Feb 19 2008
PSP Review: Gitaroo Man Lives (2006)
Gitaroo Man is one of the earliest music rhythm game that didn’t rely on a peripheral such as a dance mat or maracas. Instead, it used PS2’s analog stick and face buttons: with your analog stick, you follow line that appears on the screen, and the O button is used to hit the notes on time. Other times, all 4 face buttons are used as they fly in and you must hit them when they reach the center.
The storyline is pretty ludicrous: you play as U-1, a little insecure boy who ends up possessing the gitaroo, which is basically a guitar, and you must battle forces of evil (what else) to save the universe. Yes, the storyline is corny and doesn’t reach new literary heights, but the audio and visuals of this game are simply outstanding. There are only 10 tracks, but they are very diverse, from slow jam to latin-inspired fast track. Manga-style visuals are simply gorgeous, and fit the crazy nature of the storyline pretty well. When you’re following the line, and the buttons, it can get pretty hard to marvel in the visuals though.
Gitaroo Man Lives does suffer from a relatively short length as it only features 10 songs. Multiplayer alleviates it somewhat, but they use the same song selection. Once you’ve played through the songs a few times, there is no reason to go back. Ultimately, if you have played the PS2 version, there is not much new to recommend buying the game again. However if you missed this little gem when it was first released, you should definitely experience the PSP version.
Rating: 75%
