Paul Hartling's Reviews
Super Beat Sports is for sure an homage to Rhythm Heaven but without the amount of variety a game like this should hold for a new console. With a non-memorable soundtrack and repetition of stages with new color schemes is a lazy cop out for trying to add new flavor.
Patapon Remastered is a great and addicting gameplay experience. The rewarding boss fights make up for some of the weaker levels and the sound and visuals fully cement Patapon as a great remaster. However, the bad first impression, occasional difficulty spike and lack of instructions hold it back from being outstanding.
The Just Dance series had its shine all this time, but to continue doing so it must reinvent itself if it wants to evolve again, even if that means structural changes that surely will bring controversy and risks.
PaRappa the Rapper Remastered does an okay job of bringing the classic forward. The gameplay definitely feels easier and looks prettier than previous versions, though one of the six songs is still fairly difficult. Combine this with only some of the graphics being upgraded and you have a decent game. Great if you want to relive the game you loved or see what this classic is like, but otherwise it does not have the funky flow.
Just Dance 2017 is a definite step up from the previous games in the franchise and offers much more to players. Many changes have gone into making it a great title which I would definitely recommend. Play it with friends or in World Dance Floor mode because that’s the best way to experience the game. The songs are great, the modes are better and the interface is a step above last year's.
Rock Band Rivals is a more focused and diverse version of Rock Band 4 on all fronts, even if it does have a high price point with no new tracks. Harmonix has done well in tweaking the original game for the past year and Rivals is a great extension of this. With new ways to play and new ways to keep people coming back, Rivals is in a lot of ways what Rock Band 4 should have been when it came out. If you still have the desire to bust out your old plastic instrument but for some reason haven’t done so yet, Rivals is a great time to jump back in.
While Harmonix Music VR lives up to what a launch game for a new platform or peripheral should be. A tech demo. While neat to see what Harmonix has created for the virtual world, this seems like a small project for a few team members that could've had a lot of potential in the end. Loading MP3's struggled big time even when using something as powerful as the all mighty PS4 system.
The incredible gameplay, audio and visuals Enhance Games created is simply amazing for a launch PlayStation VR title, very rare in some cases. The VR option only adding to the immersion to this on-rails shooter is one of the best reasons to pick up a PlayStation VR unit. Although the game is very short, new content and unlockables by replaying areas make great use of your time.
Thumper's difficulty continues to put a knife up to me and my 'X' button. The game thrives in it's mesmerizing atmosphere, soundtrack and difficulty, which is really all you need.
So, overall the gameplay of Amplitude has been quickly and easily transported to the new generation, with some nice new touches added in by Harmonix. Gamers who loved the original will be re-addicted quite quickly, but one thing will nag at the back of their mind the whole time, and that is that the songs brought in the new version of Amplitude are simply not up to par with what we've seen before.
Guitar Hero Live introduces some really interesting ideas to the stagnant plastic-guitar genre, but the completely baffling refusal to offer piecemeal track/album/pack purchases and a reliance on a free-to-play model with, at best, rentals of songs brings it all to a screeching halt. Rock Band 4 might be more of the same, but it's the same functional, music-filled game we fell in love with. The gutted Guitar Hero Live, on the other hand, is considerably less of the same.
The entire package seems like a bold statement by Harmonix and Mad Catz. From the superior quality of the equipment to the shocking level of support for their past offerings, Rock Band 4 makes it very clear that the music genre can still shine as much as it did in its inception.