Amplitude: Get Your Groove On
Written: Jun 16 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great songs, addictive play, perfect thumb candy
Cons: Song repetition, censorship
The Bottom Line: It don't get much better than this.
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| B_Campbell's Full Review: Amplitude for PlayStation 2 |
Overall: 9
Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 9
Sound: 10
Concept: 10
Replay Value: 8
Rhythm games usually feature some cartoonish main character singing cheesy songs created specifically for that game. Games with great, modern licensed music usually feature it as a backdrop selling point for another extreme sports sequel. But combine the timing based play of a rhythm game with the soundtrack of Eli McSellout's Extreme Chair Balancing and you get Amplitude, the slick, addictive sequel to the early PS2 hit Frequency.
Think Parappa the Rapper meets the classic shooter Tempest and you'll be on the right track (get it? Music, tracks... well it was funny at the time). Amplitude puts you in the role of a Freq, a hyper little audiophile piloting a futuristic looking ship that, instead of firing lasers or muon torpedoes, activates music. The story? Honestly, Amplitude doesn't need a story, so there isn't much of one. That's fine though, as the game is uncomplicated yet addictive, and trying to perfect each song is as much of a goal as anyone needs.
Amplitude features 26 songs and four difficulty levels. The two easier levels only have 25 songs, but the two harder ones (and they are hard) have a bonus track. At first, only three songs are available in each level, but complete them and other songs and stages (with yet more songs) are unlocked, along with new parts to customize the look of your Freq. The harder levels require better performance to unlock new songs, and you'll find that where a quick run-through of a song on an easier mode is enough to get by, on the more advanced levels it might take a few tries to get things just right.
The action is straightforward but demanding. Each song has eight tracks -- drums, bass, vocals, and so on -- and at any time each track may or may not be active. When not active, you have to travel that track attempting to activate it; in fact, until you do activate it, that part of the song won't play. Once activated, a track will stay active for a while, but will eventually require your effort to keep going. Thus, much of the game consists of switching from one track to the next, trying to keep them all running, and you'll be actively remixing the songs as you go.
All you have to do to activate a track is hit a series of notes. Simple. There are three positions a note can be in on a track, and combinations require finger agility to hit correctly. Hit each beat at the right time and you not only activate the track but also begin a combo for big points. Some tracks are simple; maybe a drum beat on every downbeat. Other tracks have syncopated rhythms, quick successions of notes, or confusing combinations of button presses. It takes not only expert timing but also miraculous dexterity to play the harder songs without throwing the controller through the TV in frustration.
An energy meter fills up as tracks are activated and checkpoints passed, but if your energy is getting low there's really no hope for you on anything but the easiest difficulty. At more demanding levels, not only must tracks be activated flawlessly but selection of the next track must be done perfectly as well to keep bonus multipliers going. Points are the important factor here, and the scores required on tougher levels are so high that the songs practically have to be memorized. Thankfully, the lower levels are more forgiving and those looking for a quick fix without striving for perfection can play all but the one bonus song.
Amplitude looks futuristic and has a lot going on around the edges of the screen, but those playing won't have much time to enjoy it. This is one of a handful of games that's just as fun to watch as it is to play; as the song progresses, the customized Freq does his or her thing in one corner, and video clips, neon signs, and all kinds of other distractions fly by above, below, and around the music tracks. There's no amazing new graphic technology here, but the game is super smooth and filled with enough action and color to make it really interesting to look at.
Of course, a rhythm game needs music, and Amplitude doesn't fall short in that respect. All of the songs are licensed from real artists; most are cuts you can find on albums, but a few were recorded specifically for the game, like Freezepop's Super Sprode, an ode to the fans they earned after being featured in Frequency. Most of the artists are popular, so you'll find P.O.D., BT, David Bowie, Garbage, and Run DMC, plus a few you may have never heard before and some interesting collaborations. Most of the music falls into three genres: nu-metal, hip hop, or electronica. You're not going to find country pop or adult contemporary, so all you Kenny Chesney and Kenny G fans, too bad.
If you're feeling cocky, there's a multiplayer mode to challenge your friends as well an online mode in case you have no friends. The multiplayer really gives this game some legs, as it's just too fun to run through a four-minute song and whoop someone's butt with your vastly superior skills.
The only real complaint is the short track list. There's enough diversity in the music to please almost anyone under 30, but the same songs are used in the same order on each difficulty level. If you decide to start at the easiest level you're going to go through basically the exact same experience on the later ones. This becomes even worse if you find out you don't like some of the songs, which is bound to happen to almost anyone. There's also the minor problem of a couple of songs being censored for language, and the option to turn this on or off would have been nice.
Amplitude is easily one of the best titles for the PS2, as the fact that it's a bit difficult to find shows. If you manage to pick up a copy it probably won't cost more than $30, but tracking it down in the first place is the challenge. This is a title that people don't want to get rid of, for good reason; it's the kind of game you can go back to anytime, even just for fifteen minutes, and have a blast with. It appeals to practically everyone and, since none of the songs have graphic or obscene lyrics, is even appropriate for younger audiences. Simply put, if you see Amplitude, get it.
Perfect For: Audiophiles, DJ wannabes, ravers
Not For: People afraid of bass, the deaf
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
B_Campbell
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Member: Bennett Campbell
Location: In a Volkswagen somewhere in upstate NY
Reviews written: 204
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