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Fun music/rythm style game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: February 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I played this title back in Japan at the Sony building... Its quite fun, just like a Pa Rappa the Rapper or Umjammer Lammey game.

Nice 3d effects/charecters and backgrounds, cool story.

Gitaroo-Man is an great innovative game for the PS2.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Gitaroo-Man (Playstation 2); Music game; reviewer: Endit

Gitaroo-Man is the story of U-1, a kid that is in love with Pico, Pico has a friend named Kazuya that is a snob and sees U-1 as a loser. U-1 wants Kazuya to like him and tell him that he is cool, but he can't do it.

One day, his dog Puma tells him that him that he is that last in the Gitaroo-Mans, and that he has to save planet of Gitaroo from the evil Gravillians. Can U-1 do it?

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Graphics:

Gitaroo-Man's graphics are great! Everything seems to look good. No blocky [stuff], or poorly drawn stuff. Really good for Playstation 2. It has a nice inter face and is easy to navigate.

******
SOUND:

Well, since Gitaroo-Man is a music game, you would expect atleast one good song in the game, and it delivers that. It has great songs, (I think they're WAY BETTER that Parappa The Rapper 2) that involve the player and enemy to sort-of play the song. My favorite songs are Flyin' To Your Heart (Stage 2), and Born To Be Bone (Stage 7).

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GAMEPLAY:

Gitaroo-Man may sound easy and may look confusing before playing it, but is very challenging though, once you get used to it, it's not a fasted pasted button masher.

A stage is broken into 3 stages:

Charge: In charge, you follow a blue line around the screen using the left analog stick, you must point your arrow directly on it to turn it green and play riffs and power up your power gauge (all at the same time). To play a riff, when following the trace line, click and hold the O/cicrle button on a red, highlight thingy, until it's gone. You can click any other face button, but I find it easiest with the O/cicrle button. It will also tell you how well you did, for instance: miss, ok, good, and great.

*******
BATTLE:

The battle part is composed of two parts: the attack, and guard. They alternate

Attack: Attack is just like guard, but when you now play riffs, you inflict damage to the computer's power guage.

Guard: Guard is where the computer shoots attacks at you and you have to dodge them according to when they come in. You have a sort-of + (plus) thing and face buttons come in according to where they are located on the controler. You have to click them in order to dodge them. Not to hard.

Final: Final is where you can finish off the opponet, it's the same as attack, but if you finish this, you beat the level.

Although this can be hard to non-music game players, it can be picked up and is addictive. It sounds more than it is, but it seems very simple while playing. Some levels seem impossible, and you'll play a lot, they keep you playing.

******
VALUE:

Although Gitaroo-Man isn't a libary of levels, it has some hard ones, some fun, and some wierd ones, they have really good songs. Besides, who would want tons of levels that stink than some excellent ones.

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REVIEWER'S TILT:

Even though it's shaort, it's memorable, fun, challenging and will keep you entertained. Koei's interesting choice of gameplay and unique storyline brightens the game and is new,with such good songs, you would wish everygame had this kind of quality.

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OVER-ALL:

Buy it if you love music games! But, if you're new to them and just learning, I suggest you learn you controler because it might not be very easy in the beginning.

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FINAL SCORE:

9.5 - suberb, according to gamespot.com's rating stystem.

Mega Amounts of Fun!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User

If you liked Parappa the Rapper or UmJammer Lammy (or if you like funky Japanese techno music), this game is for you! You are the star of this music-based video game as Gitaroo Man. Your goal (as always) is to save the universe. The catch? You must do so only with your amazing musical skills.

Using the left analog stick and buttons, you play some amazing riffs on your 'magical' guitar - thereby destorying the evil boss's minions (and saving the universe.)

The game is a lot of fun, and the programmers made sure to include an extensive training level so you can get the hang of it before attempting any life-threatening battles. It takes a bit to get used to (especially since the game makes extensive use of the otherwise-dormant analog sticks) but once you have the hang of it you'll be addicted in no time!

The best part is that once you've beaten the game on easy/regular mode, you can play the entire thing again on Master! (Which, by the way, is really pretty difficult.)

Beware: This game is not for those lacking in the hand-eye coordination department.

Enjoy!

Time for a More Serious Review

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: March 17, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Hi, I'm not going to be your typical "This GaME Kicks ...!" type of reviewer because I believe in intelligent reviews (it is my only outlet for venting my repressed anger and opinions).

Gitaroo Man is a music game that most people will be familiar with as long as they have played something like Parapa the Rappa. Like all games in this growing genre it is essentially timed button presses but fortunately Koei added some inovation. Thanks to the use of the analog stick you feel like you are playing an instrument but herein lies a problem. You need hand-eye coordination. If anyone reading this has a problem coordinating their hands and eyes please look at another product because this will be too difficult for you.

It took me alone a good while to learn how to perform these functions all at once. The songs are fun and catchy and, unlike Parapa, are very challenging. What I like about this is that even if you've beaten the same level 8 times, try it again and you'll probably have to resart a few times.

Initially you won't like the weird Japanesee feel or the steep learning curve but give it a try and soon you'll be hooked. While things like the battle mode seem wild at first soon you can pass by without much trouble. Just follow these steps and you'll be fine.

1. Listen to the music. It is easy to get lost in guard mode but once you learn the music more it is much easier to dodge the musical onslaught.

2. Follow the buttons as they go on the screen, not as they sound. I found myself pressing the buttons before they got to the center and I lost fairly quickly, concentrate on them getting to the center before pressing them and soon the music and the buttons coordinate perfectly.

3. Don't worry about the CPU's health. First concentrate on your own hide by dodging. When the tracker comes so you can attack, don't worry about hitting him, just hit the buttons at the right time. If you can save your own skin for a while and not screw up while attacking then the CPUs go down much much easier.

Well, I like the game but I am also disapointed on how few people will play it. Oh well, I guess some things just aren't going to happen.

One of the most innovative titles to ever be created.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 23 / 24
Date: March 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

It's not everyday someone is attacked by a red demon that wears a diaper and fights by playing music with an "axe" that's an axe. It's not everyday a boy named U-1 - who has a dog named Puma that can change into a mechanical beast and is bonded molecularly to an instrument called a Gitaroo - one day discovers he is the legendary Gitaroo Man. And it's not everyday he has to battle enemies as bizarre as keyboard-playing UFOs and a disco-loving man in a giant bee suit. Sounds weird, huh? What's weirder is the fact that all of this actually makes sense once you start playing the game!

This is the world of "Gitaroo Man", one of the more interesting titles to arrive on American shores from Japan (and you thought things like this would forever remain hidden in the Land of the Rising Sun!). The game comes from Koei, the company famous for historical games such as the "Kessen" series. So how does Koei's foray into the musical genre hold? Thankfully, it holds up very well and is probably one of the better offerings of the genre!

As said before, you play U-1, aka Gitaroo Man, who must use his legendary Gitaroo to defeat enemies. This is done when he and his adversaries take turns playing music selections, which is actually attacking each other. The story borders on the lines of silliness, but it actually makes sense in the context of the gameplay. If you're familiar with games like "Bust-a-Move" and "Dance Dance Revolution", you'll understand at least part of this game. I said a "part" because in this game, the player uses not only the four action buttons but also the left analog stick. I won't go into detail about the control scheme, but I will say that it requires a lot of hand-eye coordinartion with both hands at the same time, concentration on the music beats and rhythms, and a lot of practice. So this game is not a mindless button-masher like "Parappa the Rappa 2". In fact, it's one of the most rewarding music games ever created. Players who finish this game will feel a sense of pride in mastering this incredibly fun title.

But what's a music game with great gameplay without good songs? Certainly not "Gitaroo Man"! There haven't been songs this good since the first "Bust-a-Move", and there probably won't be for a long time. But if you're worried there's only mindless Japanese dance music in this game, fear not! This game has 10 levels filled with very differing music genres, including J-pop, disco-funk, electronica-reggae, rock-opera, and more! And virtually all the songs are teriffic, so a player is guaranteed to have at least several favorites.

And the voice acting is surpringly good. It's not as good as, say, "Soul Reaver 2" or even "Silent Hill 2", but it's still very well done. And considering Koei's other past attempts at voice acting *cough* "Kessen II" *cough* "Gitaroo Man" holds up very well.

Graphically, the style suits the game very well. The styles is very anime-ish, although it looks nothing like, say, "Princess Mononoke" or "Cowboy Bebop"; the characters' heads are big compared to their bodies. But the graphics still work with the game, and there are no slowdowns or framerate issues to speak of. Lip-synching of voices can be little off or even non-existent, but again, it works with the quirkiness and style of the game.

And the replay value of the game? For most, it'll be through the roof. If you think the 10 levels of exciting music action are too easy, try the Master's Level, which features the exact same songs with more difficult gameplay. Believe me, they are hard. And considering the difficulty of the American version of this game was toned down from impossible to almost impossible, we shouldn't complain. Plus, gamers can try to get better scores on songs, which unlock hidden collectables. For completists, this game is a dream come true.

All in all, "Gitaroo Man" is undoubtedly worth a spot in any PS2 owner's collection. It seems quirky and very "Japanese" (and it is), but behind its oddball facade is very deep gameplay that has to be experienced by everyone. There is nothing like "Gitaroo Man", and there probably never will be again. It would be a shame for this "niche" game to be lost in the sea of quality PS2 titles, because this game definately has quality written all over it; you just have to look for it past its strangeness!

"OH YEAH!"

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: May 16, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I'd make LOVE to this game if it were so possible.

Parappa on Steroids!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 23, 2002
Author: Amazon User

If you liked Parappa the Rapper - buy this game! You'll love it. It get's to be much more challenging than Parappa on 'master' mode, but the songs are so great it's worth playing again and again. This is one of those games you need to own - it's a classic.

Sleeper Hit!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: October 13, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Gitaroo-Man is almost perfect. The gameplay is very complex at first, but after getting the hang of it, you'll love it, as its very fun, addictive. But one con: its tiring. It kind of hurts your thumb keeping it on the left analog stick so long. But, just getting used to it makes it not so bad. The sound is the best part of Gitaroo-Man. A Japanese band called COIL does the music, and boy do they do a good job. It blends in perfectly with the theme of the game, and it almost seems as thought the music was designed FOR the game, rather than the other way around. Also, some decent voice acting is done, although it doesnt always match the characters mouths, and some above average sound effects. The gameplay is music- but its different from games like say- PaRappa. Instead of pressing the buttons that your "icon" passes over, the buttons come to your icon. Confusing? At first- but what happens is you highlight your notes with the analog stick, then play them with any of the 4 main buttons. Then, there is a mode where the 4 main buttons come from 4 sides of the screen. Your job is to press them when they reach your icon. You won't understand it until you fully play the game. Everything else about the game is fine. The menus are decent. But one thing- this game may be a bit too hard at first. It takes LOTS of practice. Its pretty short- but the levels will take you so many trys to beat, that it wont matter. But its progress- and you'll know it when you get better. You can always replay levels to get better ranks- and also, there is a Master Mode after you beat the main game. The graphics aren't that good- they're kind of blocky and plain looking. Luckily, there is no slowdown or anything, and they're very colorful. This game is great- I love it. I HIGHLY recommend buying it.
MY SCORE: 95/100

Get this game. No, seriously, GET THIS GAME!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 18, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Ah, this game, at first, had me scratching my head. Eh? A guitar to fight enemies? Goofy looking characters? At first, I was like, "It's stuff like this that makes me wonder what our friends overseas were thinking of", and scoffed at it. I finally decided to give it a try. I was wondering because many believe that this game is underrated.

I only have four words: GET. THIS. GAME. NOW!!!

This game is HIGHLY underrated. If you're any fan of Parappa (you liked it, or hated it, but you at least played it), you will love this game. At first, the controls threw for a loop. but after a bit of practice, they became second nature. They are different, and very easy to learn, but you'll sit there for hours playing through just to get better control. It's not a bad thing; this game is just fun.

The story is about a young man named U-1 with little self confidence, wanting to win the hand of his girl from a rich snob by proving himself to her. His talking dog (?) Puma then lets him know he's a desendant of a legendary race of guitar playing heroes (??) who fight evil with an instrument called a gitaroo (???). Hilarity insues, as Puma tries to train U-1 (you) for battle and then you're attacked first by Satan in huggies (?!?), while your uniform has WINGS ON HIS HELMET!

Don't take this as a diss on the game. It threw me for a loop, had me cracking up, and then the game started and I was immediately hooked: The game's characters are colorful, without a doubt. A bee suit wearing Huggy Bear trumpet player, flying keyboard UFOs, and a guy who kinda looks like Buzz Lightyear on steroids. The sounds are some of the best songs I've heard EVER in any video game, as you'll be humming right along with them. The game looks good too, as it gives you a different type of anime flair that has its own distinct flavor.

Difficulty? I was able to blow through the game after a bit, until I decided (since I'm a musician anyway) to check out Master's Play. Yeow, now THERE'S your challenge and replay value RIGHT THERE. Master's Play beat me down like a little girl, and asked me if I liked the beating.

All in all, if you like music or music games, you will love this game. The gameplay is good, the characters are a hoot, the challenge will have you shaking your head (and pumping your fist after the last note of the board), and you can even play the versus mode against the computer, which adds more replay value. Plus, when playing the game, based on certain situations, your gitaroo line may differ, and the song may differ a bit, so it's fun to play through to hear the different variations of the songs you're playing. But why are you still reading this review? GET THIS GAME NOW!!!!!

wonderful!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is such a unique game! Also, one of the more difficult games. Get ready to put a lot of time into it because it takes a long time to master. Still so much fun!

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