I wish I knew how to quit yOu(endan)

Last night I got ready to play some Burnout Revenge before I retired for the night. Then I saw the DS sitting there, calling me. I fired up Ouendan around 10 o’clock, figuring I’d help out the fat Egyptian lady win over her Roman heartthrob. Then, three and a half hours later I was struggling to keep my eyes open while I was trying to help out a dad save his city from a giant rat. The game is that flipping good. I must have said, “one more try,” an hundred times.

What sets Ouendan apart from other games that rely on patterns is that it’s actually fun doing the same level over more than once. Even though the patterns are exactly the same, the music is so infectious and the rythm tapping is so satisfying that you never feel cheated when you fail at the level once again. It’s just “oh well, let’s do that again.” No biggie. That is the hallmark of a great game.

Another bonus is that it passes the “Wife Test.” Mrs. Buttonmasher loves this game. She is very casual gamer, so getting her involved with this game was something I didn’t think I could do. But all it took was one round at the easy level and she’s already hooked. In fact, she’s probably better than me at it. I only get to play when she’s done.

Speaking of the music, even though I have no idea what they’re singing about, I am now a huge fan of Japnese Pop music. I found all the soundtracks from the game and there are on heavy rotation in both iTunes and my iPod. It is so easy to listen to. Even the little buttonDaughter loves it.

So even though I have a pile of good games I could be playing, I just can’t quit playing Ouendan. I owe the Nintendaddio a huge thanks for recommending this game to me more than once.