KickBeat: Special Edition Reviews
KickBeat is a fairly standard rhythm game augmented by some visual flair and a polarising soundtrack. The attention to detail we've come to expect from Zen Studios is present in full effect, both in the luscious 3D models and in the interface with statistics galore. This isn't a title you'll likely still be playing years from now, but it's a surprisingly meaty experience, and if you're a music game addict or a huge fan of early '00s mainstream hard rock music, you'll love kicking these beats.
Kickbeat is a fairly generic rhythm-action title, hampered by loose core gameplay – something that really needed to be solid when there is so little in the way of content. It's hard to recommend it when there are better examples of the genre out there.
So you get almost the same game as before, with a couple of bonus tracks. The gameplay remains the same, but the graphics have been upgraded to 1080p at 60 frames-per-second. But with the painful omission of custom soundtracks, there is little incentive to re-visit the game once you've completed it, and even less after you collect all the stars in the campaign (which will be quite a challenge nonetheless). If you've never played the game before and currently do most of your gaming on the PS4, then at $9.99 it's an easy buy for rhythm game fans. Here's hoping a PS4 firmware update coupled with a title update will enable custom soundtracks, or at least for some DLC tracks.
KickBeat: Special Edition is a solid enough game, but it never does anything beyond its initial concept to make it feel unique. Decent presentation and a comical plot help to balance out boring gameplay and a disappointing soundtrack, culminating in a release that neither looks good nor bad on the dancefloor.
While Kickbeat is sound and technically works very well, and while the song selection can be questionable, there are a few standouts. Unfortunately, there's just not enough here to keep many people playing after doing the full story once unless you're looking for a big challenge. For a single play through of the story, it's alright, but for lasting appeal, it really doesn't have it.
Even if you're addicted to rhythm games, Kickbeat is a hard pass. It gets almost nothing right. Stick to your old copies of Rock Band and Guitar Hero and get your fighting game needs met with an actual fighting game.
The last decade saw the rise of popular rhythm games such as Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero. With that craze now long dead the rhythm game genre is attaching itself to other gaming genres. KickBeat – Special Edition is one of these games which strives to straddle the line between the beat\'em up and rhythm genre and strikes just the right chord in its execution. Zen Studios has put together a package that\'s both visually appealing and absolutely fun to play.
Its concept is simple enough to allow nearly everyone to start playing quickly, the soundtrack is quite good and it's fun enough to entertain for a while. However, the game does not have enough content to keep it on its legs and its unbalanced difficulty levels, as well as some technical problems, make it a less-than-fundamental choice in the Wii U's catalogue.
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The actual gameplay, despite its insane difficulty spike once you play on anything but easy, is actually really fun.
Overall KickBeat is an entertaining and smartly priced addition to the burgeoning rhythm game catalogue. The gameplay has an assuredness to it that rewards repeated play and feels like a learning experience. Once you factor in the Beat Your Music mode this one goes down as a bargain for fans of the genre, particularly those with a hefty catalog of MP3s.
All in all, Kickbeat is an entertaining diversion for a rainy day, but it isn't what you would call an essential purchase.
KickBeat is a unique and fun game. Zen Studios has tried their hand at something original and by most accounts, the results are a success. If you're a fan of the Rhythm genre and at least find the concept of beating people up to music intriguing, you'll likely have some fun with this title and get your money's worth.
Kickbeat: Special Edition is a fun little diversion in small bursts but it doesn't really stray too far from the path it sets out right at the very start. Despite some solid gameplay mechanics, it sadly lacks the variety of content to ensure repeated play and as such will likely only appeal to diehard fans of the genre.
The generally disappointing soundtrack makes the game hard to recommend to those who are looking for more variety, but the gameplay is still great and helps make rhythm games feel fresh once again. If you like the soundtrack or are willing to look past it, you'll have a lot of fun punching and kicking to the beat of the music in KickBeat: Special Edition.
KickBeat is a game I could've enjoyed a lot more if the soundtrack had more varying genres. It feels like a game stuck in 2002 (complete with a reference to the Verizon Wireless "Can you hear me now?" ad campaign), especially from a gameplay standpoint. While there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the game, nothing really makes it special either. It's just a very basic rhythm game with a very specific style of music. I can only recommend this game if it's your… Last Resort.
Rarely engaging, never inspiring and strangely shallow, 'KickBeat: Special Edition' will appeal to rhythm game junkies craving for a mash-up with 'Mortal Kombat'. However, in the musical gaming niche, a lot of better and more engrossing titles are available for purchase, albeit not on the PS4. With a questionable song selection, moderately convincing graphics and an incredible difficulty curve, 'KickBeat: Special Edition' is for hardcore gamers only. A missed opportunity.
It’s a budget musical title, whose budget does hurt the soundtrack. While it has good graphics and style, only a few songs are noteworthy and a couple are memorable. But the story is solid.