Amplitude HD Reviews
The new game is full of fantastic modern electronic tracks. Sadly there are no big licensed artists to be found, but there are plenty of Harmonix favorites like Freezepop and Symbion Project. My favorite tracks include Perfect Brain, Dalatecht, and Crystal.
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.
Suffice it to say, Amplitude may not be a perfect game that includes every single thing a fan of the previous games could want, but it certainly met my high overall expectations. It's not often that I find myself "buying in" to a crowdsourced project, and rarer still that I would spend more than the typical cost of a game on one, but I'm definitely pleased with the result of doing so this time around.
Amplitude manages to be both a throwback, and as relevant as ever. This feels like a Harmonix with the shackles off, free to unleash their creative side onto the rhythm-action genre once again. With its initial simplicity, mesmerising visuals, and a great marriage of music to game mechanics, Harmonix have given the world a better Amplitude. One that is simply a superb title.
It's nice to see that Harmonix can still keep the beat going, even after the commercial success of Rock Band 4. Amplitude may not be as big a game as that is, but it's still a terrific experience, whether you go it alone or bring some friends into the fray. The soundtrack, while more "indie"-based, is a blast, and the gameplay delivers all the goodness we've come to expect from the brand. Now then, how's that HD port of Frequency coming along…?
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
Easy to pick up and play, Amplitude is a must-have for gamers who love rhythm/music games. Local multiplayer and various difficulty settings make Amplitude excellent value for money, though a lack of online multiplayer or additional DLC hurts long-term longevity.
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.
As a faithful fan of both FreQuency and Amplitude, I'm satisfied with the reboot Harmonix has so lovingly crafted, but as a much different product than the loud, raucous Amplitude I fell in love with as a teenager. I won't keep returning to this Amplitude like I do the 2004 version despite enjoying the soundtrack because it lacks the same kind of replay value for me, but as its own being it absolutely stands on its own feet as a music title evocative of games like Rez or Child of Eden. If you're looking for the next evolution of classic rhythm gaming, this is it...let's just get some additional tracks added into the fold in the future.
Amplitude hits both highs and lows, but is the kind of score-hunting, high difficulty challenge that rhythm fans will love if they're looking for something fresh. A solid revival for a pillar of the genre.
This revival of the 2003 cult classic is a rhythm game driven by the synesthetic idea of physically interacting with sound.
A welcome return of a classic
A unique concept album that challenges your mind and your dexterity
A thrilling variation on the formula that harkens back to genre roots, even if the song catalog lacks the catchy replayability required
Amplitude is a labor of love, polished to a beautiful shine and put into fans' hands by a developer that truly cares about the experience they are offering in revisiting this cult classic. Despite its clean exterior and simple, yet fun gameplay, I fear many will be rather quickly turned away by the steep difficulty curve and a track list that is only good, not great.
In the end, Amplitude isn't quite the masterpiece that many had expected. The idea of a concept album for the Campaign mode is good, but the execution has too many interruptions that prevent the concept from being fully realized. Also, the idea for song unlocks is good considering the game only has 30+ to choose from, but some of the unlocking requirements aren't good incentives to keep playing. On the other hand, the gameplay is fun and interesting for the rhythm genre, and the song selection is very good for fans of electronic music. Fans of rhythm games should check it out.
Controller incongruities aside, Amplitude works as both a look at what rhythm games used to be and as testbed for some interesting new ideas (even if they don't all work). It doesn't offer a new instrument you can pretend to play or change how we think about music games, but it doesn't have to do any of that. It's content to give you a solid, lasting sense of satisfaction from pushing buttons in the right order and hearing some good music.
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
Amplitude won't take over your Rock Band party nights, but it might be quirky enough to give you a few evenings of trippy, challenging button mashing. If you enjoy music games, give it a try.
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.