Amplitude HD Reviews
A welcome reboot of a great rhythm action game, although the lack of new ideas and disappointing soundtrack leaves things a little off kilter.
The rhythm game that put Harmonix on the map returns with spot-on mechanics and a brand new setlist that can't quite compete with the original.
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.
Overall Amplitude's return is an enjoyable one, though the game's campaign set-list has just as many tracks that would clear the dancefloor as fill it. Thankfully, the additional tracks that you unlock through play are much stronger, and will particularly appeal to fans of indie game soundtracks and their composers. However, fans of the original will likely still hanker after more variation to the included styles and genres no matter how hypnotic the action is.
Amplitude brings the series back in a great way, featuring all the arcade rhythm action that players will remember from the 2003 classic. However, the song choices here are woefully inadequate compared to previous offerings, dragging the whole thing down quite a bit.
Amplitude has a great soundtrack and is really addictive, but lacks any real longevity or appeal beyond the first five or six hours of play.
Amplitude is a throwback to old school rhythm games and connects with the nostalgic audience, but may lack the universal appeal of modern like Rock Band or Guitar Hero.
This is a game clearly made for long-standing fans, and made by a passionate team that strived to recreate the gameplay experience of the original on modern hardware. In that sense, Amplitude is a total success. The way that the game draws you in with its psychedelic visuals, how your brain switches off and your fingers become one with your DualShock, the satisfying way that the tracks disintegrate when you clear them – it's all here. If you can forgive the game's problems, you're left with a very solid rhythm game, and an experience that's as fresh today as it was 13 years ago.
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.
This exclusive reboot for PlayStation features all-new music and visuals, but fails to live up to the original.
Amplitude lacks both the visual and audible punch its predecessor delivered, but the gameplay still manages to be immersive, intense and often enjoyable.
The plastic peripheral-slinging music game developers at Harmonix have returned to their roots with a modern remake of Amplitude.
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.
If you've wanted to play another Amplitude game for the past generation, then this is going to scratch your itch and then some.
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.
In order to keep this already long-winded review from balooning further, I'll simply sum it up at this: while Amplitude doesn't do much in the way of innovation, it does offer the strongest gameplay in the franchise thus far in terms of challenge. However, the weak track selection, questionable visual design choices and semi-botched implementation of the franchise's best gameplay methods add up to a very lackluster experience. I would be upset if I backed this on Kickstarter, not because I didn't get a good game out of the deal — which Amplitude certainly is, for sure — but rather, that the game doesn't seem as inspired as the labors of love that preceded it, which causes this particular pony to look like it's not even capable of doing its one trick nearly as well as it used to.
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 offers fairly stock-standard rhythm gameplay and nice visuals, coupled with a rigid unlock system and a music genre of limited appeal.
Amplitude is a competent rhythm game that should provide lots of fun at parties, but the hamstrung tracklist is a severe detriment to its longevity. Harmonix was able to preserve the classic experience, but may have gone overboard in its effort to do so.
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.