When it comes to music games, some people think of games like Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Dance Dance Revolution and they may think that in order for a music game to be good, that it needs some sort of gimmick controller to accompany it. That’s not the case, though, as music games can be fun just by using a normal controller as we’ve seen in games like Parappa the Rapper, Space Channel 5, and this game here. Gitaroo Man has a completely different way of playing than other music games. You’re still hitting a button to the beat of the song, but you’re also trying to line up the left analog stick with a line that twists and turns on screen while you play. The result is a unique, challenging, and very enjoyable experience.
As I mentioned above, the controls are a bit different...And they take a little getting used to before you feel as if you’re really doing well. Be prepared to end up doing a song over a few times before you’re good enough to just simply ‘pass.’ If you want the highest score possible on all songs, then you’ll likely be spending hours memorizing how each song goes. This is actually pretty nice, since the first time you play the tutorial, you’ll likely fail...But each time you continue you’ll see yourself gradually get better and better as you memorize parts of the song...This noticeable progress helps push you to continue on since you know that you’re improving with each attempt.
The gameplay itself is basically split into three parts. The first part basically determines how much health you have before the ‘battle’ begins. In this part, you want to hit each and every note because it’ll help add to your health bar before the battle begins. It plays like how I described in the first paragraph, using the left analog to stay lined up with the revolving line and pressing and holding the circle button in order to hit the notes. After that I done, you’ll begin the battle, in which your opponent will attack you and you need to block their attacks by hitting the correct buttons as they appear on screen. The blocking will be intertwined with you playing like you did in the pre-battle part. You’ll have to be quick to hit the correct button after strumming a few notes, otherwise you’ll miss and take damage, lowering your health bar. The final part, known as ‘final’ within the game, basically is just like the pre-battle stuff, where you’re just trying to hit notes...However, this time missing notes can end the game if your health bar is too low. This all makes for an interesting experience that you’re not very likely to grow bored of....And that’s good since it needs to keep your attention, too...The slightest distraction as you play can start an avalanche of failure, resulting in a quick loss.
Since this is a music game, you’d expect the audio to be top-notch, right? Well, it is for the most part. I generally don’t care for some of the types of music found in the game, but each song was almost endearing...And each one really seemed to fit the character you were doing battle with; rock and roll for fighting a devil-like creature, techno for a giant robot, etc. Each song seemed like it actually had a purpose for being there, unlike the Guitar Heroes and Rock Bands, where most songs are just there because there’s a belief that having those songs will result in the games being purchased. Gitaroo Man’s music adds to the overall character of the game and really makes the overall experience that much more enjoyable. The only negative thing I can really say about the audio is that some of the voice acting is absolutely terrible....But, at the same time, I felt that the lame voice-acting also fit into the rest of the game well...So, I suppose it may be a good thing then, depending on your stance.
Graphically, the game isn’t that bad. Its got its own unique style to it...Not to the extreme of Parappa the Rapper, mind you, but it does have its own look to it. I suppose that it could be argued that the graphics could be much better than what they are...Or that the developers could probably get everything looking almost identical to what the cut-scenes look like, since it wasn’t out of the question, at that time, for in-game graphics to look like the cut-scenes in this game. However, I don’t mind the graphics. Yeah, they could be better, but who cares? The game plays the same either way, know what I mean? And this game plays pretty well.
In the end, Gitaroo Man is a very enjoyable experience for anyone that enjoys music games. A lot of folks are likely to have some difficulty getting used to the controls at first, but the game provides the player with a sense of progression each time you attempt a song, so I doubt very many people will simply ‘give up’ after playing. The game is also just so bizarre that it’s hard not to enjoy it. However, the replay value here is pretty thin...There aren’t very many songs on the game, and the unlockables are pretty lame. You can duel with a friend in two-player mode, but that’s really your only reason to continue playing this game after you’ve beaten it. But, while it lasts, Gitaroo Man is a very enjoyable experience and well worth playing for anyone who is even remotely interested in seeing what this game is all about. - Ape
2002
June 21, 2001
2002
