From Gitaroo Man to Ouendan to Elite Beat Agents to Ouendan 2, the talk covered the history behind the games, including plenty of concept art and video.
At the end of the presentation, Yano unveiled Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii!: Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2, the first part he said roughly translates to “Burn! Hot-blooded Rhythm Soul!," an amalgamation of all their favorite words to describe the game put into a title. Though some of the details have come out in Japan through Famitsu, he was able to provide the first screenshots from the game as well as show off the new character designs. While the previous ouendan have been given an updated look, the big surprise was a new rival team of blue-clad ouendan. The rival team, named “Sai Yon Ji" is apparently playable, but Yano was unable to give specifics. Taking place years after the first game, some characters from the original will return, such as the student found in the first stage. Yano also promised more features and difficulty aimed at the hardcore audience.
Regarding future development, Yano was unable to give any specific details, but it was clear that they are exploring all avenues, including bringing the Ouendan franchise to other consoles. The company is also in talks with Nintendo about developing a game for the Wii, and Yano does like the platform. When asked whether or not Ouendan would ever be localized to an American audience directly since some people prefer it to Elite Beat Agents, Yano said that though he recognizes the fan base, he hopes that he could make the next Elite Beat Agents even better… but that was not an actual game announcement. When asked about the possibility of cross-over characters between the two series, he simply said that he hopes the franchise will continue that long.
Aaron Kaluszka, Staff Writer
