level, don't you think?

This head-bobbing-stylus-tapping-make-you-wanna-dance game will be available on the 6th of November for the DS. For now, we have the box cover art to give you an idea how it looks like. Stay tuned here at QJ for more updates on this swell game.