Gitaroo Man

"A challenge anyone can enjoy"

You know you've done it before. You might have been playing a Tony Hawk game or watching the X-Games on TV, but there was that little extreme voice in all of us that said, ''You can do that!'' What else could you do but borrow a skateboard or construct a makeshift one and send yourself flying down the nearest steep incline? Thus is the plight of U-1, another kid with stars in his eyes wanting to make it big and impress the girl he has a crush on. Although U-1 believes his destiny is on wheels his dog thinks differently (Note: In anime when a dog speaks you DO NOT question it) and tells him he has a much different quest to embark on. U-1's small dog Puma thrusts him into a new world he never thought existed, and where he is the hero; Gitaroo Man.

The graphics in this game want to make you feel as though you're a hero in an anime feature, and they are very successful in achieving that. Some of everyone's favorite anime expressions are present, the big sweat drop and the angry pound sign make an appearance. Anyone who enjoys anime can't help but love the character design and the environments. What's more, the animation of the character's limbs are fluid and expressive. The characters in this game are definitely interesting to look at. There's Gitaroo Man's amazing power suit and a large man dressed up in a bee costume. The energy emitted by the Gitaroo instruments is very convincing, you really feel as though you're zapping the villain as well as playing some great music, which is a surprisingly rewarding feeling. One of the most important things about music games is the visual aspect and Gitaroo Man does not disappoint.

When it comes to games of this type the music is obviously important. Does Gitaroo Man have the jams to be a match for everyone's favorite canine rapper? The answer is a resounding yes! The music in this game covers a wide variety of genres including funk and J-pop. No matter what flavor your speakers are dishing out, it all sounds fantastic and it's easy to really get into a song. What makes the audio really interesting is that fact that the Gitaroo that U-1 wields has the ability to sound different and adapt to the guitar style of the song. For example, in the funk stage your Gitaroo sometimes sounds like it's hooked up to a ''Wah Peddle'' and in the J-pop level it sounds distorted. However, the Gitaroo isn't the only instrument that can lay down some smooth sounds. The enemies in this game have their own mighty Gitaroo instruments, such as a trumpet or keyboard. Both of the aforementioned provide enough variety to the game that it's virtually impossible to get bored.

Mashing buttons to the beat may have been fun for a little while, but the concept is probably getting a bit old by now. Gitaroo Man takes an entirely different approach to jamming with the music. Instead of getting your character to dance and sing to the background music you're MAKING the music, and jamming on the Gitaroo couldn't be more fun. The primary control for the Gitaroo is the left analog stick, and it's advised that you find one with a rough surface so your thumb doesn't slip off in the heat of battle. There is a small dot in the center of the screen, whenever you play your Gitaroo a line appears on the screen and passes through this dot. At the beginning of this line is an ''O''. In order to play your Gitaroo you must press one of the buttons on the right side of the controller (such as X or Triangle) whenever the ''O'' passes over the dot and then hold the note until the note is finished. It probably sounds rather complicated on paper, but when you're going through the tutorial it should all be made very clear. That's not all there is to the game, the defense phase adds another dimension of game play. Two lines intersect at the dot in the middle of the screen. Icons that resemble the right buttons on the controller begin moving towards the center dot along these lines. To block the enemies' attack you must press the button the icon represents just when it hits the center dot (i.e. when a triangle icon hits the center dot you must press the triangle button). During the game it's always important to keep an eye on your energy bar. You lose energy whenever you miss a note or get hit during a defense phase. The amount of energy you lose depends on what difficulty setting you're playing on. Some of the later songs allow a charge phase during a song to gain some lost energy, but you must play them correctly if you want to refill your energy sufficiently. Finally, most songs never sound the same way twice. The stages may have different melody lines to follow and the way a song goes is pretty much random.

Gitaroo Man doesn't tell a bad story either. As mentioned before, U-1 is just another kid striving to be an extreme sports star but is failing miserably. His rival is doing just fine at sidewalk surfing however, and doesn't mind letting U-1 know that he'll never be as good as he is. What's worse for poor U-1, he can't seem to do anything but embarrass himself in front of the girl he likes. It doesn't seem like his life will be going anywhere but downhill until his dog Puma tells him of his musical legacy. At first U-1 is reluctant to accept his destiny to become the legendary Gitaroo Man and collect all of the Gitaroo instruments. Later in the game as U-1 collects the Gitaroos he begins to realize just how amazing it is to make music and be a hero. It's really a heartwarming experience. The storyline for this game is truly impressive.

Although this game has become very difficult to find I suggest you make every effort to get it. Gitaroo Man is a musical experience like no other you have ever played. So get yourself a copy, build up some calluses on your fingers, and get ready to become the legendary Gitaroo Man.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/03/03, Updated 06/03/03