Amplitude HD Reviews
Having dispensed with the rock-star posturing, Harmonix's return to its abstract rhythm action roots is a textured, vibrant triumph.
Improved lane-hopping controls and fun multiplayer make this a blast to play, but it's as an interactive music album where new Amplitude really shines. You need to experience it.
Amplitude is a labor of love on its creator's part. What it has to offer is a testament to Harmonix's mastery of the genre: Its simple yet deeply challenging gameplay and psychedelic graphics have been honed to near-perfection, and each distinct part of every song carries its own, faithful patterns and challenges. The critical flaw is that there's simply not enough content to go around.
Amplitude is a pseudo remake, funded through Kickstarter, of the title homonym of PS2 released in 2003, which laid the foundations for music and rhythm games to become massive in the West.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Amplitude offers fairly stock-standard rhythm gameplay and nice visuals, coupled with a rigid unlock system and a music genre of limited appeal.
A welcome reboot of a great rhythm action game, although the lack of new ideas and disappointing soundtrack leaves things a little off kilter.
Amplitude does a solid little job of bringing back a Harmonix classic in mechanical terms, and it can be a fun distraction in small doses, but it just doesn't provide enough to sustain itself or its audience. With an expanded setlist, more genres outside of generic electronica, and some actual memorable songs, this could have been something special.
In the end, though, Amplitude is a bit of a disappointment. It plays well enough and it's awfully slick-looking, but the lack of a diverse array of songs really puts a damper on the experience. And this isn't merely subjective; as starkly different songs result in drastically different note patterns on the tracks, and even how the tracks are set up, this lack of music variety impacts the gameplay as well.
Amplitude is a solid remix of the original that should win over longtime fans as well as new players who want to explore a fresh version of a game that brought Harmonix into prominence. The track list could have been fuller in terms of quantity and genre variety, but the gameplay remains challenging, crisp, and energetic. Put on a pair of quality headphones, and Amplitude is worth every note.
Looking and playing very similarly to the 2003 original, the new Amplitude packs a thumping good progressive electronica soundtrack which suits its slick and nicely polished gameplay perfectly. Where the game does fall a little flat is in its lasting appeal. It doesn't take long to beat the campaign and unlock almost all of its tracks, and once you've done that, the leaderboards are the only place where a long-term challenge can be found.
Amplitude is a good time whether you are playing alone or with friends, since the game adjusts to whoever's playing. Single-player is about being precise and focused, asking that you use your power-ups wisely and mantain your streak. Harmonix has also included a little treat — FreQ mode. In this mode, it's basically like you're playing Frequency again. You can't play online, but the options in the local play are robust. Four-player free-for-all quickplay encourages competition, using your power-ups to attack other players. Cooperative and team-based play offer further options for enjoying Amplitude with your friends, and it's really fun to feel like you and your friends are making your own music.
This revival of the 2003 cult classic is a rhythm game driven by the synesthetic idea of physically interacting with sound.
Amplitude hasn't got the high-profile tracks or acts to make it as a blockbuster music game, but it has got the gameplay chops, the visuals and the soundtrack to make it as hypnotic, score-attack arcade game. On that level it's still a little short on long-term appeal, but as accomplished and horribly addictive as anything Harmonix has produced.
Amplitude is a fascinating rhythm'n game, that focuses on hardcore electronic music. But it gives the player the somewhat unsatisfying feeling to have to catch up with music, rather than "creating" it.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Despite its improved HD veneer and tweaked controls, I just didn't find the Amplitude of 2016 to be as addictive or long-lasting an experience as the Amplitude of 2003. I had some fun with it for as long as it took to play through its hypnotic campaign and unlock all its tracks in the quickplay mode, but the samey soundtrack and meagre selection of modes meant that I had little motivation to return to it thereafter. Committed high score-chasers will probably stick around in an effort to top the online leaderboards since the challenge is most certainly still there, but for everyone else Amplitude will likely feel like a commendable cover of a classic, but a mere cover all the same.
The original Amplitude broke this ground over 10 years ago, but the world just wasn't ready. Maybe in 2016 people will be more open to the idea of finding the music inside themselves.
While some more star power in the soundtrack would have went a long way, and the way Harmonix artificially pads the game's length with its song unlock requirements is ridiculous, Amplitude remains an exciting blend of rhythm action and electronica that does well by its predecessors.
Amplitude sadly missed the mark. It feels bare, awkward, and incomplete. There isn't a ton of content and the song selection won't keep players hooked. Maybe this is one Kickstarter the gaming community should have passed on.
Amplitude is a game trapped in the PS2's past but brought back through the developers' passion. There really isn't any innovation in this version, but it's not expensive so a lot can be overlooked. This game works best at a college dorm party or somewhere with lots of friends. But there's little more to do once everyone has gone home.
Amplitude could have been something special again; instead, it ended up falling flat.