Rhythm game junkies might be underwhelmed at first, but the curve is just right for beginners.

User Rating: 8.5 | DJ Max Fever PSP
By Iriscal | Review Date:
If you're new to rhythm games, I hope you've got a good sense of rhythm, because you're going to need it here. DJ Max Fever is the first stateside release in a series of Korean rhythm and music games for the PC and the PSP.

So how does it fare? Let's loot at it with a critical eye.

Story:
There is none, save for the sequences in the videos that go along with each song.
Verdict: N/A

Graphics:
The interface is sleek and shiny as ever, though almost everything is borrowed directly from DJ Mac Portable 2, one of this game's Korean-only predecessors. With each song, there is a video. These are nothing special - most are done in the anime style, they look more like second-rate internet Flash animations than actual animation sequences, but some are more artful, and some are just funky acid-trip special effects loops.
Verdict: 7.5/10.0

Music:
A fun romp through a score that can be cutesy girly-pop for one song, and heavy grunge metal the next. You will be brought through a full spectrum of music from somber to hilarious, from classical to even hip-hop, but most of it has a distinct K-pop flavor. Hell, even much of the lyrics are Korean. It's nice on the ears, though, as long as you don't mind not knowing what the singers are saying. And as long as you don't mind electronica.
Verdict: 9.0/10.0

Gameplay:
This is where DJ Max Fever both shines and fails. As a rhythm game, it is very, very similar to Beatmania and Guitar Hero. Notes fall to the bottom of the screen on a track, and your job is to hit them as they reach the bottom to play the notes that go in the song. Fever is possibly the easiest DJ Max to date; the curve is by far less steep than Portable 2, which itself was far easier than the first DJ Max Portable. Veteran players, of course, will be underwhelmed, but fear not - this version includes many songs from the first Portable, which, when they're hard, they're HARD.
Verdict: 9.0/10

Final thoughts:
If you loved Guitar Hero, I'd recommend that you rent it or download the demo first, and play a few songs. If you loved Beatmania or Dance Dance Revolution, I advise you to purchase a copy of this game immediately. It really comes right down to your musical preference; otherwise, this is a solid game.
Final verdict: 8.5/10.0

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