Grammy Music Challenge Review
It's best played with a group of friends that alternates listening intently with competitively screaming out the name of each song as it is identified.
What's the party system of choice? GameCube, with Super Smash Bros. Melee? Xbox, with Halo? No, it's your Verizon Phone with Grammy Music Challenge, of course. If you're looking for a mobile game to play with a group of friends, there's no better way to get the party started. If you're playing alone, however, you may be in for some limited thrills.
GMC lets you pick from two categories of trivia, "46th Annual Grammy Awards," which quizzes you solely on the recent Grammies, and "Grammy Winners and Nominees," which combines questions from 46 years of Grammy history. In both categories, you will be asked to identify songs from short MIDI clips, and then you'll have to answer questions about them. For example, after hearing a loop, you might have to select which album it appeared on from a multiple-choice list. Nail five questions in a row, and you will be treated to a free ringtone download. Totally awesome! Just don't opt for "Cry Me A River," which barely sounds like the original. "Back in the USSR" has a faithful MIDI reproduction, however.
GMC isn't all peaches and cream. After each game, you'll be called upon to download another pack of MIDIs. This tends to horribly interrupt gameplay, thereby sending me into a rage of Achillean proportions. Also, Kenny G is among the "artists" whose work is featured.
It should be no surprise that GMC's focus is on its audio. Its sole graphic is a static picture of a horrible, tuxedoed announcer whose flattened features were garnered either from Microsoft Word Clip Art, or from pre-Colombian sculpture. Either way, he's a big loser with dated sideburns. So, if you're expecting to encounter some sort of unprecedented visual splendor here, you're likely to be disappointed.
The bottom line is that GMC is best played with a group of friends that alternates listening intently with competitively screaming out the name of each song as it is identified. Just think of the creative trash talking that will ensue. "Don't be crip-walking if you ain't a gangbanger, foo.'" That's the kind of delightful repartee you can look forward to as a proud subscriber to Grammy Music Challenge.
