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Gitaroo-Man Preview

Koei takes a break from historically accurate games and rocks out on the PS2.

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Koei has made its name crafting historically accurate games such as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms games. Even its PS2 beat-'em-up, Dynasty Warriors 2, has historical ties. With its upcoming release, Gitaroo-Man, Koei looks as though it's letting its hair down and having a bit of fun. A rhythm game that lacks any ties to history, Gitaroo-Man is aiming to offer an infusion of loopy weirdness into Koei's game lineup. We checked out a build of the game and found it to be well on its way to meeting that goal. Unique gameplay, suitably eccentric graphics, and catchy tunes make Gitaroo-Man an amusing departure from Koei's usual fare.

Our
Our "hero" U1.

Gitaroo-Man's tale of music and drama is set on the planet Gitaroo, which is located somewhere in outer space. A brightly colored world that's chock-full of eccentric folk and talking animals, Gitaroo seems to be a pretty cool place to live for most people. Unfortunately, life's a bit rough for an elementary school kid named U1. Picked on by everyone, even his secret crush, Pico, U1's life kind of sucks. Things take a turn for the weird when he discovers he's actually a descendant of Gitaroo-Man, his planet's legendary hero. Before he knows what's going on, U1 is caught up in a battle with the Grabaren family as he races to collect items that will help him grow in power and bring peace to the planet. It's a daunting task, especially for a kid, but fortunately U1 isn't alone. U1's talking dog, Puma--who's surprising knowledgeable about the Gitaroo-Man legacy--is along for the ride.

U1 looking sharp in in his Gitaroo-Man gear.
U1 looking sharp in in his Gitaroo-Man gear.

While Gitaroo-Man's story is a bit random and bizarre, some of the bosses you encounter and the ensuing dialogue are just classic, the gameplay is far more orderly. Gitaroo Man differs from standard rhythm games with its challenging gameplay and use of a guitar. Unlike the more simplistic Parappa series, Gitaroo Man requires you to do more than just press a button. The game's interface has all the commands moving from the edges of the screen to a dot at its center. While you'll still follow onscreen prompts for button presses, you'll also have to use the left analog stick to keep an onscreen pointer centered on a "traceline." If you've lined the pointer up correctly, the incoming line will turn green to let you know it's aligned properly, and it will register button presses. If the line is blue, the pointer isn't aligned properly and won't register your button inputs, which will cause your power bar to decrease. If the power bar runs out during a battle, you lose. It's a challenging system that keeps you focused on the game and music.

The single-player game is essentially a series of fights connected by story sequences. The fights are broken up into three basic phases: charge, battle, and final. The charge phase will increase your life bar every time you get off a riff without making a mistake. The battle phase is mix of attacking and guarding segments. During attacks, you'll drain energy from your opponent's power bar by successfully performing riffs. Guarding will require you to match button inputs in order to defend against attacks, and missing button inputs will drain your life bar. The final phase will have you finish off your opponent if you can keep up with a final string of commands. Plan on replaying some of the game's later levels, as they're just insane. The theater and collection modes will allow you to view cinemas and information on characters that you can unlock in the single-player mode. Finally, the game will also include a versus mode that allows up to four players to duke it out using a PS2 Multitap.

The mighty Mojo King Bee.
The mighty Mojo King Bee.

Given Gitaroo-Man's eccentric gameplay, it's only fitting that the game features stylized graphics and catchy tunes. The graphics are colorful and loopy, with slick designs for its motley crew. The graphical style is clean, offering a Parappa-esque look that suits the bizarre action. The character models are solid and detailed, while their design is over the top--Mojo King Bee is truly a sight to behold. The animation is good, and even though it's a bit stiff in places, it certainly captures the mood of the game's weird action. The world is equally stylized, looking like an unholy merging of Las Vegas and Akihabara. The music, obviously heavy on the guitar, is catchy and varied. You'll find a wide variety of styles, running the gamut from jazzy tunes to J-pop.

Gitaroo-Man will definitely be a unique entry in the Koei software library. Slick visuals and engaging gameplay separate the game from the pack of rhythm games, and the game's fresh take on the rhythm game genre works well and should challenge even the most seasoned vets. Gamers curious to check it out can look for Gitaroo-Man this February.

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