Journies End
22nd May 2003, 06:45 PM
Sleeper games, games that could have been hits and classics, but due to bad marketing, developer discrimination, or the unfortunate luck of being released adjcent to a mega-hyped up-long awaited-blockbuster hit, nobody seemed to notice or care. This topic is dedicated to the sleeper games that demand recognition!
Gitaroo Man
Platform: PlayStation2
Developer: Koei
Genre: Music/Rhythm
Rundown: You assume the role of U-1, your ordinary teen who has his share of problems: trying to impress your high school cursh, attmpting to get back at the school bully, learning how to skateboard, etc. You'd think that fate would deal U-1 a decent deck, but things get worse(!): one day, after an intense skateboarding lesson you return home to find an evil alien monkey in your room demanding that you hand over your "Legendary Gitaroo". It's at this moment your pet dog tells you that you are the Legendary Gitaroo Man, and it is your destiny to search the universe to collect all 8 Legendary Gitaroos!! WTF?! Your dog turns into a robo-dog-amplifier, hurls you your Lengendary Gitaroo, you transform into Gitaroo Man and the game begins!!
Gameplay: Although Gitaroo Man is your basic Music/Rhythm game like Parappa the Rapper or Space Channel 5, there are a few unique aspects that make this game one of a kind: the use of both the analog stick and the face buttons at the same time! There are four different phases per level. First the CHARGE phase. A rhythm line will trace across the screen and you must follow it with the analog. Sounds easy? If the music takes a sharp dip or rise in pitch, so will the trace line, if the music has a lot of verbrato, the trace line will squiggle like crazy, or if the music has a techno beat expect a lot of abrupt 90 degree and 180 degree turns! All the while you must press the "X" on the beat as well! As long as you stay on the trace line and keep up with the beat, you'll charge your Health Bar up and eneter the ATTACK mode. This mode is just like the CHARGE mode, but with one difference: with every beat you miss or if you fall off the trace line, you loose health! Accuracy is everything!! Next there is the GAURD phase. This phase is all about the face buttons: triangle, square, "X", "O". In this phase your oppent attacks your from four directions: up (triange button), down ("X" button), left (sqaure button), and right ("O" buttion). Keep dodging these attacks because every hit you take majorly decreases Health! Finally there is the FINAL mode. This mode is also like the ATTACK mode but every accurate hit does double damage to your enemy, but likewise, every miss is double damage to you! This is where it really counts and the FINAL phase will determine who is the greater Gitaroo player! There are 12 stages in all, each having a diffrent feel and rhythm. The first stage is classic Rock (your oppnent weilding the "Axe" Gitaroo), stage two is techno J-Pop (an Electric Keyboard Gitaroo Foe), stage three is Jazz/Blues (a Trumpet Gitaroo Boss!)... later in the game there is one guy who has a DJ Mixing Board as his Gitaroo and another level where there is no boss to fight, but you have to play your own Gitaroo flawlessly to impress a girl! It's a surprise that Koei developed this game, because they mosty do war sim games (Dynasty Warriorrs, Dynasty Tactics, Romance of the Three Kingdoms), the visuals are really kooky and outrageos and the plot is simply rediculous (ever seen the anime DigiCharat?)
Why this game never sold well (in America): well, first off this is a Music/Beat game and a lot of American Gamers still haven't caught on to how awesome these games can be. Second, I had to search high and low for this game (the copy I own is the the ONLY copy of this game I have ever seen in a gaming store! You can prolly find it OK online though), also Koei released a very limited copy of these games in the first place. And advertising? None that I ever saw on TV, heck, I never even saw ads in gaming mags. This game was doomed from the get go and any hopes of a sequel are very slim to nil. EGM has recently given this game some publisity awarding it "The Best Game None of You Heartless B*stards Ever Played"... you rock EGM!!
Gitaroo Man
Platform: PlayStation2
Developer: Koei
Genre: Music/Rhythm
Rundown: You assume the role of U-1, your ordinary teen who has his share of problems: trying to impress your high school cursh, attmpting to get back at the school bully, learning how to skateboard, etc. You'd think that fate would deal U-1 a decent deck, but things get worse(!): one day, after an intense skateboarding lesson you return home to find an evil alien monkey in your room demanding that you hand over your "Legendary Gitaroo". It's at this moment your pet dog tells you that you are the Legendary Gitaroo Man, and it is your destiny to search the universe to collect all 8 Legendary Gitaroos!! WTF?! Your dog turns into a robo-dog-amplifier, hurls you your Lengendary Gitaroo, you transform into Gitaroo Man and the game begins!!
Gameplay: Although Gitaroo Man is your basic Music/Rhythm game like Parappa the Rapper or Space Channel 5, there are a few unique aspects that make this game one of a kind: the use of both the analog stick and the face buttons at the same time! There are four different phases per level. First the CHARGE phase. A rhythm line will trace across the screen and you must follow it with the analog. Sounds easy? If the music takes a sharp dip or rise in pitch, so will the trace line, if the music has a lot of verbrato, the trace line will squiggle like crazy, or if the music has a techno beat expect a lot of abrupt 90 degree and 180 degree turns! All the while you must press the "X" on the beat as well! As long as you stay on the trace line and keep up with the beat, you'll charge your Health Bar up and eneter the ATTACK mode. This mode is just like the CHARGE mode, but with one difference: with every beat you miss or if you fall off the trace line, you loose health! Accuracy is everything!! Next there is the GAURD phase. This phase is all about the face buttons: triangle, square, "X", "O". In this phase your oppent attacks your from four directions: up (triange button), down ("X" button), left (sqaure button), and right ("O" buttion). Keep dodging these attacks because every hit you take majorly decreases Health! Finally there is the FINAL mode. This mode is also like the ATTACK mode but every accurate hit does double damage to your enemy, but likewise, every miss is double damage to you! This is where it really counts and the FINAL phase will determine who is the greater Gitaroo player! There are 12 stages in all, each having a diffrent feel and rhythm. The first stage is classic Rock (your oppnent weilding the "Axe" Gitaroo), stage two is techno J-Pop (an Electric Keyboard Gitaroo Foe), stage three is Jazz/Blues (a Trumpet Gitaroo Boss!)... later in the game there is one guy who has a DJ Mixing Board as his Gitaroo and another level where there is no boss to fight, but you have to play your own Gitaroo flawlessly to impress a girl! It's a surprise that Koei developed this game, because they mosty do war sim games (Dynasty Warriorrs, Dynasty Tactics, Romance of the Three Kingdoms), the visuals are really kooky and outrageos and the plot is simply rediculous (ever seen the anime DigiCharat?)
Why this game never sold well (in America): well, first off this is a Music/Beat game and a lot of American Gamers still haven't caught on to how awesome these games can be. Second, I had to search high and low for this game (the copy I own is the the ONLY copy of this game I have ever seen in a gaming store! You can prolly find it OK online though), also Koei released a very limited copy of these games in the first place. And advertising? None that I ever saw on TV, heck, I never even saw ads in gaming mags. This game was doomed from the get go and any hopes of a sequel are very slim to nil. EGM has recently given this game some publisity awarding it "The Best Game None of You Heartless B*stards Ever Played"... you rock EGM!!